March, 2018
Upcoming Events
Wednesday, Apr 5
Harbor Branch Immersion Tour | Ocean Discovery Visitors Center | 10:30 a.m. [ More info ]

Ocean Science Lecture Series:   Did you miss out on the exciting 2018 lecture series? Don't worry! You can watch them all here.

Saturday, Apr 7
" An Ice Age Mystery Revealed " presented by the Old Vero Ice Age Sites Committee | Emerson Center - Vero Beach | 4 p.m. & 7 p.m. [ More info ]
Sullivan Appointed Interim Executive Director
This month, FAU Harbor Branch Executive Director Anton Post, Ph.D. transitioned into a new role of Associate Vice President for Corporate and International University Relations within the Division of Research. In this position, Post will help the Division of Research facilitate collaborative research with small, medium and large corporations. This is a very important time for FAU and fostering these interactions represent an important step in research as the University seeks to broaden its research portfolio and scholarship.
 
Jim Sullivan, Ph.D. was named Interim Executive Director. Before being named to this post, Sullivan held senior positions in both academia (University of Rhode Island – Graduate School of Oceanography, FAU Harbor Branch) and industry (WET Labs & SeaBird Scientific). During his career, he has received funding through most major federal science agencies including NSF, NOAA, NOPP, ONR, NASA and NIH, receiving grants from these agencies totaling over $11 million. Click here for more information.
In Memory of Marilyn C. Link
This month, Florida Atlantic University lost a true friend with the passing of Ms. Marilyn C. Link. As the matriarch & director emerita of FAU Harbor Branch, no one advocated more for its success, vitality & legacy than Marilyn. Read the full statement here.

Memorial services were held on March 26, 2018 in Vero Beach and Binghamton.
FAU Harbor Branch Funded to Develop Imaging System for CubeSats
FAU Harbor Branch's Dr. Michael Twardowski and Dr. Bing Ouyang recently received funding to develop an imaging system for CubeSats, low-cost miniaturized satellites. The two-year project, “High Quality Littoral Ocean and Aerosol Characterization from a Cubesat with Novel Spatial Light Modulator Imaging System,” is collaboration between FAU Harbor Branch and Navy Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command. This $300K project is funded through National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP), managed by the Office of Naval Research (ONR). Read more.
Migratory Culture in Beluga Whales
FAU Harbor Branch's Dr. Greg O'Corry-Crowe is co-author on a paper that was recently published in PLOS One. The paper, "Migratory culture, population structure and stock identity in North Pacific beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas)," firmly establishes philopatry to summering ground (and most likely entire migratory circuits) as a characteristic behavior in beluga whales.

They were able to demonstrate, through a detailed genetic study of kinship, that related whales returned to the same locations year after year, and even generation after generation. This inter-generational inheritance of where to go and when likely involves some form of social learning from conspecifics, most likely from mother to calf. These findings provide compelling evidence that migratory culture and kinship helps maintain demographically discrete populations of beluga whales that can overlap in both time and space. Click here to read the paper. 
 
[Image] Migration routes and sampling locations of beluga whales from the major summer concentration areas in the Bering, Chukchi and Beaufort Seas and from the Gulf of Alaska.
$500K Awarded to Conserve Harbor Branch Marine Biotechnology Reference Collection
FAU Harbor Branch was recently awarded $500K for conservation of part of Harbor Branch’s legacy, the collection of deep sea invertebrates that were sampled under the Johnson SeaLink Program and are still being explored by the drug discovery team.
The project aims to provide the scientific community access to Harbor Branch's Marine Biotechnology Reference Collection, a unique and taxonomically and geographically diverse collection of more than 31,500 preserved benthic marine invertebrates and macroalgae (seaweeds).  Read more.
Marine Mammals
FAU Harbor Branch Assists in Dolphin Disentanglement
This month, FAU Harbor Branch Marine Mammal Rescue took part in the disentanglement of "Lenny" the dolphin. The team assessed and removed recreational fishing line and marine debris from his flukes. The intervention took place in the Intracoastal Waterway in Clearwater, FL.
 
Congrats to all collaborators: Georgia Aquarium, SeaWorld, Clearwater Marine Aquarium, FWCC Marine Mammal Biologists & Law Enforcement, Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium, Clearwater Beach Law Enforcement, and Chicago Zoological Society Dolphin Research Project. Activities were overseen and authorized by NOAA Fisheries.
Photo credit: Clearwater Marine Aquarium. Rescue efforts and images authorized under MMPA Permit No. 18786-02.
Manatee Release
Last week the Marine Mammal Rescue team took part in the release of Frappuccino the manatee alongside Miami Seaquarium, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and Sea to Shore Alliance. Our staff and volunteers helped rescue this manatee earlier this year.
Turtle Release
A turtle release took place after the manatee release at Avalon state beach park. The marine mammal rescue team also helped to rescue this animal. The turtle was found by FAU Harbor Branch's Dr. Dennis Hanisak and the 2017 Semester by the Sea class.  
Thank You!
A special thanks goes out to our volunteers for the 2018 Ocean Science Lecture season. It was a real success!
  • Walt Lincoln
  • David Rogers
  • Marie Pedrick
  • George MacArthur
  • Ken Smith
  • Bill Dawe
  • John Johnson
  • John Warner