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FAU Harbor Branch News

THE NOSE KNOWS: STUDY ESTABLISHES AIRBORNE EXPOSURE TO MICROCYSTINS

Gisele Galoustian | February 11, 2020

A study explored the link between human nasal and environmental microcystin concentrations from harmful algal blooms and detected the toxin in the nasal passages of 95 percent of the participants.

A delegation from the Politecnico di Milano (Milan, Italy)

FAU HARBOR BRANCH HOSTS SYMPOSIUM ON INDIAN RIVER LAGOON BIODIVERSITY

Lynda F. Rysavy | February 10, 2020

The community is invited to attend the Florida Atlantic University Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute 2020 Indian River Lagoon (IRL) Symposium poster session on Thursday, Feb. 13 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., or the final technical sessions on Friday, Feb. 14 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., at the Johnson Education Center Auditorium, 5600 U.S. 1 North, Fort Pierce.

FAU HOSTS POLITECNICO DI MILANO DELEGATION

Lynda F. Rysavy | January 30, 2020

A delegation from the Politecnico di Milano (Milan, Italy), a leading engineering school in Europe, was hosted at FAU January 27 - 28, 2020.

FAU’S HARBOR BRANCH ANNOUNCES NEW INDIAN RIVER LAGOON TOUR BOAT

Lynda F. Rysavy | January 27, 2020

Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute has a new boat and some big plans for the upcoming tourism season. The 36-passenger pontoon tour boat, Discovery, funded by a grant from the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Foundation, will add to its public education program offerings by providing weekly Indian River Lagoon Research excursions.

(Before) Pe'e, a green sea turtle with fibropapillomatosis was rehabilitated and successfully released by The Turtle Hospital. (Photo credit: The Turtle Hospital)

MOST REHABILITATING SEA TURTLES WITH INFECTIOUS TUMORS DON’T SURVIVE

Gisele Galoustian | January 22, 2020

Caused by a herpesvirus, fibropapillomatosis (FP) is the most significant infectious disease affecting sea turtle populations worldwide. It is widespread in warmer climates like Florida, where almost 70 percent of sea turtles in a population have FP in some places; it has been documented in the Caribbean, South America, Hawaii, Japan, Australia, and beyond.

This figure shows the twelve-week prediction of eddy Darwin's Sea Surface Height. Current ocean prediction models can at best forecast six weeks ahead with more errors in the SSH than our model twelve weeks ahead.

GULF RESEARCH PROGRAM AWARDS FAU HARBOR BRANCH RESEARCHER GRANT TO IMPROVE THE UNDERSTANDING AND PREDICTION OF THE GULF OF MEXICO LOOP CURRENT SYSTEM

Lynda F. Rysavy | January 21, 2020

The Gulf Research Program (GRP) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine awarded a $346,179 grant to Laurent Chérubin, Ph.D., an associate research professor at FAU Harbor Branch.

Adam Schaefer, MPH, co-author and an epidemiologist at FAU’s Harbor Branch (center) and faculty and collaborators from FAU’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, collected urine, nasal swabs and blood from residents of St. Lucie, Indian River, Palm Beach and Martin counties as a part of a cross-sectional exposure study to assess human exposure to microcystins during the 2018 algal blooms.

NEW TEST DETECTS HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS TOXIN EXPOSURE IN HUMAN URINE

Gisele Galoustian | January 16, 2020

Blooms of toxin-producing algae exploded in both fresh and saltwater ecosystems in southern Florida during the summer months of 2018, impacting wildlife and humans living in these marine environments.

MARINE TECHNOLOGY SOCIETY TECHSURGE CONFERENCE

MTS TechSurge | January 13, 2020

FAU Harbor Branch is partnering with the Marine Technology Society and the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program to host a 2-day TechSurge that will focus on incremental and transformational technology and system design challenges to help guide the development of integrated coastal monitoring systems for Florida’s estuaries and nearshore coastal waters.

FAU HARBOR BRANCH ANNOUNCES THE JOHN & BARBARA FERRERA 2020 OCEAN SCIENCE LECTURE SERIES SCHEDULE

Lynda F. Rysavy | January 7, 2020

Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in Fort Pierce will kick off the 2020 John & Barbara Ferrara Ocean Science Lecture Series on Wednesday, Jan. 8 at 4 and 7 p.m., with weekly lectures continuing each Wednesday through March 18.

TACKLING HARMFUL ALGAE BLOOMS

Bethany Augliere | January 7, 2020

For roughly 30 years, Jim Sullivan was a research scientist answering questions about the ocean and its most miniature creatures, plankton.

THE MICROPLASTIC EPIDEMIC FINDING SOLUTIONS

Bethany Augliere | January 7, 2020

Every year, 8 million metric tons of plastic escape into the ocean. That’s equivalent to two Empire State Buildings entering the sea each month.

STUDY EXAMINES FISH CONSUMPTION AND MERCURY EXPOSURE IN PREGNANT WOMEN

Gisele Galoustian | December 16, 2019

A study by FAU's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute evaluated fish consumption, sources, risk, knowledge and hair mercury concentrations in pregnant women in coastal Florida.

FAU HARBOR BRANCH RECEIVES HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOM RESEARCH FUNDING

Lynda F. Rysavy | December 10, 2019

The Florida Department of Health announced that $650,000 in legislatively appropriated funds was awarded to four Florida universities.

FAU HARBOR BRANCH GRADUATE SELECTED AS A WINNER OF THE NINTH ANNUAL NIKON SMALL WORLD IN MOTION COMPETITION

Lynda F. Rysavy | December 9, 2019

Nikon Instruments Inc. today revealed the winners of the ninth annual Nikon Small World in Motion Photomicrography Competition.

NASA-FUNDED PROJECT SPURS NEW COLLABORATION TO BETTER UNDERSTAND RECENT SOUTH FLORIDA BLUE-GREEN ALGAL BLOOMS

USF | November 21, 2019

All eyes are on Florida’s waterways, and addressing Florida’s blue-green algae and water quality has caught the attention of Floridians.

SCIENTISTS FIRST TO DEVELOP RAPID CELL DIVISION IN MARINE SPONGES

Gisele Galoustian | November 21, 2019

FAU Harbor Branch scientists and collaborators have developed a breakthrough in marine invertebrate (sponge) cell culture that impacts marine biotechnology, early animal evolution and climate change.

STUDY REVEALS HOW 98 PERCENT OF PLASTICS AT SEA GO MISSING EACH YEAR

Gisele Galoustian | November 7, 2019

A study helps to solve the mystery of missing plastic fragments at sea by using simulated sunlight to explore removal mechanisms, microbial impacts and lifetimes of select microplastics on the ocean surface.

2019 SOUTHEASTERN U.S. DEEP-SEA EXPLORATIONS

Lynda F. Rysavy | October 29, 2019

Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, NOAA and partners will conduct a telepresence-enabled ocean exploration expedition from NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer to collect critical baseline information about unknown and poorly understood deep-water areas off the Southeastern U.S. continental margin (primarily off Florida).

EXPERTS TEAM UP ON STUDY TO SAVE ENDANGERED JUVENILE AFRICAN PENGUINS

Lynda F. Rysavy | October 25, 2019

Adam M. Schaefer, M.P.H., an epidemiologist from Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute joined forces with scientists from the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) to preserve this species and optimize rehabilitation efforts.

NEW FAU HARBOR BRANCH FACULTY SPECIALIZING IN REMOTE SENSING TECHNOLOGY

Lynda F. Rysavy | October 14, 2019

Tim Moore, Ph.D., is a research professor at Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute. Dr. Moore specializes in using ocean color remote sensing technology to study the ecology of phytoplankton and the environment.

FACULTY RECEIVE NATIONAL ACADEMIES' EARLY-CAREER RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS

Gisele Galoustian | September 30, 2019

Two scientists representing FAU's College of Engineering and Computer Science, Wilkes Honors College and Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute have received the prestigious Early-Career Research Fellowships.

ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE SURGES IN DOLPHINS, MIRRORING HUMANS

Gisele Galoustian | September 16, 2019

FAU Harbor Branch researchers and collaborators conducted a long-term study examining 13 years of antibiotic resistance trends in wild Bottlenose dolphins in Florida's Indian River Lagoon.

FAU SCIENTIST AWARDED 2019 EARLY-CAREER RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS BY NATIONAL ACADEMIES' GULF RESEARCH PROGRAM

Lynda F. Rysavy | September 10, 2019

The Gulf Research Program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine selected Andia Chaves Fonnegra, Ph.D., an assistant professor of biology in Florida Atlantic University’s Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College and Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute as a recipient of its 2019 Early-Career Research Fellowship.

FAU HARBOR BRANCH RESEARCHER FINALIST FOR 2019 BLAVATNIK REGIONAL AWARDS

Lynda F. Rysavy | September 9, 2019

The Blavatnik Family Foundation and the New York Academy of Sciences selected Derya Akkaynak, Ph.D., as a finalist for the 2019 Blavatnik Regional Awards for Young Scientists. Dr. Akkaynak is a post-doctoral fellow in the lab of Michael Twardowski, Ph.D., a research professor at FAU's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute.

FLORIDA SENATE PRESIDENT APPOINTS FAU HARBOR BRANCH'S JAMES SULLIVAN TO RED TIDE MITIGATION COUNCIL

FLORIDA SENATE | August 19, 2019

Florida Senate President Bill Galvano (R-Bradenton) announced the appointment of James M. Sullivan Ph.D., the executive director of Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute to the Florida Red Tide Mitigation and Technology Development Initiative Advisory Council.

FAU, USDA Partner to Boost Domestic Production of Farm-raised Fish

Gisele Galoustian | August 7, 2019

Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute has partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to expand domestic production of farm-raised fish to reduce the nation’s reliance on imports and to reduce the trade deficit. FAU has received $2.4 million this year for the project, which will help to address botheconomic and technical burdens on domestic aquaculture producers.

THIRTY YEARS OF UNIQUE DATA REVEAL WHAT'S REALLY KILLING CORAL REEFS

Gisele Galoustian | July 15, 2019

A long-term study by FAU's Harbor Branch shows that the coral bleaching problem is not just due to a warming planet, but also a planet that is simultaneously being enriched with reactive nitrogen.

HARBOR BRANCH BLUE GREEN TASK FORCE MEETING

Lynda F. Rysavy | July 12, 2019

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is hosting the third meeting of the Blue-Green Algae Task Force, which will play an important role in expediting water quality improvements in the next five years.

SCIENTISTS DISCOVER WORLD’S LARGEST SEAWEED BLOOM

Gisele Galoustian | July 5, 2019

In just the right amounts, Sargassum – a floating tropical brown seaweed – is essential for marine life. Too much, however, can be disastrous, causing serious environmental, ecological and economic problems. Frequent beaching events have been seen in Florida and the Caribbean since 2011, and these unusually thick mats of seaweed are now infesting and stinking up these once pristine beaches.

HARBOR BRANCH RESEARCHERS COMPLETE SOUTHEAST MARINE PROTECTED AREA CRUISE

Lynda F. Rysavy | June 27, 2019

FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Research Professor John Reed and Stephanie Farrington, members of the Cooperative Institute of Ocean Exploration, Research and Technology (CIOERT) just wrapped a two-week week cruise on the NOAA Ship Pisces to study the shelf-edge marine protected areas (MPAs) off the Southeastern U.S.

WINDOWS TO THE DEEP 2019: EXPLORATION OF THE DEEP-SEAHABITATS OF THE SOUTHEAST UNITED STATES

Lynda F. Rysavy | June 27, 2019

The NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer , with a dedicated team both aboard and on shore, set sail on its 100th ocean exploration mission on June 22. It is fitting that this milestone expedition to explore the deep and mostly unexplored ocean off the southeastern United States begins at the hub of our nation’s space exploration program – Cape Canaveral, Florida and will end in Northfolk, Virginia.

FAU HARBOR BRANCH SCIENTIST TEAMS UP WITH COMBAT VETERANS TO SAVE SEA TURTLES

Lynda F. Rysavy | June 26, 2019

Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Assistant Research Professor & Clinical Veterinarian, Annie Page-Karjian, D.V.M., Ph.D., recently helped lead a team of marine scientists and combat veterans to study and save green sea turtles in the Florida Keys threatened by fibropapillomatosis, a disease characterized by skin, eye, and internal tumors that can be fatal.

PLASTIC BAG FOUND IN BEAKED WHALES FORESTOMACH

Lynda F. Rysavy | June 4, 2019

The Florida Atlantic University Harbor Branch Marine Mammal Stranding Team responded to a call Sunday, to recover a dead whale which had beached near the Fort Pierce Inlet. Epidemiologist Adam Schaefer, M.P.H. and his team performed a post-mortem examination to determine the cause of death back at the FAU Harbor Branch Necropsy Laboratory.

U.S. SOUTH ATLANTIC MARINE PROTECTED AREA SURVEY

Lynda F. Rysavy | May 30, 2019

FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Research Professor John Reed and Stephanie Farrington, members of the Cooperative Institute of Ocean Exploration, Research and Technology (CIOERT) will be embarking on a two-week week cruise in June on the NOAA Ship Pisces to study the shelf-edge marine protected areas (MPAs) off the southeastern U.S.

NASA SELECTS FAU HARBOR BRANCH RESEARCHER TO JOIN INTERNATIONAL UNDERSEA CREW TO PREPARE FOR FUTURE MOON EXPLORATION

Lynda F. Rysavy | May 24, 2019

Shirley Pomponi, research professor at Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (FAU Harbor Branch) will be joining NASA's international crew who will be living underwater for 10 days, to prepare for future deep space missions, beginning June 12.

MARINE ORGANISMS HOLD PROMISE TO TREAT BREAST CANCER

Gisele Galoustain | May 16, 2019

FAU Harbor Branch researchers have received $801,000 from the Florida Department of Health to investigate the use of marine natural compounds as potential treatments of triple negative breast cancers.

GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS ANNOUNCES HARBOR BRANCH APPOINTMENT TO THE NEWLY FORMED BLUE-GREEN ALGAE TASK FORCE

LYNDA F. RYSAVY | April 30, 2019

Governor Ron DeSantis announced the appointments of Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Executive Director, Jim Sullivan, Ph.D., and four additional expert researchers and leading scientists to the newly established Blue-Green Algae Task Force on April 29.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT - John William Brandon, IV

LYNDA F. RYSAVY | April 30, 2019

When John William Brandon, IV graduates from the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College of Florida Atlantic University in May, it will be another step in his journey that is rooted in an interest in marine science that started at a very young age.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT - CATHERINE LO

LYNDA F. RYSAVY | April 9, 2019

Catherine Lo is the first student at Florida Atlantic University to receive a Master of Science in Marine Science and Oceanography. The interdisciplinary program is jointly administered by the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science and Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute.

OSHER LLI AT FAU JUPITER PRESENTS JAMES SULLIVAN, PH.D.

KAMI BARRETT BATCHELDER | April 8, 2019

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Florida Atlantic University in Jupiter will present a one-time lecture by James Sullivan, Ph.D., executive director of Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at FAU, on Tuesday, April 16 at 9:30 a.m...

REGULATED CELL DEATH SIGNALING PATHWAYS AND MARINE NATURAL PRODUCTS THAT TARGET THEM

By Lynda F. Rysavy | March 25, 2019

Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute researchers are trying to fully understand how marine natural products can be used to target and kill cancer cells and how that process works.

HARBOR BRANCH RESEARCHERS HOST MARINE FISH SPECIAL SESSION AT AQUACULTURE AMERICA

By Lynda F. Rysavy | March 18, 2019

Harbor Branch aquaculture researchers joined experts from around the country to present the "Status of Marine Finfish Species for US Aquaculture," during Aquaculture America 2019.

Harbor Branch Scientists Published in Scientific Fishes Journal

By Lynda F. Rysavy | February 28, 2019

Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute scientists are well represented in the latest journal Environmental Biology of Fishes. Of the 23 scientific articles published in the "Special Issue on Fishes on the Flats," Harbor Branch researchers and...

MICROBIOLOGIST GETS CREATIVE USING INSTAGRAM

By Gisele Galoustian | February 27, 2019

Hunter Hines is using Instagram at a global scale to engage audiences in scientific exchange. He has come up with the right formula for success and is encouraging other scientists to follow suit.

Viera High School Wins Regional Manatee Bowl at FAU Harbor Branch for the third year in row

By Lynda F. Rysavy | February 25, 2019

For the third year in a row, students from Viera High School won the Manatee Bowl, a regional ocean science academic competition that is part of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB^®)...

RADIO-TRACKING DOLPHINS REVEALS DETAILS ABOUT THEIR BEHAVIOR

By Gisele Galoustian | February 21, 2019

The most extensive radio-tracking effort of Indian River Lagoon bottlenose dolphins, reveals new information about how they use their habitats, spend their time, and interact with their own species.

Goliath Groupers May Be Key To Undersea National Security

By Gisele Galoustian | February 20, 2019

Researchers from Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, one of the university’s four research pillars, have been awarded up to $5 million from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) as part of the Persistent Aquatic Living Sensors (PALS)...

Harbor Branch Accepts Edwin A. Link Florida Inventors Hall of Fame Commemorative Plaque

By Lynda F. Rysavy | February 19, 2019

Dr. Andrew M. Clark, Trustee, Link Foundation and current chair of the Link Foundation’s Fellowship Program in Ocean Engineering and Instrumentation, presented Jim Sullivan, Ph.D., executive director of FAU's Harbor Branch with a replica of the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame’s (FIHF) brass plaque commemorating the late Edwin A. Link....

Tracking Apex Predators in the Gulf of Mexico

By Lynda F. Rvsavy | February 18, 2019

Harbor Branch researchers and collaborators used electronic tagging data from eight species, including billfishes, tunas and sharks to track when and for how long the highly mobile marine predators crossed international boundaries in the Gulf of...

Harbor Branch & I-SENSE Faculty Fellow Receives NOAA

By Lynda F. Rysavy | February 7, 2019

Jordon Beckler, Ph.D., assistant professor in FAU’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute and I-SENSE Faculty Fellow was awarded a $257,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Ocean Exploration...

Harbor Branch Hosts Federal Affairs Director

By Lynda F. Rysavy | February 6, 2019

Harbor Branch recently hosted Scheril Murray Powell, Director of Federal Affairs at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Aquaculture & Stock Enhancement Research professor's Paul Wills, Ph.D. and Megan Davis, Ph.D...

FAU Harbor Branch Partners with 4Ocean, Navocean, and GCOOS to Monitor Algae in Lake Okeechobee with First Autonomous Sailboat

By Lynda F. Rysavy | February 5, 2019

Scientists with Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute partnered with 4Ocean, Navocean and the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observation System (GCOOS), to learn more about HABs in Lake Okeechobee...