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The Island View
Monthly Newsletter
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Dear Shoals Community,
“And now the tide is at its very crown, the white birds sprinkle down, gathering up the loose silver, rising as if weightless. It isn't instruction, or a parable. It isn't for any vanity or ambition except for the one allowed, to stay alive…” from
Terns
by Mary Oliver
How I love watching busy flocks of gleaming white terns plunge into the water over and over in the effort to keep themselves and their growing puff-ball chicks alive! I marvel at their numbers and dedication to flying tens of miles one-way for a single silvery fish, which they quickly deliver to a hungry chick before shooting back over the water to provide for the other waiting mouths at their nest. Terns cover a lot of ground in their parental duties.
This summer, SML's
Tern Conservation Program
on White & Seavey islands is planning to look at what these tiny seabirds are eating
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from the actual fish species, to any plastics that come as an unfortunate side dish with their meal. This work will help grow our understanding of what these state- and federally-protected birds need now and in the future.
Our tern research engages a diverse team from across the conservation management and academic spectrum
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Ph.D. scientists to undergraduates. We work with colleagues at NH Fish & Game, U.S. Fish & Wildlife, NOAA, UNH, Cornell, and Dartmouth to examine many aspects of tern biology, threats, and recovery. This is the type of science I truly love
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a
variety of perspectives,
sharing data,
and exchanging expertise.
We share this work with SML students every day throughout the summer, and we intend to inspire our students to see all the possibilities for their own careers in terms of scientific discovery and the roles they could play in protecting natural resources. Interactions with scientists on the rocks, over lunch, and in the classroom enrich and define the SML experience. Students get to engage all their senses and dive in, like the terns, to the waters of science. We trust they come up with a silvery nugget of inspiration and knowledge!
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With deep appreciation and warm wishes,
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Jennifer Seavey, Ph.D.
Kingsbury Executive Director
Shoals Marine Laboratory
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Course Highlight:
Field Ornithology 2018
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Only five weeks until the first summer course arrives on Appledore Island to kick off the 2018 academic season at SML!
Our first course will be
Field Ornithology
with Dr. Kristen Covino (May 25 - June 8, 2018). Students will explore the diverse and abundant seabirds and migratory songbirds of the Isles of Shoals while studying avian ecology, anatomy, physiology, behavior, and more. The course is fieldwork-intensive and emphasizes species ID and research techniques. Share this opportunity with the bird-loving students in your life!
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Alnoba Changemaker Series: featuring Jennifer Seavey
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This lecture series is free and open to the public. Please RSVP if you plan to attend!
From Fishers to Ichthyologists: Weaving the Stories of Appledore Island
Thursday, April 19, 2018
6:30 – 8:30pm
Hosted at Alnoba
24 Cottage Road
Kensington, NH 03833
Appledore Island has a very unique history. In this lecture, Dr. Jennifer Seavey will weave together the stories of fishermen from the 1600's, artists from the 1800's, and today’s marine scientists who call Appledore home. She will also discuss how SML is blending different aspects of Appledore’s history to develop cutting-edge academic and research programs.
We hope to see you there!
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Introducing Dr. Louise Roberts, 2018 Scientist-in-Residence Fellow
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After a very successful inaugural year of the Shoals Scientist-in-Residence Fellowship (SIRF) last summer, we are excited to announce and welcome one of this season's fellows!
Dr. Louise Roberts
is a marine ecologist strongly interested in how animals interpret their environment using sound in the water, and vibration within the seabed. Louise received her Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from the Institute of Estuarine and Coastal Studies at Hull University, U.K. in 2015, where she studied the impact of man-made noise on the behavior of free-ranging fish and invertebrates. Having now moved across the pond, she is currently a postdoctoral researcher at Dartmouth College, and her research concerns the use and interpretation of vibration by crustaceans, such as terrestrial hermit crabs. She is extremely excited to be at SML over the summer! Louise's work will focus on the ecological role of both natural and anthropogenic vibrations within the marine benthos.
Stay tuned to meet our second 2018 fellow in next month's newsletter.
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Dr. Louise Roberts, SIRF 2018
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For more information about the Shoals
Scientist-in-Residence Fellowship
for early career scientists,
please visit our website:
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Marine Science Courses for High School Students
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There is still time to enroll in SML's popular marine science courses for high school s
tudents! All high school students receive Cornell University credits during their Shoals course, which is a strong addition to any college application. High schoolers at SML are surrounded by supportive faculty members and research mentors while experiencing hands-on, college-level science in the classroom, lab, field, and out at sea.
Three different courses for high school students will be offered this summer at SML:
Marine Environmental Science, section 1
Dates: July 2 - 16, 2018
Cornell credits: 3
Marine Environmental Science, section 2
Dates: July 16 - 30, 2018
Cornell credits: 3
Introduction to the Biology of Sharks, Skates, and Rays
Dates: August 13 - 20, 2018
Cornell credits: 1
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Cornell Giving Day success!
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In March, we asked the Shoals community to help us boost our scholarship funds for talented and deserving undergraduates during Cornell Giving Day. We were overwhelmed by the support we received
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and we raised $10,400 from 41 individual gifts in just 24 hours!
Securing financial assistance is one of the greatest hurdles SML students face when deciding to take a Shoals course (or courses!). Thanks to YOU, more undergraduates will be able to engage with science and advance their research skills on Appledore Island this summer!
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YOU did it!
Thank you for your generous support on Cornell Giving Day.
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Come experience SML's innovative public programming this summer, and enjoy the magic of Appledore Island and the Isles of Shoals. Each of our
public programs
is
all-inclusive
, and their unique themes
reflect SML's mission to educate visitors about the island environment and sustainability.
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Take a Bite out of Appledore
September 1
–
3
, 2018
Escape to Appledore for Labor Day Weekend! For the fourth year in a row, Chefs Evan Mallett and Sam Hayward will bring their award-winning culinary talents to the Shoals kitchen. Paired with the ecological expertise of SML scientists, you will develop a sense of place that is rooted in our understanding of and deep appreciation for local, sustainable cuisine. Foodies rejoice!
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Seascapes & Landscapes
August 27 – 31, 2018
Join local visual artists Wendy Turner and Barbara Houston for a week of drawing, painting, and printmaking. Use the rugged seascapes and landscapes of the Isles of Shoals as your palette. Work at your own pace with your preferred medium. Instruction, daily demos, exploration, inspiring scenery – with island ecology mixed in! End the week with a fun art exhibition for the whole island community.
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SAVE THE DATE:
Alumni & Friends Weekend
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Our annual SML Alumni & Friends Weekend will take place
Friday, August 24 - Sunday, August 26, 2018
! Enjoy three days and two nights on Appledore Island with your fellow Shoalers, exploring, relaxing, and reconnecting with Appledore Island. Just like the "good ol' days"!
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SML is looking for an
Island Engineer
to help operate and maintain SML's facilities on Appledore Island this summer. Engineers work in all of SML's buildings and with all of the island's systems for fresh, salt, and waste water, as well as electrical distribution via diesel generators & SML's solar and wind-powered green energy grid. Carpentry skills and experience operating construction/utility vehicles are desired.
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Follow us on social media:
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Shoals Marine Laboratory is a joint partnership between
Cornell University and the University of New Hampshire.
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