Rising Tides Newsletter - June 2026

How the community has rallied around marine scientists in their time of need

As news of the historic fire quickly spread, outpourings of support arrived just as fast from a global network of alumni, colleagues, donors, and more.

Inside the first days of USF’s response to the Marine Science Lab fire

After a major fire at the Marine Science Laboratory, USF worked to account for everyone, protect critical research, and build a response structure to guide recovery in the months ahead.

Oil spills spiked in the Persian Gulf during the Iran war, according to new study

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz increased the number of stagnant vessels in the region and induced more oil pollution, the authors said.

Read more news from the College of Marine Science. 

 

Social Media News

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Students in the Ocean Policy course visited Capitol Hill to meet with policy makers and share their research. 

After the fire at the Marine Science Lab, faculty, students, and staff at the College of Marine Science have kept moving forward with research and recovery. 

CMS in the News

WUSF met with faculty and graduate students about recovery efforts since the fire.

The Tampa Bay Times joined the Oceanography Camp Especially for Girls on a recent cruise.

The New York Times spoke with Chuanmin Hu about sargassum in South Florida during the World Cup.

  • Jessica Van Vaerenbergh and Orion Scharton-Witmer successfully defended their theses.


  • Alejandra Aguilar and Emily Kaiser received this year’s Vembu Subramanian MSAC Award.



  • Ana Carolina Peralta and Tylar Murray hosted a successful MBON-OBIS Marine Biodiversity Data Sharing Workshop on the St. Petersburg campus.

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