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The Island View
Monthly Newsletter
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SEA's SSV Robert C. Seamans
paid SML a visit during the Tall Ships Festival!
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Watching late summer storms pass over the mainland is a favorite island activity of mine right now. During these storms, I feel shock at having finished the last week of credit courses at SML. What a blur of innovative research, inspiring faculty, and hundreds of dedicated-hard-working students this summer has been!
Teaching a new course was a fabulous experience, and one that reminded me why SML is so special. The time I spent with our students in
Integrated Ecosystem Research and Management
allowed for a dive deep into data analysis and lots of career advice. The students' enthusiasm and work ethic got me fired up - we all stayed in PK looking at zooplankton past 10 pm one night! I saw my seabird research through fresh eyes, and they challenged me with lots of excellent questions. I especially appreciated how much we laughed and sang our way through a lot of advanced academic and scientific material.
I was also honored to stand next to the brilliance of my insanely overqualified co-instructors and SML alum: Dr. Mike Sigler, Dr. Elizabeth Siddon, and Dr. Chris Siddon. These folks literally write integrated ecosystem management plans for entire oceans for the federal government, and Ebett Siddon was bestowed Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers during the course! (Ebett and Chris literally made a trip to DC for Ebett to receive this award while we were all teaching!) What an amazing opportunity for our students (and ME!) to learn from these experts!
SML is truly an awe-inspiring, magical place of science, learning, community, enthusiasm for the ocean, and joy! I am so grateful to my fellow faculty and to our students for helping me see through fresh eyes how special it is out here on Appledore Island. Please come join me to enjoy the end of summer at SML in one of our
Adult and Family Programs
that begin next week! I would love to hear about your summer while we watch a sunset from a rocking chair on a porch.
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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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Undergraduate Research Symposium
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On Saturday, August 10, SML hosted its third annual Undergraduate Research Symposium. Researchers, scientists, supporters from the community, and family and friends of the undergraduate researchers came to Appledore bright and early to hear talented students share their research. The program featured the Shoals Undergraduate Research Group (SURG) and the Research Apprentices.
SURG students participate in SML's research programs, and presented on a variety of topics ranging from marine mammal biology, intertidal ecology, and parasite ecology.
Research Apprentices
participated in two courses, Investigative Marine Biology Laboratory and Research in Biology, and over their month on Appledore developed research projects to reveal at the symposium. For some students, this is their first opportunity to present their research and provides excellent practice for their future as scientists.
Well done to all of our students, and thank you for a wonderful season!
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Photo courtesy of Barrett McDevitt
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Barrett McDevitt joined SML this summer as part of the
Artist in Residence (AIR) Program. He is a professional artist from Rye, NH, a UNH alum, and his current focus is on painting the landscape from life. We asked Barrett to tell us a little bit about his experience as an Artist in Residence this summer. Here's what he had to say:
"I tried to balance my time on the island between painting from life in all weather and providing interesting content to the students in the three classes I was involved with. I felt it was important to sit in on lectures and communicate my teaching ideas with the professors to also integrate any thoughts or goals they may have had. As an homage to Celia Thaxter- who wrote many poems about birds on Appledore during her time out there in the 1800’s- I had the ornithology students each choose two birds. Their assignment was to draw the birds in silhouette form to aid in identification, but to also choose one trait or characteristic specific to that bird and include it in a three line Haiku poem. At the end we all tried to guess each other’s birds. For the Field Wildlife Forensics class I had the students go out and find one piece of “evidence” to document in their journals. It could be anything from a bone fragment to a piece of rope. The idea was to do a sketch of the evidence with the goal being quiet, extended observation of the subject and a focus on picking up details of the evidence or environment that a camera might miss.
My experience on Appledore as the AIR for spring 2019 benefited me in ways I did not foresee. I spent considerable time revisiting my process for creating art in an effort to explain how I go about observing and tackling a subject to the students. As a result I left with a better personal understanding of what transpires when my work is successful and how it can be improved."
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Shoals Marine Laboratory's Sustainable Engineering Program was the subject of a podcast called
SEAstainable
! SEAstainable was put together by Anna Canny, our 2019 Sustainability Communications intern, and features conversations about SML's infrastructure and our quest for sustainability. From solar panels to composting to saltwater systems, this podcast explores every facet of sustainability at SML. Check it out
here
!
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Have some alumni news you'd like to share with us? We want to hear from you! Click the button to send us a message!
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Alumni and Friends Weekend
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There is still space for you to join us at
Alumni and Friends Weekend
! Whether you are a recent alum, former or current faculty, an intern from decades ago, or a supporter of the lab, we welcome you to Appledore Island over Labor Day Weekend!
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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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