FSU science divers Dr. Don Levitan (Chair, FSU Department of Biological Science), Kevin Olsen (graduate student), and Keeha Levitan (technician) take a cold plunge in search of sea urchins.

One of the major reasons for Marine Operations’ success is the hard work of its team members. The Marine Operations team has several new members who bring a wide array of knowledge and skills to the lab. Please meet our new Marine ops team members

We are pleased to welcome Dr. Mauricio Hostim to the FSUCML. Dr. Hostim is joining us from the Department of Agricultural and Biological Sciences at the Universidade Federal do Espirito Santo in Brazil. He will be working in the Coleman-Koenig Lab for the coming year, where he will be conducting Goliath Grouper research. We are excited to have him join us.

Dr. Kunigelis (Lincoln Memorial University) compares 6 years of pre-oil spill plankton data to almost 5 years of post-oil spill information.

In the journal Zoology, Dr. Taketeru Tomita, former FSUCML post doc, and Dr. Chip Cotton, FSUCML faculty, propose a new model for how live-bearing shark embryos obtain oxygen while they are gestating in the uterus.

Leonardo Feitosa (Universidade Federal do Maranhão, Brazil) spent the summer at the FSUCML working with Dr. Dean Grubbs. Learn more about his work at the FSUCML as well as senior thesis, where he is trying to determine whether endangered shark species are being sold in his Brazilian fish markets.

It’s bay scallop season along Florida’s Gulf coast from June 27-September 24. So we thought it was time for you to learn something about these little blue-eyed critters you’re trying to find in the seagrass beds.

The K-Tower monitoring system plays an important role to researchers and others in academia. Dr. Sandra Brooke, FSUCML faculty, is currently studying coral growth and reproduction in the Florida Panhandle. This region has a more variable and extreme environment than areas such as the Florida Keys, where the same species of coral occur. Dr. Brooke hopes to determine how temperature affects coral growth rates.

Although approximately half of the world’s known chondrichthyans (sharks, skates, rays, and chimaeras) live in the deep sea, very little is known about these elusive animals. Thus, these species may be vulnerable as global fisheries continue to expand while research is often lacking to document the biology and life history of these fishes.

When Ed Mansouri was just 6 years old, he developed a fascination with weather. Still an unabashed meteorology enthusiast, Mr. Mansouri, CEO and Founder of UCOMPASS, a Tallahassee-based company that pioneers education technology, went on to develop the WeatherSTEM, which integrates weather stations, collected and distributed atmospheric data, and STEM-based education.