News & Events - College of Marine Science, University of South Florida

News Archives: 2007

December 27, 2007: Marine Science Grad Students Make News. CMS students Kelley Anderson and Melanie Peters are featured in this story of a fresh water spring in danger of being destroyed by the Tampa Bay Rays’ plans for a new waterfront stadium on the site of Al Lang Field. Click here to view the Tampa Bay 10 News article .

November 21, 2007: Interim Dean Appointed. William T. Hogarth of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will spend the next two to three years as interim dean for the College of Marine Science, filling the post to be left vacant when longtime dean Peter Betzer retires in December. Click here to read theSt. Petersburg Times article .
November 14, 2007: College of Marine Science Honors Alumni, Outgoing Dean and Professors

Faculty and staff at the College of Marine Science will meet and greet distinguished alumni and say good-bye to retiring faculty, including one of the longest-serving administrators at the University of South Florida.

Peter Betzer, the outgoing dean of the College of Marine Science, said he looks back at his 36-year tenure with a lot of pride and satisfaction, after watching the marine science program grow from a department in the College of Arts and Sciences to its own internationally-recognized college.

“It’s been a long haul,” Betzer said. “We’ve seen the emergence of this complex on a national and international scale. There are over 1,200 people here. This is the largest marine science complex of the southeastern United States.”

Betzer became chairman for the Department of Marine Sciences in 1982. In 2000, he became the first dean of the College of Marine Sciences. He said he takes great pride in serving as an administrator of one of the most diverse marine science programs in the country.

"We have students from 18 countries and a greater proportion of Hispanic and African-American graduate students (17%) than any other marine science or earth science program in the United States," Betzer said.

The two-day CMS Reunion and Faculty Recognition event kicks off with an Alumni Social at the Pier Aquarium Nov. 15 and runs through the following day.

On Nov. 16, alumni and visitors will take a morning tour of the laboratories. After lunch, will be a College Update and Alumni Symposium in the Karen Steidenger Auditorium, followed by a Caribbean Dinner with live music on the peninsula.

About 16 notable alumni from the past 30 years are scheduled to appear at the symposium. Among them: Esther Peters (MS, 1978) Principal Scientist, Tetra Tech Inc., Fairfax, VA.; Brian Bendis (MS, 1999) AMJ Equipment, Tampa, FL; Watson Gregg (PhD, 1991) Senior Scientist, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD; Zhong-Ping Lee (PhD, 1994) Optical Oceanographer, Naval Research Lab, Stennis Space Center, MS; Bruce Barber (PhD, 1984) Marine Center Director, TERRA Environmental Services, Inc., St. Petersburg, FL; Matt Patterson (MS, 2000) South Florida Caribbean Network Coordinator, National Park Service, Palmetto Bay, FL; Lee Kump (PhD, 1986) Professor of Geosciences, Penn State University, University Park, PA; Mark Evans (MS, 1983) Senior Geologist, Center for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA; David Mallinson (PhD, 1995) Associate Professor, Geology Department, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC; Gregg Brooks (MS, 1981; PhD 1986) Professor of Marine Science, Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, FL; Mark Hafen (PhD, 2001) Instructor, Department of Geography, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL; Jennifer Smith (PhD, 2006) Principal Scientist, Claro Scientific, LLC, St. Petersburg, FL; Beau Suthard (MS, 2005) CPE Consultants, St. Petersburg, FL; Mike Moyer (PhD, 1997) Dean, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Concordia University, Austin, TX; Sunny Jiang (PhD, 1997) Associate Professor, Dept, Civil & Environ. Engineering, University of California, Irvine; Jyotika Virmani (PhD, 2005) Florida COOS Consortium / Florida Institute of Oceanography.

Several retiring professors will be recognized. In addition to Betzer, other retiring professors include: Norm Blake, professor of Biological Oceanography; Gabe Vargo, associate professor of Biological Oceanography; and Ken Carder, professor of Physical Oceanography.

November 14, 2007: Predicting Red Tide is Focus of New Center

The University of South Florida and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) announce the establishment of the Center for Prediction of Red Tides (CPR) at the University’s College of Marine Science in St. Petersburg. The center will develop, test and implement models to forecast Florida red tide conditions.

A five-year, $1.25 million contract from FWRI will help finance the center that will assist the state’s red tide monitoring program. USF is matching the state’s contribution with a $400,000 computer cluster along with staff support for the center.

Florida red tides are natural phenomena caused by a microscopic organism, Karenia brevis. K. brevis produces a toxin that can kill fish (see photo at right), birds and marine mammals, such as dolphins and manatees. It can also cause respiratory problems in people.

The factors contributing to red tide formation and persistence in Florida are extremely complex. Oceanic currents, nutrients, weather and interactions among numerous marine algae species contribute to bloom conditions.

CPR will combine information from multiple sources including FWRI red tide monitoring data; USF water circulation, temperature, salinity, and other data; satellite imagery; and models to develop forecasting capabilities for red tide conditions and impacts. Initially, water circulation models combined with red tide cell counts will yield short-term forecasts based on projections of particle movements. The initial forecast capabilities will be refined through ongoing research and development of coupled physical/biological models, with results eventually being incorporated into FWRI’s weekly red tide status reports. CPR researchers also use satellite imagery to identify areas of red tide blooms within Florida coastal waters, helping the state to better target monitoring efforts.

"For the first time, the Center for Prediction of Red Tides will pull together biological, chemical, and physical scientific expertise and couple it with advanced computing power to model the factors contributing to red tide formation across all appropriate spatial scales,” said Gil McRae, FWRI director.

The long-term goal of this collaborative partnership is to create a routine capability to predict Florida red tides and their potential impacts. In the future, biological models that address factors such as bloom growth, when coupled with the physical models and supported by additional data, will improve the predictability of bloom evolution from beginning to end.

“As a comprehensive research University within an urban setting, a USF goal is the application of science for the benefit of Florida’s citizens,” said Peter R. Betzer, dean of USF’s College of Marine Science. “CPR, is an important step in this process.

“The same CPR red tide prediction tools will find applications for fisheries, safe and efficient navigation, search and rescue, coastal inundation by storm surge and other ocean matters of urban societal concern,” Betzer said.

To learn more about FWRI’s red tide research program, visit http://research.MyFWC.com/redtide. USF’s Center for Prediction of Red Tides will soon launch a dedicated web site (http://cpr.marine.usf.edu) for information dissemination. Some initial data and model products are available at http://ocgweb.marine.usf.edu.

November 11, 2007: "Dean took plunge many times" USF's marine science college bloomed under Dr. Peter Betzer's charge. This St. Petersburg Times article highlights some of the early events in Dr. Peter Betzer's career here at the College of Marine Science. Click here to read.

November 8, 2007: "Red Tide blame points to Mississippi" A new NOAA study links the state's costly algae blooms with the river's pollutants. This St. Petersburg Times article mentions the work of CMS professor John Walsh and FMRI researcher/CMS alum Cindy Heil. Click here to read.

October 27, 2007: SRI in the News. Researchers win a Navy contract to develop a high-tech system to protect ports. This St. Petersburg Times article "Bay port joins terror fight" gives mention to the College of Marine Science, Center for Ocean Technology and the National Center for Maritime and Port Security. Click here to read.

October 22, 2007: CMS Assists Dive Students. The SCUBAnauts, Intl, a group of local 12-18 year old scientific diving students, embarked last week on a 10-day exploration of Hawaii. They were accompanied by scientists including Dr. Chris Moses (USF CMS post-doc), Dr. David Palandro (USF CMS graduate), and Jennifer Dupont (USF graduate student). The students explored the geological phenomena of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, learned about maritime archeology, dove with manta rays, climbed Mauna Kea, and partook in submersible expeditions in collaboration with NOAA and University of Hawaii scientists. Click here to view a short video.

Michael Martinez, Karyna Rosario, Warner Ithier-Guzman

October 5, 2007: Latino Student Awards. CMS graduate students Warner Ithier-Guzman, Michael Martinez, and Karyna Rosario receive the University of South Florida Successful Latino-Latina Student Award. These three outstanding CMS graduate students were among 10 students honored at the USF Hispanic Heritage Celebration in Tampa.

September 30, 2007: CMS professor quoted in article This St. Petersburg Times article "Shell Key unified in one sense" quotes Dr. Rober Weisberg. Click here to read.

2007 Endowed Fellowship winners with Dr. Peter Betzer

August 30, 2007: Endowed Fellowships Awarded