Boston University Marine Program

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Boston University Marine Program Students exploring the educational Calabash Nature Trail, Turneffe Atoll Marine Reserve

ALUMNI UPDATE—Congratulations to Roseline Ewa (BUMP class of 2019; Marine Semester 2017) as she starts her Masters in Fisheries Science!

After graduation, Roseline worked briefly in retail, and then spent nearly 3 years working in a neuropharmacology lab as a research technician. Roseline is joining Dr. Brian Sidlauskas's lab at Oregon State University in the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences. She'll be working with preserved fish from Gabon in the Oregon State Ichthyology Collection. Her project may involve investigating a group of fish species that share some of the same genetic traits, but upon reaching the adult stage, they develop different morphological traits.

Roseline is already a published scientist, having co-authored a study on the growth and demographics of mangrove corals based on her research in the Marine Semester course Tropical Marine Invertebrates. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2020.00377/full?&utm_source=Email_to_authors_&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=T1_11.5e1_author&utm_campaign=Email_publication&field=&journalName=Frontiers_in_Marine_Science&id=532782

ALUMNI UPDATE—Katey Lesneski, a BU Marine Biology PhD, was interviewed on CNN today as a scientific expert on coral bleaching. Katey is the Iconic Reefs Research and Monitoring Coordinator for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. While at BU, Katey mentored many BUMP students as a Teaching Fellow in multiple Marine Semester courses, including Scientific Diving and Coral Reef Resilience & Restoration.

Watch the interview. While the news is dire, Katey was excellent, and it is heartening to know we have such dedicated scientists and gifted communicators working in the field of coral reef conservation.

Ocean heat around Florida is 'unprecedented,' and scientists are warning of major impacts | CNN A sudden marine heat wave off the coast of Florida has surprised scientists and sent water temperatures soaring to unprecedented highs, threatening one of the most severe coral bleaching events the state has ever seen.

Today is Please consider donating to support undergraduate research and experiential education, especially at the Calabash Caye Field Station in Belize! Today, your contribution goes further, with matching funds and special challenges! Donate here: https://givingday.bu.edu/campaigns/bump

Lectures look a little different in the Marine Semester. Coastal Sedimentology students visited the Maine coastline last week, taking notes on the go.

BU JOINS BOEM, NOAA WITH SCIENCE TO SUPPORT ECOSYSTEM-BASED DEVELOPMENT ON THE US OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF

The United States has a vast, submerged outer continental shelf (OCS) that is rich in both living and non-living resources. It is used intensively for many purposes including commercial and recreational fishing, shipping, wildlife conservation, research, recreation, travel, security, and mining for minerals and fossil fuels. The OCS is also well-suited for renewable energy development within the rapidly growing sector of offshore wind (OSW). Exploring options within the OCS for energy potential and energy independence is important in today’s ever-changing global climates – both political and environmental. For these and many other reasons, the federal government is pushing to expand OSW power, with 30 gigawatts of electric power from OSW farms on the OCS by 2030.

The mission of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is to manage development of the US OCS energy and mineral resources in an environmentally and economically responsible way. This is a complex challenge, as the varied uses of the OCS often compete with one another. Broaching this challenge are professors Les Kaufman of Biology and Suchi Gopal of Earth and Environment, Co-PI’s on a Boston University-led team of scientists from East and West-coast institutions. Ethan Deyle (Biology) is also a critical team member. BU is working in collaboration with the Blue World Research Institute and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science. The study is titled: Standardizing Integrated Ecosystem-Based Assessments (SIEBA). SIEBA’s purpose is to help minimize impacts (including cultural, economic, ecological, and social) from activities related to energy development on the OCS by providing ecosystem-based scientific support focused on OSW energy development. This requires a systems-level grasp of US coastal ecosystems, particularly the interplay between natural and human components. Kaufman points out that “We have been laboring for a quarter century using field work and computational modeling to explore the dynamics of humanity’s relationship with the ecological communities of oceans and great lakes. Our new project with BOEM is a fantastic opportunity to apply what we’ve learned to battling climate change and providing for our energy needs.”

The SIEBA study will help BOEM consider many ecological and economic concerns simultaneously, and how they may change over time, and make informed, science-based decisions that are equitable and transparent.

“Using an ecosystem-based management approach will help BOEM better understand the marine ecosystem and the immediate and differed future impacts of our decisions,” explains Jake Levenson, a BOEM marine biologist. “This also helps us minimize impacts and reduce the conflicts related to energy development on the Outer Continental Shelf."

The first goal of the SIEBA study is to design a national EBM framework for BOEM’s decision-making processes. The study team will construct the framework through a series of focused, participatory workshops centered around interdisciplinary knowledge production and collaboration with an expert working group that encompasses a broad range of backgrounds and experience. A key aspect of framework-building includes considerations that have historically been excluded, including the interests of sovereign Tribes and marginalized coastal peoples. The second goal is to apply the framework in the Gulf of Maine (BOEM Atlantic Region), providing BOEM with another tool to inform the planning and leasing process for wind energy production. The third goal will be to test the framework in a second region.

At the heart of this effort is a dynamic computer model that strengthens environmental assessment, tradeoff analysis, scenario forecasting, and decision support. The study team is employing the Multiscale Integrated Model of Ecosystem Services (MIMES). MIMES was developed by Roel Boumans and adapted by for this application by Roel and the rest of our modeling team. We will use MIMES to explore the potential outcomes of planning and policy decisions related to offshore renewable energy through different ecosystem scenarios.

According to Co-PI Suchi Gopal, “the SIEBA project will give BU students a great opportunity to use geospatial data and analysis in EBM modeling. They have a front-row seat when it comes to modeling offshore wind energy, commercial fishing, and biodiversity conservation.” For example, for his undergraduate honors thesis, BUMP senior Ian Kwit is analyzing data on seabird distribution and behavior in relation to potential wind lease areas. As a nexus for thinking about earth system sustainability, the SIEBA project is also contributing to the vitality of BU’s Global Sustainability Initiative, and the work of the Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future.

Starting off the 2022 marine semester with a splash! First up for orientation, all students get up to speed on their snorkel skills.

Started our first full day on island with an amazing nature hike. Loving the improvements made on island by . Underwater photos coming soon!

Faculty and staff are scouting out field sites at Calabash Caye Field Station after a two year hiatus. Thrilled to be back!

BUMP held its 13th stand-alone Marine Science Convocation yesterday, with Julia making sure the whole ceremony went off beautifully. CONGRATULATIONS to the BUMP Class of 2022!

New article today about pandemic prevention at the source! Congrats to our own Professor Les Kaufman and his research team and colleagues on this collaborative effort. Environmental science news platform Mongabay covers the team’s prevention story: Re: New paper on cost savings an collateral benefits of preventing pathogen spillover at the source versus battling them once they are raging pandemics. Links to both the article and paper itself can be found on our twitter page

SNAKES ON AN ISLAND!

CONGRATULATIONS to students, teaching fellows, and instructors from the 2013-2019 Marine Semesters on their recently published paper in the journal Caribbean Herpetology describing the snakes, lizards, and toads inhabiting Calabash Caye's precious terrestrial habitats. Meticulous examination of anatomy visible in photographs allowed these investigators to document 2 lizards, 1 snake, and 1 toad never before reported on any of the offshore Belizean cayes. You can see the paper, loaded with photos of the island's herpetofauna, here: http://www.caribbeanherpetology.org/pdfs/ch81.pdf.

Co-authors include Karina Scavo Lord (Biology PhD 2021); Tina Barbasch (Biology PhD 2020), Russell Laman (BUMP/Biology Class of 2022), Lara Hakam (Biology Class of 2020), Raziel Perez (BUMP Class of 2021), Heather Jenkins (Biology Class of 2014), Brad Fortunato (Biology Class of 2019), Clint Lockwood (BUMP Class of 2020), David Bianco Caron (BUMP Class of 2020), as well as instructors Nathan Stewart and John Finnerty.

ALUMNI UPDATE — Congratulations to Brittany Wittenberns BUMP Class of 2009!!! Brittany is the lead author of a study on canine sarcomas in the Journal of Comparative Pathology. Brittany is a veterinary oncologist practicing at the Austin Veterinary Emergency and Speciality. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0021997521000992?fbclid=IwAR0N3Q0BuqV4wlDHaY-GoxeNGuYtXBvum93Fr613I3V4t6HAXbBRq7QfDsU #!@

Canine Non-Angiogenic, Non-Myogenic Splenic Stromal Sarcoma: a Retrospective Clinicopathological Analysis and Investigation of Podoplanin as a Marker of Tumour Histogenesis Splenic stromal sarcomas are rarely reported tumours that were previously grouped as non-angiomatous, non-lymphomatous mesenchymal neoplasms of the ca…

ALUMNI UPDATE! — As Evie Layland —BUMP Class of 2019— describes in a recent blog post, she is currently a graduate student at the University of Maine conducting research on the diet of lobsters over the course of their development. This important research, part of the Sea Grant American Lobster Initiative, may uncover whether declines in the availability of certain zooplankton may explain a decline in larval lobster settlement. Congratulations Evie and good luck in your research! https://seagrant.umaine.edu/2021/11/22/what-baby-lobsters-eat-and-why-it-matters/?fbclid=IwAR2n-iWd1ssS172ffzBqmbQKWlyhVSzgtO08bZG5jA5V91an2ma2TMUEj0o

What baby lobsters eat and why it matters - Maine Sea Grant - University of Maine Author: Evie Layland is a University of Maine graduate student working with Drs. Rick Wahle and David Fields on a research project funded through the National Sea Grant American Lobster Initiative Living in Maine, it is clear that the American lobster is a major player in the Northwestern Atlantic.....

DOUBLE ALUMNI UPDATE! Two recent BU graduates —Katey Lesneski (2020 Marine Biology PhD) and Greg Pelose (BUMP Class of 2021) have been hard at work in the waters off the Bahamas, advancing the cause of coral reef restoration. Katey is the Director of Restoration Science for Coral Vita (https://www.coralvita.co/about-us), and Greg spent the last three months serving as a volunteer. Take note of the logos on their shirts: both are veterans of BUMP's Scientific Diving course (Katey as a teaching fellow and Greg as a student). Congratulations to Coral Vita, which was just awarded the 2021 Earthshot Prize (https://earthshotprize.org) in the Revive Our Oceans category!

This week the Coastal Ecosystems class went on to Jackson Estuarine Laboratory located on the shores of Greay Bay estuary, one of the largest estuaries in northern New England. Students conducted field based research such as seining sea grass mudflats to identify Key flora and fauna. Students also took sediment core samples in the sea grass to look at blue carbon. Blue carbon is the carbon stored in coastal and marine ecosystems and is important in mitigating climate change.

Block 2 is in full swing!! The Ichthyology class going out to sea, Bottom fishing for ground fish for there Projects, Students will dissect and analyze there catch, creating skeletons and understanding There fishes morphology and life history. Off of Jeffrey’s ledge a very productive popular fishing location. Melanogrammus aeglefinus or Haddock was the main fish Caught. Luckily no one got seasick 😉 Thanks to Captains Fishing Parties off of Newburyport for amazing day at Sea.

Block 2 is in full swing!! The Ichthyology class going out to sea, bottom fishing for ground fish for their projects. Students will dissect and analyze their catch, creating skeletons and understanding their fish’s morphology and life history. Off of Jeffrey’s ledge, a very productive popular fishing location. Melanogrammus aeglefinus or haddock was the main fish caught. Luckily no one got seasick 😉. Thanks to Captains Fishing Parties off of Newburyport for an amazing day at sea.

Congratulations to Les Kaufman on his collaborative work in this research paper on coral reef restoration.

Les is an evolutionary ecologist specializing in the biology and conservation of aquatic ecosystems. He has special expertise in coral reef biology, the evolution and ecology of tropical great lakes fishes, and ecosystem-based management of marine resources.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/rec.13498

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Alumni Update: Check out this article written by BUMP alum Krishna Sharma during his internship at the Miami Herald! https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/environment/article253853073.html

As mysterious disease kills Florida’s reefs, a massive ‘Noah’s Ark’ effort tries to save them Massive ‘Noah’s Ark’ effort tries to save dying Florida reefs

Alumni update!

Congratulations to Cece Gerstenbacher for being awarded our Lara Vincent Research Grant! Cece is a BA/MS student in Ecology and Conservation Biology with a minor in Marine Science. Here's what she has to say about her research:

Marine microplastic contamination is a global phenomenon which disproportionately impacts nearshore systems such as seagrass meadows. Since their discovery on seagrasses in 2018, there have been several documentations of microplastics within these systems, however, much remains unknown regarding their mechanisms and patterns of accumulation, as well as subsequent impacts on seagrasses and their associated epiphytic and sediment communities. This project collects microplastic densities on eelgrass blades and within the nearby water column and sediment at ten sites across Massachusetts of varying anthropogenic development, to identify accumulation patterns and propose a mechanism for microplastic aggregation on blades. Furthermore, we synthesize and highlight existing relevant literature regarding potential microplastic impacts on the system and point towards the current gaps and opportunities, noting the critical ecological consequences of these emergent anthropogenic interactions. By establishing a basis of knowledge on microplastic accumulation patterns and mechanisms, as well as effects within seagrass ecosystems, we intend to encourage future investigation in this field, and aid in understanding and reconciling the global microplastic crisis

ALUMNI UPDATE: Shark researcher Caroline Collatos (BUMP class of 2014; Marine Semester 2013) is working with the Atlantic Shark Conservancy to monitor the movement of sharks and other marine megafauna off the coast of Nantucket. Hear Caroline describe this important research here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mi24TDAXWpc

Nantucket Land Council: Clean Water Topics on Tap: Sandbar Sharks on Nantucket Webinar Registration Link to Participate in Q&A: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ITOBSoXmTcWXX9lj4C8qUwJoin us for an introduction to Nantucket’s...

Congratulations to Tyler Chidsey for being awarded our Lara Vincent Research Award! Here’s a bit about Tyler’s research:

For his senior honors thesis, Tyler Chidsey is working with his research mentors PhD candidate Alia Al-Haj and Dr.Wally Fulweiler to examine the ways in which seagrass ecosystems contribute to the cycling of greenhouse gases (i.e. methane, nitrous oxide, and carbon dioxide). While there are a few direct measurements of greenhouse gas fluxes from seagrass ecosystems, no published studies have included decomposing seagrass wrack on beaches as part of these seagrass greenhouse gas budgets. If decomposing wrack is taking up or emitting greenhouse gases as it breaks down on beaches, then the current proposed flux measurements for seagrasses may be miscalculated. It is important to have accurate quantifications of greenhouse gas fluxes so that governments and other entities may contribute adequately to greenhouse gas offsets in adherence to climate change mitigation strategies, such as the Paris Climate Agreement of 2015. Using flux chambers, Tyler is measuring fluxes of methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide to help determine the true carbon offset value of these ecosystems.

Curious to see what it's like to live aboard a ship doing fieldwork in the remote central Pacific? Watch BUMP alum Allie Cole's trip to the Phoenix Islands Protected Area in 2019! https://www.bu.edu/articles/2019/phoenix-islands-fieldwork-vlog

What’s It Like to Sample Sea Life in the Remote Pacific? In this video, BU marine science major Allie Cole reports on her fieldwork experience in the Phoenix Islands Protected Area.

Check out Randi Rotjan’s first cruise log!

Luck Favors the Prepared - Schmidt Ocean Institute Have you ever set sail on a Luck Dragon? My name is Randi Rotjan and this is my second time aboard the R/V Falkor, named for said Luck Dragon, but this time the word “luck” has so much more meaning. My team and I are fortunate to be here, given the state of the world. … Continued

This weekend, BUMP Professor Randi Rojan and a team of scientists set sail for the Phoenix Islands Protected Area aiming to study deep-sea microbes and cold water coral & sponge communities! Read more about the expedition here:
https://schmidtocean.org/cruise/discovering-deep-sea-corals-of-the-phoenix-islands-2/?fbclid=IwAR0RKsDI7l-cP-lSCDn8Ov7cPOW3633Btujtv7LZZFPvZtkcmn24a3cKcdA

Discovering Deep Sea Corals of the Phoenix Islands 2 - Schmidt Ocean Institute In June, Falkor will return to the Phoenix Islands under Chief Scientist Randi Rotjan. The scientific objectives include continuing to investigate deep-sea microbes’ therapeutic potential; examining how ancient cold water corals survive predation by corallivores; and enquiring into the equator’s...

Check out the upcoming Lara Vincent Memorial Plant Sale this Saturday! All proceeds support our Lara Vincent Prize for Original Research and help keep the memory of a trail-blazing former BUMP student alive! https://www.thewesterlysun.com/news/stonington/remembering-lara-mystic-mom-keeps-daughters-memory-alive-with-annual-plant-sale/article_fda7aee2-bc88-11eb-b2dc-d74a210061be.html

Remembering Lara: Mystic mom keeps daughter's memory alive with annual plant sale MYSTIC — Connecticut Master Gardener Sue Vincent honors her daughter each year with a plant sale — an unusual plant sale for an unusual woman.

CONGRATULATIONS!!! to Spencer Showalter, BUMP Class of 2017, who starts a new position as a Policy Analyst at NOAA. Spencer has wanted to work for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration since she was 15.