The 2025 operational season is in full swing. Last month OECI had E/V Nautilus exploring recent volcanic eruptions in the Northern Mariana, a team from URI exploring shipwrecks in the newly designated Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary (see below), a team from UNH making repairs to the DriX vehicle in Guam, USM staff preparing students to start internships at OECI affiliate institutions, and the Inner Space Center (ISC) staff working to ready the NOAA ship Okeanos Explorer for upcoming mapping expeditions. This is definitely the fun part! OECI will continue full-steam ahead over the next several months delivering new discoveries and ocean knowledge. Enjoy the summer!

Deepest Regards,

Adam

Deepwater Shipwreck Expedition in Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary

The OECI team at the University of Rhode Island (URI) just returned from a successful two-week expedition in the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary aboard the R/V Lake Guardian. The expedition's primary objective was to collect baseline data on shipwrecks within the sanctuary by capturing high-resolution imagery to create 3D photogrammetry models. To achieve this, the team deployed URI's new Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Rhody, a state-of-the-art ROV from JM Robotics, equipped with the VOYIS Discovery Stereo Camera System. With the support of a 15-person team, Rhody surveyed 17 shipwreck sites. The team was composed of experienced scientists and engineers, URI undergraduate and graduate students, and scientists from the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, who funded the work.

The Phillip Becker on the bed of Lake Ontario captured by the VOYIS camera system.

The team set out for Oswego, NY, on May 16th and returned on May 31st. During this time, the URI students onboard evolved from deckhands to skilled ROV pilots and filled all roles in between. Masters student Joe Bevilacqua led the pilot training program before the expedition and quickly progressed into piloting Rhody during the expedition. Undergraduate students Susanna Majkut and Ashly Martinez Rodriguez were essential in supporting nighttime mapping operations and data management. PhD students Ben Rahming and Jake Bonney contributed via piloting and remote piloting, respectively. Jake successfully piloted an entire wreck site from URI with the onboard co-pilot expertise of Dave Casagrande.

The team and Rhody on the R/V Lake Guardian.

In addition to data collection, the team worked to share the stories of the shipwrecks and the expedition via public live stream events, classroom ship-to-shores, and ship tours for local high school students and members of the Sanctuary Advisory Council. The overall success of this expedition was due to collaboration across the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, the EPA and crew onboard the R/V Lake Guardian, and the OECI. The camaraderie onboard the vessel and across all organizations was a wonderful reminder of why collaboration is so powerful and important. Stay tuned for the release of 3D models and an expedition overview video later this summer!

Bridge to Ocean Exploration (B2OE) Cohort Presentations

The 2024-2025 B2OE cohort concluded their experiential learning journey with presentations at the OECI May Colloquium. Student projects covered topics such as Lander Engineering and Database Design, Multimedia Production, and Web Interface Design. All projects are designed by B2OE mentors to foster transferable blue economy workforce skills and essential soft skills (e.g., communication, time management). Throughout the program, students also participate in skills-building workshops, visit other institutions, and attend the annual Blue Economy Career Fair. Several B2OE students will continue working in their mentor labs as summer interns.

MDBC and ISC at the Smithsonian!

Last weekend, the ISC sent two members of the media team to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) to produce three live programs in support of MDBC. These programs featured the unique collections that have been generated by MDBC missions over the past three years - including new species! In-person audiences watched two programs live from the Explorer Theater in the Smithsonian NMNH Ocean Hall. A third program was broadcast to the ISC’s Youtube channel. 

The live programs were facilitated by Jamie Thompson (NMNH), along with Sasha Francis and Erin Spencer (MDBC) who were hosting live from the Museum Support Center in both the Invertebrate Zoology collection and lab space (pictured above). The hosts were equipped with mobile cameras that allowed them to move through the collections during the live programs. These efforts were also supported by two ISC media team members located at URI.

The ISC team spent the following day filming interviews and b-roll throughout the Smithsonian and was granted access to the dry collections for filming with experts. This content will be used to create a short, documentary-style, video that highlights the partnership.

Ocean Literacy with the New England Ocean Science Education Collaborative (NEOSEC)

On October 27-28, 2025, NEOSEC will host its tenth biennial Ocean Literacy Summit in Freeport, ME. This event offers an opportunity to reconnect with colleagues and forge new collaborations. Interested individuals can contribute by leading workshops or giving presentations. The call for presenters is now open. More information is available here.