News & Events

The Coastal Summer Semester students arrived on Sapelo Island Sunday afternoon, June 4th. The program is off to a great start! Thus far students have trawled on board the R/V Spartina, learned about oyster ecology, salt marsh dynamics, black gill in shrimp, and nearshore plankton communities, as well as discovered various marine invertebrates and vertebrates along the way. Lab and field activities have included phytoplankton... Read more →

The University of Georgia Marine Institute (UGAMI, https://ugami.uga.edu/), located on Sapelo Island, Georgia, seeks a new Building Services Worker. Work involves cleaning and general custodial care of Marine Institute buildings and facilities. This includes offices, laboratories, general access areas and restrooms. Experience with cleaning and custodial care and references that reflect quality work and ability to carry out instructions independently and completely is preferred. Some kitchen/ group... Read more →

The University of Georgia Marine Institute (UGAMI, https://ugami.uga.edu/), located on Sapelo Island, Georgia, seeks an Assistant/Associate Director for Operations to assist with departmental oversight, staff management, and facilities planning. The candidate will report directly to the UGAMI Director and will be involved in developing major policies and procedures, establishing Institutional priorities, and budget allocation. The Director for Operations provides daily oversight of UGAMI, represents the... Read more →

The Georgia Coastal Ecosystems Long Term Ecological Research Program (GCE LTER) is recruiting for five paid summer internships in coastal ecology for summer 2023! Note that some opportunities are limited to current undergraduate students. All interns will be paid a stipend. Most internships last ~8 weeks between May and August, however, start and end dates are flexible based on the schedule of the intern and... Read more →

The University of Georgia Marine Institute on Sapelo Island is seeking to hire an Academic Professional to develop and provide oversight of the Institute’s residential instructional programs for University students. The candidate will also serve on the UGAMI leadership team as the Assistant Director for Academics, mentor students conducting independent research, and teach field courses in their area of specialization. The position is based primarily... Read more →

We are very excited to announce Dr. Emlyn Resetarits will be joining UGAMI as our inaugural Scientist-in-Residence.  Dr. Resetarits has been teaching as part of our Marine Biology Spring semester for several years and will be joining the UGAMI faculty full-time in Spring 2023.  She has already begun setting up her research in a dedicated space in the newly renovated north wing of the main... Read more →

The new cohort of PhD students from the Odum School of Ecology visited this month for a whirlwind tour of everything UGAMI and Sapelo Island has to offer young ecologists! This post comes to us from the trip’s organizer and faculty member at Odum, Dr. Ford Ballentyne: ECOL8000 Field trip The field trip is an integral component of ECOL8000, the only required class for PhD... Read more →

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UGAMI is seeking to hire an Academic Professional to develop and provide oversight of the Institute’s residential instructional programs for University students. The candidate will also teach field courses in their area of specialization, mentor students conducting independent research, and serve on the UGAMI leadership team. The position is based primarily at the UGA Marine Institute on Sapelo Island, with travel to the UGA main... Read more →

Four students from the UGA College of Engineering visited UGAMI last week as part of a project focused on exploring new housing options for visiting researchers. The project is part of their capstone senior design course, a year-long class that provides students an opportunity to work on a real-world engineering challenge with a client – in this case, the Marine Institute. Working with a larger interdisciplinary... Read more →

A film crew from PBS visited the UGA Marine Institute this past winter and did a segment on salt marshes (and GCE-LTER research in particular) for their “Changing Seas” program. The show is due to be broadcast on June 23 at 8:30 pm. The preview is here (https://www.pbs.org/video/at-the-waters-edge-the-salt-marsh-h2shaw/) and the show itself will be available at https://www.changingseas.tv/. Read more →

Two regular researchers at UGAMI, Dr. Nik Heynen and Dr. Mary Ann Moran, are being honored for their work. Dr. Nik Heynen, professor in the Department of Geography at UGA, was recognized as a Distinguished Research Professor 2021. Dr. Heynen is the co-director of UGA’s Cornelia Walker Bailey Program on Land and Agriculture and a principal investigator on the Georgia Coastal Ecosystems Long Term Ecological... Read more →

Mary Price, who was one of our dedicated employees, passed away last March. There has not been a formal memorial service due to COVID-19. However, this past week the UGAMI staff gathered to dedicate the newest boat in our fleet in her honor, the “M.T. Price”. This new Carolina skiff will be an invaluable asset for the education of our students, and we are looking... Read more →

A recent paper that looked at changes in tidal creeks in southeastern marshes found that the purple marsh crab, Sesarma, is reshaping the landscape. The paper, which appeared in PNAS, was highlighted in the January 2021 issue of Scientific American. The researchers provide evidence that rising seas are increasing inundation of tidal creeks, making them softer and hence easier for the crabs to burrow. This... Read more →

What better place to learn about salt marshes than Georgia! UGAMI had a crew from PBS on site last week shooting footage for a program focused on salt marshes as part of a series called Changing Seas (www.changingseas.tv). The crew went out in the field with GCE-LTER researchers to film them in action at the long-term plots and sampling the vegetation near the flux tower, and they... Read more →

Due to the threat of COVID-19, UGAMI will be closed to visiting class groups until further notice. Researchers wishing to visit will be accommodated on a case-by-case basis. We hope everyone stays safe out there. Read more →

For the past six months, we’ve been hard at work designing a brand new visitor center and gift shop. We are excited to unveil this new UGAMI addition that we hope excites others as well! Next time you are at UGAMI be sure to stop in the main administrative building. In the visitor center, you can experience UGAMI’s early days with artifacts, photographs, and even... Read more →

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... Read more →

November 1 - December 1, 2017 Read more →

On Thursday, May 11, the staff of UGAMI gathered for our annual staff appreciation.  Even that infamous pirate, Captain E.C., was in attendance.  There was much merriment and cake, too. Sapelo Island’s remote location often means that extra effort is required to get things done.  This group goes the extra mile, every day. Read more →

Since 2015, the Whiting-Turner Contracting Company has sponsored an annual volunteer work weekend helping to improve the UGAMI facilities.  Eighteen Whiting-Turner employees and their spouses spent this past weekend on Sapelo Island working side by side with UGAMI staff, Beth Richardson (Friends of UGAMI), and representatives from campus (David Lee, VP for Research; Carl Bergmann, Associate VP for Research; and Gwynne Darden,  Associate VP for... Read more →

Although Jimmy Buffet is almost correct when he sings “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,” now it’s only five o’clock twice a day at UGAMI. The 1937 Seth Thomas clock on the front of the Main Lab building had been stopped for many years; its antique gears had worn out and its hands constantly insisted that it was 5:00.  Then one day last year, UGAMI’s assistant director... Read more →

              Last month, work started on a major renovation of UGAMI’s main laboratory building.  This project represents the first phase of a multi-year plan to completely renovate and modernize the Main Lab.  At 20,000 square feet, the Main Lab is UGAMI’s largest building, and is critical to the Institute’s mission. The main lab was built in the 1920s and... Read more →

On December 22, 2016, the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve (SINERR) celebrated its fortieth anniversary.  The 6,100-acre reserve covers a swath along the western and southern flanks of Sapelo Island, including the UGAMI campus. SINERR’s research and education initiatives focus on the natural ecosystems, cultural resources, and history of Sapelo Island and the surrounding estuary. There is a long tradition of collaboration between UGAMI... Read more →

The Friends of UGAMI spearheaded a project to install two new interpretive signs for the Alligator Pond on the UGAMI campus.  One sign describes the history of the artificial pond, which was created in 1923 when Howard Coffin owned what we now call the Reynolds Mansion.  The second sign covers the ecology of the plants and animals that inhabit the pond.  The pond is home... Read more →

Research Technician II Target Audience(s): Technician/Staff Institution: University of Georgia Marine Institute Institutional Web Link: http://ugami.uga.edu Position Description: This position is based at the UGA Marine Institute on Sapelo Island, GA. The selected individual will serve as a field technician for the Georgia Coastal Ecosystems Long Term Ecological Research Program (gce-lter.marsci.uga.edu/lter/) and will work with other technicians in residence at the Marine Institute. Minimum Qualifications:... Read more →

The Friends of UGAMI held one of their regular work weekends on the UGAMI campus.  Originally scheduled for the weekend during which Hurricane Matthew struck, they rescheduled for the weekend of November 11-13. Twelve members participated in the work weekend, working on the Barrier Island Research Lab dormitory (BIRL), Teal Boardwalk, Sears House, and garage.  At the BIRL dorm, new light bulbs were installed in... Read more →

UGA’s Franklin Residential College (FRC) visited UGAMI during fall break on Oct 28-30.  FRC is a student-governed residential college program modeled after the residential colleges found at Ivy League institutions, giving the feel of a small college within a great university and offering its members opportunities to participate in intellectual and cultural events.  FRC students traveled to UGAMI to learn about the natural history and... Read more →

A large number of researchers, students, and volunteers associated with the Georgia Coastal Ecosystem (GCE) – Long Term Ecological Research Project (LTER) gathered at UGAMI during the week of October 24-28 for the GCE’s annual fall monitoring. The goal of fall monitoring is to collect an extensive, standardized set of information during the same period every autumn from the GCE’s core sampling sites for use... Read more →

As of Wednesday, Oct. 19th, UGAMI is open for business following its brush with Hurricane Matthew.  The storm caused no major damage to buildings, boats, or vehicles (see Oct. 10 Post on the effects of Hurricane Matthew). Initially, Georgia Power estimated that it would take 4-5 weeks to restore power to Sapelo Island.  Thanks to the monumental responses of the Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources... Read more →

The Southeast Georgia Coast experienced its first major hurricane strike in over a hundred years with Matthew this past week. While only minor damage was incurred, power is currently out, and the Institute remains closed at this time. Read more →

U.S. Representative Earl “Buddy” Carter (Georgia, 1st district) visited Sapelo Island to learn about the research and education programs at UGAMI. Read more →

New research published in Nature Communication sshows that a mutualistic relationship -- where two organisms benefit from each other's activities -- between ribbed mussels and salt marsh grasses may play a critical role in helping salt marshes bounce back from extreme climate events such as drought. Read more →

UGA hosted a retreat for Georgia’s federal legislative staffers on the university's main campus in Athens in August. Read more →

UGAMI's recent hire will address the Institute's strategic priority to strengthen educational opportunities for undergraduates. Read more →

Visitors include researchers from Creighton University and University of Houston, as well as graduate students and interns, and undergraduates from UGA's Coastal Summer Semester and Interdisciplinary Field Program. Read more →

The cover of the spring 2016 issue of UGA’s Honors Program magazine featured anthropology students students who visited Sapelo Island to learn about its rich history and its salt marsh ecosystem. Read more →

UGAMI researchers explain how saltwater intrusion has changed the ecosystem of the historically freshwater areas of the marsh on Sapelo Island. Read more →