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The Island View
Monthly Newsletter
October 2022
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Fall is my favorite season. I know, you might be surprised to read that. I mean summer on Appledore is well, spectacular. To be totally honest, each season I am in is my favorite, stemming from my deep connection to the natural world, watching how everything responds to changing light, precipitation, temperature. It fills me with endless awe at how each season bleeds into the next with a flurry of making ready. The chipmunks, trees, and turkeys are getting ready for the winter- no time to waste. Fall also means I get the opportunity to reconnect with the wider field station community at the Organization of Biological Field Station annual meeting. This year we met at the Beaver Island Biological Station which is Central Michigan University’s field station on Lake Michigan. What an amazing opportunity to swap challenges and opportunities of the 2022 season. This group is near and dear to me as the members inspire me, challenge me, and very often serve as a sounding board for things I am working through at SML. Perhaps you have a community like this for your own work. You can imagine my deep honor when they announced that SML was winning Honorable Mention for the OBFS Advancing Equity Award based on both our Belonging Plan and our pilot programs aimed at increasing diversity and awareness in Marine Science and Sustainable Engineering fields. Throughout the meeting, members of the award selection committee spoke to me about the SML Belonging Plan, stating how comprehensive and well-conceived it is. I felt both a great sense of pride for all the hard work the SML staff put into crafting this living action plan and reenergized. Staying committed is THE work for institutions that must unravel and rebuild systems that have left many people, mostly people of color, out. Belonging at SML is about fostering respect and appreciation for difference, having a shared purpose, and being a part of a community, while simultaneously being valued and appreciated for the uniqueness that each person brings. We have amazing donors that support SML's diversity initiative and we invite you to help us continue this critical work.
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Jennifer Seavey
Executive Director
Shoals Marine Laboratory
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Meet our new Programs Support Assistant, Wendy Goldstein |
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Please join us in welcoming Wendy Goldstein, who is the new Program Support Assistant for Shoals!
Wendy grew up in suburban Bristol, Connecticut and earned a BFA from Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, where she met her husband, Andrew, originally from Massachusetts. The couple followed their dreams and moved to Valdez, Alaska in 2006. Wendy worked at Prince William Sound College, part of the University of Alaska, serving the small town by coordinating continuing education and community interest classes.
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Alaska is not for everybody, but the Goldsteins embraced the challenges and absurdities and adapted well, had a son, and learned a whole lot during the 16 years they lived there. COVID-19 and one particularly cruel winter put some things in perspective, and they knew it was time to move back East, closer to family, diverse opportunities, and a slightly easier lifestyle. So they packed up the 4-Runner with their teenager, dogs, a few essentials, and drove across the continent. Wendy is enjoying autumn in New England again, antiquing, and reconnecting with old friends and family members, as well as her new home, new job, and meeting new wonderful friends. We are excited to have her! |
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Shoals Receives a Prestigious Award |
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Recently, our Executive Director Dr. Jennifer Seavey represented Shoals at a conference hosted by OBFS, the Organization of Biological Field Stations. There, our lab received the "Honorable Mention for Innovation" Award! In their words:
"The IDEA+ committee of OBFS appreciates the significant level of community interaction involved in your program. The review committee was extremely impressed by the pilot program and the work being done at SML. We found your Strategic Plan for Advancing Belonging at SML document extremely innovative and important The review committee was inspired by the work you are accomplishing and we would like to present you with an Honorable Mention for Innovation and an honorarium."
We plan to add the honorarium into our diversity scholarship and would be grateful for your support by giving to this fund through UNH here. Please be sure to designate your gift to the Diversity Scholarship Fund in the special handling instructions field. |
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Curious about the work of our summer Engineering Interns? |
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This past summer, we hosted four rockstar Sustainable Engineering Interns on Appledore Island who worked on a number of projects to keep our island running.
Alongside them was Tamara Kamis, our Sustainable Communications Intern, who documented their work in three articles that can be found on our website.
Meet the interns and find out why they were drawn to our program here. You can also read more specifically about their projects focused on wind energy and water resources for the island. |
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From left to right: Izzy Medeiros, Tess Hays, Jason Shao, Zach Katz / photo by Tamara Kamis |
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Shoals Marine Lab relies on the generosity of donors. Find out how you can help SML maintain a sustainable community on Appledore Island here.
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Shoals Marine Laboratory is a joint partnership between
Cornell University and the University of New Hampshire.
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