Follow us on Facebook!
UGAMI now has a Facebook page where you can keep up to date on research, available courses, visitors, and general happenings on site. Please “like” our page and share with your colleagues and friends!
Here we go again…
A familiar occurrence is happening again at UGAMI: another infrastructure improvement project is getting underway. The process begins with the arrival of a barge loaded with equipment and construction materials. Then the workers arrive on the ferry, many of whom are now our old friends; veterans from previous construction projects at UGAMI.
The current project is the second phase of renovations on the Main Lab building, which focuses on the utility systems in the southern half of the Main Lab Building. This phase will significantly upgrade the HVAC, potable water, sewer, and electrical systems. The results may not be immediately obvious to first-time visitors, but lab users who have been coming to UGAMI for a while will surely notice the improvements in indoor air quality & temperature.
There have been many investments made in infrastructure improvements at UGAMI over the past two years, including: installing a new pumping and water distribution system for our seawater labs; creating new outdoor seawater tank facilities; renovating the ground floor of the Main Lab (visitor labs, a shared equipment lab, and a new teaching lab); consolidating the Maintenance Department’s shop facilities; creating a new lab space with fume hoods in what used to be the old electrical shop; renovating the administrative offices and creating a museum exhibit space in the north carriage house building; creating student recreation facilities, housekeeping facilities, a video conference room, and offices in the south carriage house building; and replacing the boat docks in South End Creek and Post Office Creek.
Living amid a major construction project can be inconvenient. But UGAMI users and staff are excited to see the progress taking place. These investments by the University System of Georgia and external funding agencies are proof of the value placed on UGAMI and the work that goes on here.
Jacob Shalack earns Certified Educational Facilities Professional credential
UGAMI is proud to announce that Jacob Shalack has earned the Certified Educational Facilities Professional (CEFP) credential from APPA. The CEFP credential recognizes leaders in educational facilities management and is a way to validate the unique knowledge and competency required of an accomplished professional in the educational facilities field.
Jacob wears two hats at UGAMI. He splits his time between being UGAMI’s Assistant Director for Operations and the Site Manager for the Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER. Many of UGAMI’s users only know Jacob in one of these capacities and have no idea that he has another side to his professional life.
By acquiring the core knowledge necessary to obtain the CEFP, Jacob is helping to ensure the long-term stewardship of UGAMI.
Congratulations, Jacob!
Cornelia Walker Bailey Program Launches Website
The University of Georgia’s Cornelia Walker Bailey Program on Land and Agriculture recently launched their own website. This program focuses on the history, present status, and future of agriculture on Sapelo Island, GA. The program facilitates meaningful partnerships among UGA faculty and students, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve, and the Hog Hammock community. It also complements the UGA Marine Institute’s broader educational mission of creating unique experiences of immersion, providing strong mentorship from UGA faculty and community leaders, and encouraging students to engage with real-world problems through UGAMI’s Geography of the Georgia Coast course. The website features important news and publications as well as ways to support the program.
UGAMI’s New Spring Semester Featured in UGA Columns
We are a little late posting this one, but UGAMI’s undergraduate residential program was featured in the UGA Columns. Students can now live and study on Sapelo Island during the spring and summer semesters. The Marine Biology Spring Semester (https://bit.ly/2CAyoxY) is a residential program open to 14 undergraduates interested in studying marine biology. Students spend the majority of their days in the field doing hands-on science as well as making connections with researchers from across the country. The deadline to register is November 9, 2019, and the program will kick off in Spring 2020.
Be sure to check out the article below!
UGA Marine Institute expands undergraduate residential program
Got GAME?
We do…the Georgia Association of Marine Education, that is. GAME provides networking opportunities for its members, equips educators to teach marine science concepts more effectively, and celebrates the wonder of the aquatic systems of Georgia. GAME held its annual meeting at UGAMI on Nov 2-4, 2018 with a theme of the Collaborative Nature of Science. In addition to a full agenda of lectures, discussions, and teaching demonstrations, GAME members toured UGAMI’s facilities, spent a morning trawling aboard the R/V Spartina, and went on other field trips to experience UGAMI research and Sapelo Island’s natural beauty. Attendees included classroom teachers, museum educators, naturalists, natural resource managers, and university faculty. By meeting at UGAMI, Georgia’s marine education community had a fabulous opportunity to gain firsthand knowledge of current research and to develop relationships with researchers and fellow educators.
Natural beauty surrounds UGAMI on Sapelo Island
Ready to head out on the R/V Spartina!
GAME members explore their trawling catch with UGAMI’s Assistant Director, Damon Gannon (right).
UGAMI Announces Marine Biology Spring Semester
Students aboard the R/V Spartina.
The University of Georgia Marine Institute is pleased to announce the creation of a new academic program, the Marine Biology Spring Semester. This exciting opportunity is open to undergraduate and graduate students, from any college or university, pursuing a degree in biology, ecology, chemistry, geology, fisheries biology, wildlife biology, environmental science, marine sciences, oceanography, or related field. Students will be immersed in field-based learning while taking up to 17 credit hours of formal coursework in marine biology and ecology, and have an opportunity to conduct independent research under the guidance of a faculty member. Students will be in residence at the UGA Marine Institute on Sapelo Island from January 8 – May 2, 2019. Admission is on a rolling basis, with a final application deadline of November 9, 2018.
UGAMI Marine Biology Spring Semester: Program Description and Application.
Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER featured in National Science Foundation Symposium
The Georgia Coastal Ecosystems Long-Term Ecological Research program, which is based at the University of Georgia Marine Institute, is being featured in a symposium highlighting the links between people and marine ecosystems hosted today in Washington D.C. by the National Science Foundation. More on this symposium can be seen here.