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Nov 21, 2012
Pamela Hallock Muller, Ph.D. named Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Minority PhD Program’s Mentor of the Year

Congratulations to Dr. Pamela Hallock Muller, professor in the College of Marine Science, on her selection as the
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Minority PhD Program’s Mentor of the Year during the
Compact for Faculty Diversity/Institute on Teaching and Mentoring Conference held Oct. 25-28, in Tampa, FL.
Dr. Hallock Muller is the director of the Coral Reef Indicators Lab and was nominated by Michael Martinez-Colón, a doctoral student in her research group. Each year, only one faculty advisor from Sloan programs throughout the nation is selected for “demonstrated excellence in mentoring, contributions to increasing diversity and meeting other goals of the Compact’s Mission”.
Nov 4-7, 2012
2012 Geological Society of America Annual Meeting & Expo, Charlotte, North Carolina
CMS was well represented at the 2012 GSA Annual Meeting, including presentations or posters by Rebekka Larsen, Natasha Mendez-Ferrer, Ben Ross, Carlie Williams, Patrick Schwing, Gary Mitchum, and yours truly (hope I didn't miss anyone). Carlie's was an invited talk, which is wonderful recognition for a graduate student.
Awards were presented to two CMS graduate students at associated society award events:
- Elizabeth Brown was awarded the Winifred Goldring Award to a student pursuing a career in paleontology, by the Association for Women Geoscientists and the Paleontological Society.
- Natasha Mendez-Ferrer was awarded the Joseph A. Cushman Student Grant by the Cushman Foundation for Foraminiferal Research.
Congratulations to all!!
Pamela Hallock Muller, Ph.D.
Professor College of Marine Science
University of South Florida
October 27, 2012
St. Petersburg Science Festival
The St. Petersburg Science Festival celebrated the wonders of hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). In conjunction with MarineQuest, the annual open house of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
St. Petersburg Science Festival Homepage
WUSF University Beat episode covering the Science Festival.
August 2012
Front Row Tampa Bay: USF College of Marine Science
USF College of Marine Science Dean Jackie Dixon and Professor Steve Murawski discussed the College's role during and after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, as well as its other areas of research. The forum was part of Front Row Tampa Bay, an online program presented by the Tampa Bay Partnership that aired in August 2012.
July 12, 2012
Kendall L. Carder selected as 2012 Jerlov Award Recipient

The Oceanography Society is pleased to announce that Professor Kendall L. Carder has been selected as the 2012 recipient of The Nils Gunnar Jerlov Award recognizing his contributions to the advancement of our knowledge of the nature and consequences of light in the ocean. Dr. Carder was specifically cited for his pioneering work on in situ optical measurements of particles and dissolved matter, the development of underwater imaging systems including holographic systems for measuring particle dynamics, his many contributions to ocean color remote sensing and hyperspectral imaging and his teaching and mentoring of students and post-doctoral fellows both at the University of South Florida and in the Ocean Optics Classes with Mary Jane Perry.
Dr. Carder’s achievements will be recognized during a ceremony on October 11th at the Ocean Optics Conference in Glasgow, Scotland (http://oceanopticsconference.org/). For more information on the Jerlov Award, please visit: http://www.tos.org/awards_honors/jerlov_award.html
June 4, 2012
David Mearns receives the Order of Australia Medal (OAM)

During a ceremony in London, celebrating the the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, David Mearns received the Order of Australia Medal (Honorary) for discovering two sunken Australian naval vessels. David and his team discovered the HMAS Sydney II in 2008 and the AHS Centaur in 2009. The medal was presented by Australia's Governor-General, Ms Quentin Bryce, shown standing with David Mearns in the photo.
David Mearns, an author and world famous deep-sea shipwreck hunter, is a 1986 masters degree graduate of USF's College of Marine Science. David received USF's Distinguished Alumni Award in 2011.
Shipwreck finder gets honorary OAM (Australian Geographic)
June 1, 2012
Erica Hudson Ombres receives Knauss Fellowship in Marine Policy
Congratulations to CMS PhD student Erica Hudson Ombres for being selected as a 2013-2014 Knauss Marine Policy Fellow.
The National Sea Grant College Program Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship, established in 1979, provides a unique educational experience to students who have an interest in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources. The program matches highly qualified graduate students with "hosts" in the legislative and executive branch of government located in the Washington, D.C. area, for a one year paid fellowship. The program is named in honor of one of Sea Grant's founders, former NOAA Administrator, John A. Knauss.
May 15, 2012
Maria Vega-Rodriguez receives NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship (NESSF) Program Award
Congratulations to CMS PhD student Maria Vega-Rodriguez for being one of this year's recipients of the NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship (NESSF) Program.
The NESSF provides support for students pursuing Masters or Ph.D. degrees in Earth and space sciences, or related disciplines. The purpose of the NESSF program is to ensure continued training of a highly qualified workforce in disciplines needed to achieve NASA’s scientific goals. A total of 287 applications were received by NASA, of which 54 applicants were selected for awards this year.
Maria's NASA proposal was entitled “Influence of Temperature and Water Quality Variability on Coral Reef Diversity”. The research objective will be to evaluate the influence of spatial and temporal variability of water temperature and other water quality indices (e.g. nutrients) that track light availability on coral reef ecosystems in the Florida Keys. Satellite imagery will be coupled with in situ data to develop regional assessments of the impact of environmental variability on coral diversity.
Maria is a member of Dr. Frank Muller-Karger’s research group within the Institute for Marine Remote Sensing/IMaRS. She has been a recipient of support from the NSF Florida Georgia Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (FGLSAMP) Bridge to the Doctorate program, the CMS Endowed Bridge to the Doctorate Fellowship, and the Achievement Rewards for College Scientists Scholarship. Maria earned her M.S. in Biological Oceanography and Remote Sensing from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus (2008), and B.S. in Coastal Marine Biology at the University of Puerto Rico in Humacao (2004), where she participated in the Ronald McNair Scholars and Puerto Rico LSAMP programs.
March 21, 2012
Adrienne George on receiving an NSF East Asian Pacific Summer Institute (EAPSI) 2012 fellowship
Congratulations to CMS PhD student Adrienne George on receiving an NSF East Asian Pacific Summer Institute (EAPSI) 2012 fellowship!
The EAPSI program allows U.S. graduate students to pursue their
research interests and gain international research experience and greater cultural awareness with counterparts in East Asian and Pacific host countries and institutions. Adrienne will be conducting research with Dr. Chaolun Allen Chen within the Biodiversity Research Center, at Academia Sinica in Taipei, Taiwan. Her project will characterize coral diseases and parasites in Taiwan through coral health surveys, analysis of carbon requirements of the microbes in coral mucus, denaturinggradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), and histological examination. This will be the first comprehensive study to characterize and identify the coral diseases of Taiwan.
Adrienne, a member of Dr. Pamela Hallock Muller’s Coral Reef Indicators Lab, earned her M.S. from CMS in August 2011. She has received funding support from the Florida Education Fund’s McKnight Doctoral Fellowship, College of Marine Science CMS Endowed Bridge to the Doctorate Fellowship, and NSF Florida Georgia Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (FGLSAMP) Bridge to the Doctorate programs.
February 21, 2012
Karyna Rosario wins the 2012 William M. Sackett Prize for innovative research
Congratulations to post doctoral research associate Dr. Karyna Rosario for winning the 2012 William M. Sackett Prize for innovative research!

Dr. Karyna Rosario received her Ph.D. with CMS professor Dr. Mya Breitbart in 2010. The award recognizes her work identifying viruses in reclaimed water for water quality monitoring purposes as well as the discovery of new groups of single-stranded DNA viruses in marine environments. Currently, she is investigating single-stranded DNA viruses in insect vectors in the Breitbart Microbiology Lab as a post doctoral research associate at CMS.
The Sackett Prize is designed to award the most meritorious research completed within the College of Marine Science at the University of South Florida by one or more deserving students. All present and prior graduate students who have completed a MS or PhD within the past five years are eligible. The Prize is named in honor of Dr. William M. Sackett, who was Chairman of the Department of Marine Science from 1979 to 1983 and retired in 1997 as Distinguished Research Professor.
The Sackett Prize for Innovative Research is unique in that it is the only award in the College of Marine Science that recognizes demonstrated excellence in a completed research project. The other endowments recognize potential excellence in graduate students.
February 13, 2012
USF News: A Joint Attack on Red Tide
USF College of Marine Science is working with scientists in Mexico to study the toxic algae and track its migration.
A cooperative effort between the University of South Florida’s College of Marine Science and scientists in Mexico has united scientists in studying red tide, the toxic Karenia brevis algae which can cause major health problems and wreak economic havoc on beach communities all along the Gulf shores.
The new effort has united scientists on either side of the Gulf and is producing more accurate tracking of red tide. It signals a new era of scientific cooperation between states and nations who share a common dependency on the Gulf, say researchers at USF’s College of Marine Science.
View full article by Vickie Chachere
December 1, 2011
Dr. Teresa Greely selected to sail on the R/V JOIDES Resolution
Dr. Teresa Greely, Education & Outreach Coordinator at the USF College of Marine Science, has been selected to fill the Education Officer position on board the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) R/V JOIDES Resolution for Expedition 340 to the Lesser Antilles from February 6th-March 18th, 2012.
The scientific objective of the "Lesser Antilles Volcanism and Landslide" project is to increase understanding of the "constructive and destructive processes occurring along island arcs using the Lesser Antilles arc as a prime example. This project involves drilling, coring, and logging along one transect with three sites southeast of Montserrat, one site southwest of Montserrat, one site southwest of Dominica, one site northwest Martinique, as well as one transect with three sites southwest of Martinique. The record of eruptive activity and volcanoclastic sedimentation obtained during coring and logging will be used to accomplish these goals" (Source: Scientific Prospectus for Expedition 340).
Travel with Teresa via her Blog - Adventures at Sea
November 22, 2011
College of Marine Science student Ern Symonds wins poster award
Erin Symonds won the 2nd place award for the Best Student Poster Presentation at the 21st Annual Southwest Florida Water Resources Conference in Naples, with her poster titled "Viruses Found in Sewage and Their Potential to Indicate Fecal Pollution in Coastal Waters".
September 29, 2011
College of Marine Science Students receive awards for their academic achievements!
This year the College of Marine Science awarded over $300,000 as endowed fellowships to 26 CMS graduate students!

In addition to the endowed fellowships, many students receive additional awards for their academic achievements. Here are a few...
- Holly Rolls won an Early Career Scientist Award at the 2011 ICES Science Conference in Gdansk, Poland. Her talk was entitled "Resolving the relative importance of fish nursery habitats using otolith elemental fingerprints." As part of the award, she will get funds for traveling to her choice of future meetings in Bergen (2012) or Copenhagen (2013).
- Maria Vega-Rodriguez was awarded a 2011 Successful Latina Student Award.
- Claudia Baron Aguilar was awarded a 2011 Successful Latina Student Award.
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