Archived News and Announcements: 2008

First C-MORE intern co-authors ISME paper

Brenda Asuncion, C-MORE’s first intern, has co-authored an ISME paper with Alex Culley and Grieg Steward. She is publishing on the project she started working on during Summer 2007. Thanks, Alex and Grieg, for superb mentoring!

The publication is referenced as “Culley, A., B. Asuncion, G. Steward (2008). Detection of inteins among diverse DNA polymerase genes of uncultivated members of the Phycodnaviridae. ISME (Dec, 2008).”

Teacher participates in science-at-sea program

Wrayna Fairchild, a teacher at Innovations Public Charter School on the Big Island of Hawai‘i, recently participated in a four-day cruise with the Hawaii Ocean Time-series (HOT) as part of the C-MORE Science Teachers Aboard Research Ships (STARS) program. Read more about it in West Hawaii Today. (Image courtesy of West Hawaii Today.)

Fall 2008 C-MORE Scholars Symposium

On Friday, Dec 12 from 9:30am to Noon in Marine Science Building Rm 100 (UH Manoa Campus) the first cohort of C-MORE Scholars present on their undergraduate research experience for the Fall 2008 semester. Refreshments were served.

Nov 18 : ‘Ohana Day — Exploring the Ocean

On Saturday 06 December 2008, C-MORE and Nā Pua No‘eau hosted events for Native Hawaiian families to join in hands-on activities to learn about our Ocean and the various research interests of University of Hawai‘i scientists. Activities were centered around the POST building on the UH Mānoa campus. For more information, please download the brochure PDF.

DeLong to receive David C. White Research and Mentoring Award

C-MORE investigator Edward DeLong (MIT) will receive the 2009 David C. White Research and Mentoring Award, which is given annually by the American Society for Microbiology to a person who exemplifies the academic qualities of the award’s namesake.

Like David White, Ed DeLong has combined his interests and talents in education and in research for the benefit of the next generation of scientists. By conducting and publishing the results of cutting research and through his effective mentoring of students and post-docs, he has led by example. The award will be given on May 18, 2009 at the annual ASM meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and he will deliver the D. C. White Award lecture on the same day. Congratulations to Ed from his C-MORE colleagues!

Zehr article in Science

Jonathan Zehr is lead author of an article in the prestigious journal Science forcing a reevaluation of nitrogen and carbon cycling. Listen to the interview; subscribers can download the article.

Family Events: “Super High Day”

C-MORE and Nā Pua No‘eau hosted an event for Native Hawaiian families on the UH Mānoa campus on Friday 07 November, . Super High Day's purpose is to raise Native Hawaiian students' awareness and academic interests in the sciences. C-MORE hosted up to 40 junior and seniors on mini-fieldtrips on oceanography, natural hazards and GIS technology. For more information, please email npuniwai@hawaii.edu.

“Island in Space: The STS-122 Space Shuttle Mission to the International Space Station”

Astronaut Stanley Love, PhD, was the keynote speaker at the 7th annual Astronaut Lacy Veach Day of Discovery on Tuesday 28 October 2008. C-MORE was a proud co-sponsor of this special fun and educational day. For details, please visit the HIGP Home page. For more info, see Love’s biography, pre-flight interview, and the STS-122 mission webpage.

Professional Development Opportunities for K-12 educators

Download the reprint PDF to read about C-MORE Professional Development Opportunities for K-12 educators in the latest edition of The Earth Scientist, the journal of the National Earth Science Teachers Association.

C-MORE Undergraduate Scholars Application

The C-MORE Undergraduate Scholars Program is excited to offer students, especially underrepresented students such as Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, various opportunities to enhance their undergraduate education experience by participating in hands-on research experiences. Awardees receive guidance and help from a mentor who is a scientist at the university and/or industry. Students may reapply to be a C-MORE Scholar each semester, and there is a required orientation at the start of the Fall and Spring semesters. Visit the Undergraduate Scholars Program page for more information.

Survey of Underwater Plastic and Ecosystem Response (SUPER):
25 Aug – 05 Sep 08

Chief Scientist Tara Clemente and Marine Science Educator Kimberley Weersing of the University of Hawai‘i lead the Survey of Underwater Plastic and Ecosystem Response (SUPER) cruise. During a 12-day transit from Honolulu, HI to Port Hueneme, CA, they will collect marine debris to sample the microbial communities associated with plastic particles that have accumulated in the North Pacific Gyre. Lucy Marcus, a marine biologist and videographer, will be participating in the research cruise and will blog about her experience. Read more about it in the Honolulu Star Bulletin, the LA Times, and Raising Islands.

Hanauma Bay Educational Lecture Series—August 2008

C-MORE is partnering with the Hanauma Bay Education Program to foster awareness of microbial oceanography. During the month of August, C-MORE is sponsoring the Hanauma Bay Educational Lecture Series. These lectures are open to the public, so please join us every Thursday to learn about the exciting world of marine microbes! Download the flyer PDF advertising the series or read more about it here….

$3.79 million grant from Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation

C-MORE director David Karl (right) has been named the recipient of a $3.79 million grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to continue and expand research on the microbial inhabitants of the world’s oceans. Read more about it in the Honolulu Advertiser, at the Philanthropy News Digest, and on the SOEST Press Release page.

Ocean Perturbation Experiment (OPEREX): 30 Jul – 14 Aug 08

Chief Scientist Zbigniew Kolber (right) of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) leads the Ocean Perturbation Experiment (OPEREX) cruise. They will follow natural perturbations including blooms and eddies, and we will perform artificial perturbation experiments including bench/lab scale incubations, ship deck incubations, and ship deck pH shift experiments.Miriam Sutton, a North Carolina middle school teacher, will be participating in the research cruise as a Teacher-at-Sea and will blog about her experience.

Agouron Summer Course Symposium #3:
The Future of Microbial Oceanography: A research prospectus for the next decade, and beyond…

Friday, July 11, from 8 am to 4 pm at the East-West Center, Koi Room, UH Manoa; Dave Karl, host. Lunch will be provided; a course reception will be held Friday evening. Space is limited, so RSVP to Sharon Sakamoto by Wednesday, July 08. For more information, please visit the syllabus web page or download the flyer PDF.

“Key Concepts in Microbial Oceanography” PDF available

This new publication is a poster introducing key concepts in the field of microbial oceanography. The back side forms a brochure featuring an introduction to C-MORE and brief interviews with C-MORE personnel at various stages (undergraduate, graduate, post-doctoral) in their career paths in the study of marine micro-organisms. Download the 15.3 MB PDF, or request your copy of the printed poster by emailing kate.achilles@soest.hawaii.edu.

“The most important microbe you’ve never heard of ”

By some estimates, the oxygen in one out of every five breaths you take comes from a bacterium called Prochlorococcus. Numbering in the trillion trillions, this tiny microbe is one of the most abundant organisms on Earth. A recent celebrationof the 20th anniversary of its discovery, organized by MIT professor and C-MORE co-PI Sallie “Penny” Chisholm and UH Oceanography assistant professor Zackary Johnson, was the subject of a 06-13-08 “NPR Science Friday” report. Listen to the broadcast and watch the video at NPR Science Friday.

Agouron Summer Course Symposium #2:
Sensing the sea: present and future tools for probing biological processes in the ocean

Saturday, June 28, from 8:30 am to 4 pm at the East-West Center, Asia Room, UH Manoa; Grieg Steward, host. Lunch will be provided, reception to follow. Space is limited, so RSVP to Sharon Sakamoto by Wednesday, June 25. For more information, please visit the syllabus web page or download the flyer PDF.

Agouron Summer Course Symposium #1:
Ocean Carbon Cycling in a Changing Climate

Saturday, June 7, from 8:30 am to 4 pm at the William Richardson School of Law, Classroom 3, UH Manoa; Matthew Church, host. Lunch will be provided, reception to follow. Space is limited, so RSVP to Sharon Sakamoto by Wednesday, June 4. For more information, please visit the syllabus web page or download the flyer PDF.

Ocean Science Summit 2008, May 27 to 29, in Monterey, CA

Leading ocean scientists from across the country will sit down with legislators and staff from federal and state agencies, as well as other leaders in the marine community, to discuss what has been done, and what can be done to plan for and mitigate the changes that are occurring in the ocean. Attendance at Ocean Science Summit 2008 is by invitation only; however, members of the press are invited to attend the morning session on Wednesday, May 28. . Image courtesy David Fierstein (c) 2007 MBARI; click on it to see the full version and caption. Read more about it…

Phytoplankton and bacterioplankton identification workshop at HIMB

C-MORE is proud to offer a 5-day workshop (September 21-25, 2008) on phytoplankton and bacterioplankton identification led by experienced senior and junior marine microbial ecologists at the Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB), Coconut Island, Hawai‘i. Application deadline is July 1, 2008. Read more about it…

Karl delivered 20th Annual C. B. Van Niel Memorial Lecture

C-MORE Director David M. Karl has delivered this year’s Van Niel Memorial Lecture. The presentation, “Microbial Oceanography: A Sea of Opportunity” was given at Stanford University’s Hopkins Marine Station in Pacific Grove, CA on April 18th, 2008. This was the 20th annual lecture in the series, established shortly after the death of Cornelius Bernardus Van Niel, perhaps the most influential microbiologist and educator in the 20th century. Previous speakers in this lecture series have included two Nobel laureates and many other distinguished scientists. Download the SOEST press release PDF

Boyle and DeLong elected to National Academy of Sciences

On Tuesday, April 29, it was announced in Washington, DC, that Professors Ed Boyle (near right) and Ed DeLong (far right) had been elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. This well-earned honor is great news for both Eds and for all of us in C-MORE. Needless to say, we are all very proud of their remarkable achievements. Congratulations to both for a job well done!

Eco-DAS: Ecological Dissertations in the Aquatic Sciences

Ecological Dissertations in the Aquatic Sciences (Eco-DAS) VIII continues the series of symposia formerly known as DIALOG I-VII (Dissertations Initiative for the Advancement of Limnology and Oceanography), but takes that series in new directions. Eco-DAS VIII will be held in Honolulu on October 11-16, 2008. Applications are due April 30, 2008. Read more about it…

Spring Workshop: “Sea soup: The amazing world of marine microbes”

In Spring 2008, C-MORE will be providing a unique opportunity for K-12 teachers to gain hands-on training in marine microbiology. Join us for an exciting 6-part workshop which includes lab activities, field trips, and classroom-ready lessons and materials related to microbial oceanography. For more information about the course and registration, download the PDF flyer now.

Mystery at the Waikiki Aquarium: The Case of the Missing Zooxanthellae

C-MORE joins forces with the Waikiki Aquarium to stage this exciting night of mystery at the Aquarium on Friday, February 29th from 6:30-8:30 pm. For detectives aged 7-12 years old; one adult may accompany up to three detectives. $16/adult & child team ($20 for non-members of the Aquarium). Pre-registration is required for this activity. Read more…

2008 Hawaii Summer Course in Microbial Oceanography

The 2008 Hawai‘i Summer Course in Microbial Oceanography will be held June 2 to July 11, 2008 (download the flyer PDF). This course is offered to graduate students and postdoctoral scholars with interests in marine microbiology and biological oceanography. Read more about it…

Educational videos available online

Penny Chisholm discusses her team’s discovery of the cyanobacteria Prochlorococcus at “The Habitable Planet” (click on “Video” and create a login; Dr Chisholm’s interview starts at about 13 minutes, after the presentation on El Niño).
Learn about the automated Environmental Sample Processor (ESP) at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.

See also Archived News and Announcements: Current Archives • 2012 • 2011 • 2010 • 2009 • 2008

[ Top of Page ]