UGAMI at 70

Morning view from Shell Hammock (photo by Gracie Townsend)

UGAMI was established in 1953, so 2023 marks our 70-year anniversary! We wanted to take a moment to look back over this past year.

Our research program is thriving. UGAMI continues to be the base of operations for the Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER project, as well as a host for investigators working in the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve. Over 40 papers were published this year as a result of research conducted at UGAMI, and 7 students completed their theses.

We hosted educational groups from both near and far; completed another successful summer semester; and continued collaborating with the Cornelia Walker Bailey program on Land and Agriculture. Other visitors included teacher workshops and several interdisciplinary meetings.

On the facilities side we continue to put effort into campus improvements. We completed the work on one of the 2nd floor labs and put new roofs on the Shell Hammock houses. We’ve also begun renovating the apartment dormitory on the main quad–The outside won’t change, but we are filling in the basement to provide structural support for the building and bringing the interior up to code.

If you would like to support us the best way is to join the Friends of UGAMI. They assist us in multiple ways, from sponsoring students and interns to helping with campus improvements. Donations can be made online, or via check made out to “UGA Foundation”, with “Friends of UGAMI” in the memo line, and sent to us at “Friends of UGAMI, Marine Sciences Building, 325 Sanford Drive, Athens, GA 30602”.

Here’s to the next 70 years!