LUMCON News

Spring 2008 Volume 8, Number 1 LUMCON Executive Director Receives Gold Medal for Research

This summer, Nancy N. Rabalais, LUMCON’s executive director, received two prestigious environmental research awards, the the National Water Research Institute's (NWRI) Athalie Richardson Irvine Clarke Prize and the Ruth Patrick Award from the Ameri- can Society for Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO). In July, Rabalais became the fifteenth laureate of the NWRI’s Clarke Prize, one of the most prestigious awards in the world as determined by the International Congress of Distinguished Awards. Rabalais travelled to Huntington Beach, CA to accept the Clarke Prize for her 25 years of research on human-induced changes in water quality, particularly the long-term environmen- tal impacts of excess nutrients on marine ecosystems. The NWRI established the Clarke Prize in 1993 in honor of the late Athalie Richardson Irvine Clarke and her vision to recognize the vital importance of water and promote better water science and technology. In 1991, Clarke co-founded NWRI along with her daughter Joan Irvine Smith, who presented the award to Dr. Rabalais. Clarke said that she believed that “Nothing is more im- portant than the careful stewardship and development of our water resources.” The Huntington Beach Hilton was the setting for the ceremony where LUMCON Executive Director Nancy Rabalais received her Each year NWRI holds a formal ceremony in which Smith pres- Clarke Prize. Rabalais stands next to the memorial for her prize’s namesake. ents a gold medallion and the award of the $50,000 prize.In re- ceipt of the award, Rabalais presented a lecture entitled basic aquatic science principles to the identification, analysis “Ecosystem Science Informs Sound Policy… or Does It?” where and/or solution of important environmental problems. she discussed the effects of hypoxia and harmful algal blooms in Rabalais accepted the Ruth Patrick Award for her accomplish- the Gulf of Mexico and other coastal waters nationwide. During ments in Marine Science at the 2008 ASLO Summer Meeting in the ceremony, Rabalais thanked her family members, collabora- St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. Former LUMCON Director tors and others who helped make her research possible, and as Don Boesch, who is currently with the University of Maryland's she accepted the $50,000 prize, she noted, “This check is not Center for Environmental Science, nominated Rabalais for the made out to me but to LUMCON for continued research.” award. Boesch believes Rabalais deserves recognition because Less than a month before, in June, Rabalais was awarded the “[she] has embodied the spirit of Dr. Ruth Patrick… achieving Ruth Patrick Award from the American Society of Limnology and outstanding accomplishments in the application of diverse scien- Oceanography. This professional organization has worked to pro- tific principles toward the identification, analysis, and solution of vide for the needs of aquatic science researchers for over 50 one of the most significant environmental problems in aquatic en- years. The society initiated the Ruth Patrick Award in 1989 to vironments – the dramatic expansion of hypoxia in coastal waters honor outstanding research by a scientist in the application of during the latter part of the 20th century.”

A Publication by the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium Message from the Executive Director Dr. Nancy N. Rabalais

June 14, 2008

The ability to garner funds for science and higher education has suffered in the last several years and the future remains bleak. It is even more apparent this fiscal year and the next when National Science Foundation researchers are being asked to reduce their budg- ets by 40%, which makes getting the work done only marginal. For critical research in the Gulf of Mexico concerning hypoxia (low oxygen), researchers are being asked to ‘defray’ up to 50% of their funding so that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis- tration can keep the critical program functioning. Calls for proposals for Ecology of Harmful Blooms (ECOHAB), and invasive species in the Great Lakes, while rich in ideas, resulted in no funded projects due to lack of money. Along with funds for the research, vessel support for the University National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) ships are also reduced. The future of vessel replacement and keeping the UNOLS existing fleet afloat as part of the marine science infrastruc- ture is threatened. The R/V Pelican, LUMCON’s UNOLS vessel, is heavily utilized and will be a strong member of the fleet into the future, but a new regional class vessel for the Gulf of Mexico becomes a more distant vision. Important programs, such as Ocean Drilling that provides some of the best earth science globally and the Integrated Ocean Observing System that provides critical ocean parameters to the public for science investigations, are also facing unknown funding futures. Higher education in Louisiana’s House Bill 1, at the time of this writing, has been stalemated as compared to last year’s State support that indicated a promising future. Tuition and fees are seen as remedies, but this does not help LUMCON or the Louisiana State Uni- versity (LSU) Pennington Biomedical Research Center because they are not collecting tuition for the courses they provide. Not all is bleak as LUMCON administers the NOAA Coastal Restoration through En- hanced Science and Technology (CREST) program. The CREST program received no additional funding in FY07, but was awarded $1,442,000 in FY08 due to the efforts of the CREST program office and Senator Mary Landrieu. CREST provided $10,000 each to the member institutions to fund graduate and, in some cases, undergraduate students for projects relevant to the program. Their creativity in coastal research projects was highlighted at a symposium in New Orleans in March 2008. Our legislators and congressional leaders with the help of marine scientists on an individual basis and through the Consortium on Ocean Leadership (COL) continue to work for more coastal research funds. I had the opportunity and privilege to introduce Senator Mary Landrieu at the COL Public Policy Forum on Capitol Hill. She touched upon many areas of interest for coastal Louisiana—land loss and coastal restoration efforts, return of Federal oil-and-gas production revenues for coastal restoration, the Mississippi River and its importance to the economy of Louisiana and its potential to be a threat in the form of offshore low dissolved oxygen, or ‘The Dead Zone.’ I have followed up with with her staff on funding for extramural, peer-reviewed research in NOAA’s Sponsored Coastal Ocean Re- search program and the level of funding necessary to carry that program forward. I have also followed up on the pending reauthorization of the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act (HABHRCA) and its appropriations, and continued Congressional sup- port for the CREST program. Senator David Vitter’s office is also in- volved with the HABHRCA reauthorization, as is Senator Nelson of Florida. This program will continue to fund research, control, and miti- gation programs for two important environmental issues in the Gulf of Mexico, harmful algal blooms and hypoxia. Just elected to a 3-year term as a member of the Board of Trustees beginning in May 2008, I will con- tinue as Membership Chair and to serve COL. Keeping Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico in the conversation of federal funding initiatives is LUMCON’s constant goal.

Dr. Nancy Rabalais, Senator Mary Landrieu, and Dr. Bob Gagosian, President of COL and former Director of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

LUMCON News Vol. 8, No. 1 Page 2 Intern Instructs 6th Graders on Methods for Monitoring the Environment

Anxiously, forty 6th grade students from Legion Park Middle tion and chose Legion Park School for participation. These School of Houma, LA unloaded a yellow bus and entered the Houma students were brought to LUMCON and shown LUMCON Marine Center. They are hurried into the audito- LUMCON’s Bayouside Classroom methods of collecting rium where they were able to exchange presentations and find- water samples in the front pond. Later they used these same ings from their research via teleconferencing with Greg Ira, techniques to test samples Nicole collected from along Bayou from the Florida Environmental Protection Service, the 7th Terrebonne near the downtown marina. They tested for clarity, grade science class of the Kennedy Middle School of St. Pe- acidic qualities, temperature and the amount of oxygen in the tersburg, FL and the West Oso Junior High School at the Texas samples. State Aquarium in Corpus Christi, TX. Little do they know that “What they loved the most was that they got to play with the this project began long before they were selected for participa- chemicals, in particularly the ones for dissolved oxygen. This tion. A grant written by Ira needed an instructor for their Gulf test shows how much oxygen is in the water,” Broussard said. of Mexico Literacy Project. EPS informed LUMCON of their The students learned how to find pH and conductivity with an search and the answer was Nicole Broussard, a graduate stu- X-stick, how to properly take the temperature of the water and dent attending Nicholls State University studying for her Mas- the use of the thermometer, and how to check the clarity using ters in Marine and Environmental Biology and working a turbidity tube. Another tool called a refractometer was also part-time at LUMCON in the education department. used to measure salinity “Water quality is important because Broussard was off to Tallahassee, FL training in the Wakulla we would want to know what kind of water we drink and Springs State Park, also known as the Edward Ball State Park. where it comes from and the chemical qualities of water that Part of the training was how to interact with under served and contributes to human health in a positive way,” the presenta- under represented students. Training also included specifics of tion of Legion Park School students stated. The students said the project and how and what to choose for a successful proj- that they felt they learned more about science than they knew ect. Nicole chose what she knew, the Bayouside Classroom at first. “In another way, it helps us learn what kind of water techniques taught at LUMCON. Nicole performed her evalua- animals need to live.” Legion Park School physical science teacher, Hal Bauland, LUMCON EXECUTIVE BOARD CHANGE went even further with his class by getting the students to use Several changes have taken place among the LUMCON Executive the data they collected to make graphs. For 18 months, Brous- Board members. In Spring 2008, Dr. William Jenkins, President sard went to Houma every other month to collect samples to Emeritus of the Louisiana State University System and former bring to the school. Although funds were available for the Chancellor and President of LSU, assumed the position of Interim class to make the trip to the field site, the principal decided it Chancellor and served as Chair of the LUMCON Executive Board was best for the students to remain on school grounds for the for about six months, until the new LSU Chancellor, Dr. Michael project. Broussard said that they were always glad to see her Martin began on July 1, 2008. because they knew she was bringing samples for them to test. One of Dr. Martin’s new activities will be to Chair the LUMCON Testing was done outside during their regular science class Executive Board until the fall rotation moves the Chair position to times and it meant being outside instead of in. Broussard said Nicholls State University. Dr. Ray Authement retired from the Uni- that at first they were uneasy about using the tools and equip- versity of Louisiana at Lafayette at the end of June 2008. ment, but after they knew what they were doing, they realized LUMCON appreciates his leadership and commitment to they were learning proper scientific techniques. LUMCON over the many years of its initial vision to what it is today. Both pre-tests and post-tests were given to measure what the students learned. Broussard said that at first the test scores As a result of his retirement, there will be a new President of ULL, were disappointing, but the students caught on to the project Dr. Joseph Savoie, who was the long-standing Commissioner of Higher Education until July 1. and were learning as the scores later proved. “It just took a lit- tle time,” Broussard said. Questions asked during the confer- We look forward to Dr. Savoie’s continued interest in LUMCON, ence were answered by the students who were shy at first in from the perspective of an Executive Board university. Dr. Nancy front the camera, but Broussard encouraged them to answer. Rabalais, LUMCON Executive Director, was with Dr. Savoie in “You know that,” she said. They answered what they knew June at his last Board of Regents meeting and thanked him for his strong leadership of the Board of Regents over the many years, and through the field research work they had done. These students the opportunity to working with him in his new role as President of now care about the water and their environment. Broussard, ULL. originally from New Iberia, LA now lives in Bourg. “This lit- eracy grant has been a start-to-end project of Nicole Brous- Dr. Sally Clausen, President of the University of Louisiana System and former President of Southeastern Louisiana University, will be- sard, who received the training, set up the arrangements with come the Commissioner of the Board of Regents. LUMCON wel- the school, and saw it through to the point of the multiple stu- comes Dr. Clausen to this post and invites her continued support of dent conference video. She was dedicated to this work, and the LUMCON and the idea of a Consortium of Louisiana universities' principal, students, and Nicole all learned and benefitted,” endeavors in marine science research and education. LUMCON Executive Director Nancy Rabalais said.

LUMCON News Vol. 8, No. 1 Page 3 LUMCON Shares Science With Public

Once again, LUMCON doors opened to the public with an invitation to experience science. On April 26th, LUMCON's Open House played host to hundreds. As visi- tors drove down Highway 56, past the Cocodrie water tower, to the so-called “building that looks like an airport sticking up in the marsh,” they were greeted with signs that lead them into activities that engaged them in oceanographic sci- ence. Activities ranged from building model plankton out of playdough and racing them in a water-column tube to putting a model phytoplankton together identifying its parts to watching how a moored instrument is changed underwater. Again this year the kids participated in a scav- enger hunt to guide them through the exhibits while special activities kept the adults out of their way. Inside visitors touched marine animals in the touch tanks while outside they took mud grab samples from the deck of the R/V Acadiana, one of LUMCON's research vessels, and another outdoor activity that taught visitors how scientists sort animals caught in a trawl. The salinity taste test was one of the new activities this year. LUMCON's environ- mental monitoring program puts instruments in the water to measure a variety of parameters including salinity. Inspired by the old Pepsi vs Coca Cola taste test, Brenda Leroux Babin, manager of the environmental monitoring program and Open House committee chair, came up with a way for the public to “experience” what the instruments measure. She designed a scientific experiment whereby an individual tastes water samples and guesses the salinity value. Then they compared the guess with the reading from the instruments. Some were extremely good at guessing the salinity while others needed more training, but everyone had a good time trying. “I love Open House,” LUMCON University Educa- tion Coordinator Nicole Cotten said. She often hosts public groups visiting the facility. “It is when all of LUMCON puts their best foot forward for the public,” Cotten said. “It was awesome seeing em- ployees come together to plan and participate. This Open House was truly a time when all of LUMCON came together as a team,” Babin said.

LUMCON News Vol. 8, No. 1 Page 4 LUMCON Employee Focus: Dr. Brian Roberts, Assistant Professor

LUMCON’s new Assistant Professor, Dr. Brian Roberts, joined LUMCON in August 2007 as an aquatic ecosystem ecologist. He says he is “interested in understanding how human activities affect the capacity of aquatic ecosystems to process and retain nutrients and energy along the continuum from headwater streams and lakes to large rivers, estuaries, and open-oceans.” His research is broadly focused in three areas: ecosystem ecol- ogy and biogeochemistry, human-induced environmental im- pacts on aquatic ecosystems, and restoration ecology. A native of upstate New York, Roberts obtained his BS in Biol- ogy and Philosophy from the College of William and Mary where he began conducting ecological research. His next re- search experience was with Dr. Ivan Valiela at the Marine Bio- logical Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA where he became interested in how human activities impact estuarine and coastal ecosystems. While working on a variety of projects in the coastal estuaries of Cape Cod, Roberts decided that in order to truly understand the multitude of factors influencing coastal ecosystems he needed to better understand the upstream inputs to them. This led to his Ph.D. work with Dr. Bob Howarth at Cornell University. Roberts’ Ph.D. research focused on devel- oping a new approach to measuring the production and con- sumption of oxygen and carbon in lake ecosystems so that rates of aquatic photosynthesis and respiration can be better pre- dicted. As part of this work, Roberts examined the factors that influence whether phytoplankton, microscopic algae that form the base of aquatic food chains, or bacteria are responsible for the bulk of respiration in lakes. Roberts continued his journey upstream as a post-doctoral re- ern Gulf of Mexico. Roberts recognizes that the biogeochem- search associate working with Dr. Pat Mulholland at Oak Ridge istry of the Atchafalaya system has been understudied despite National Laboratory (ORNL). At ORNL, Roberts worked on carrying approximately 30% of the water from the Mississippi several projects aimed at understanding the controls on stream River Basin and delivering its nutrient and organic matter load chemistry and ecosystem metabolism (photosynthesis and res- through the shallow Atchafalaya Bay to the middle of the north- piration) in forested streams. Several of these projects remain a ern Gulf of Mexico hypoxic area. “We are using monitoring, part of Roberts’ research program. field sampling, and experiments conducted at continuous, Shortly after beginning his position at LUMCON, faculty mem- monthly and quarterly intervals to quantify rates of nutrient and bers Dr. Mike Dagg and Dr. Rodney Powell invited Roberts to organic matter loading and processing in the lower Atchafalaya participate in a sampling cruise associated with a project to as- River and Bay and ultimately the northern Gulf of Mexico,” sess the influence of marsh-coastal ocean exchanges on the net Roberts said. He says that the overall goal of studying the metabolism of Terrebonne Bay. Net metabolism is the relative Atchafalaya River/Bay system is to “establish a research pro- balance between the production of carbon by plant-life in the gram that links current efforts in the Atchafalaya River with Ra- system and consumption of carbon by all organisms (e.g. balais’ offshore studies in the Atchafalaya plume so that we can plants, bacteria, animals). Roberts has also begun a project fo- gain a more complete understanding of the role biogeochemical cused on determining the relative contribution of phytoplankton processes in this system plays in the health of the Gulf.” and bacteria to ecosystem respiration in Terrebonne Bay. “My He has conducted research in diverse aquatic habitats along the hope is that through these research efforts we acquire enough aquatic continuum from headwater streams to the open ocean compelling data to be able to develop a sustained research pro- including temperate and tropical streams, north temperate lakes, gram to benefit the bay on which LUMCON resides” Roberts rivers, salt marshes, coastal bays and the Caribbean Sea. said. Roberts has consistently focused on understanding the effect of Roberts’s research program at LUMCON is off to a good start upstream influences on downstream ecosystems. Now that he with a three year funded project to study carbon and nutrient has come full circle by returning to coastal waters at transport and transformations in the Atchafalaya River Delta LUMCON, he says that he hopes that his background and un- ecosystem. Collaborating with LUMCON Executive Director derstanding of the interactions that occur between ecosystems and Professor Dr. Nancy Rabalais and LSU Professor Dr. Gene as water moves downstream along the freshwater-estuary-open Turner, he proposes to fill an important gap in the understand- ocean continuum will aid in addressing the numerous pressing ing of the delivery of nutrients and organic matter to the north- environmental issues impacting Louisiana’s coast.

LUMCON NewsVol. 8, No. 1 Page 5 “Boats of Louisiana” Photography Contest 2008

Winners List: Grand Prize and People’s Choice Awards: Penny Bentz, of Schriever, photo on right Kids Division: 1st Place & two Honorable Men- tions, Kyla D’Arensburg from Zachary, 2nd Place, Benjamin Fonville of Lecompte, and 3rd Place, Hannah and Tessa LaFleur of Thibodaux, Honorable Mention, Theresa Leblanc of Bourg. Teen Division: 1st & 2nd Place, Noelle Savoy from Lafayette, 3rd Place, Gage Seaux from Lafayette, Honorable Mention, Noel Bussey of Bourg. Adults Division: 1st Place, Renee Bellow of Lafayette, 2nd, 3rd Place & Honorable Mention, Cody Sewell of Prairieville, Honorable Mention, Amy Scaroni of Baton Rouge and Dana Rolke of Carencro. Employee Division: Nicole Cotten,1st, 2nd and 3rd Place. Gwen Duplantis, Honorable Mention.

LUMCON Hosts 2008 Annual Graduate Student Symposium

Members of the Ma- Rellinger presented her works on the “Occurrence and Turnover rine Environmental of DMSP and DMS in the Deep Waters of the Ross Sea, Antarc- Researchers (MER) a tica.” The graduate students also voted Rellinger as the People's graduate student or- Choice. ganization at Melissa Baustian, LSU graduate student, placed 2nd for her Louisiana State Uni- oral presentation, “The Effect of Light on Hypoxic Bottom versity, hosted the Water Oxygen Concentrations in the Northern Gulf of ninth annual Graduate Mexico,” with 3rd place by Mary Elizabeth Miller from DISL. Student Symposium Miller's worked was titled, “The influence of ecological and from February 22-24, physical factors on the settlement and viability of the moon 2008 at the LUMCON jelly (Scyphozoa: Aurelia sp.) in the northern Gulf of Mexico.” Marine Center. Since 1999, when graduate Padmanava Dash of LSU, received first place for his poster students of the Univer- presentation, “Quantitative Mapping of Cyanobacterial Blooms sity of South Alabama, for OCEANSAT-1 OCM Satellite Data: An Empirical Ap- the University of Southern Mississippi, and Louisiana State proach.” Caleb McMahan, SELU received honorable mention University joined together to create an opportunity for students for his poster presentation. in marine, biological and environmental sciences to present As one of the many planners of this event and first time at- their research in a supportive, non-threatening environment, the tendee and participant, Amy Spaziani, LSU student working on Graduate Student Symposium has been an annual spring event her masters in Oceanography, said that she was quite happy at with each school taking turns as host. the end of the banquet when it was all over. “The symposium Now the participation of eight universities extends beyond the not only provided a good opportunity to present research in a Gulf of Mexico. Abstracts were collected and accepted for stu- professional setting, but also an opportunity to learn about other dents in any stage of their research for both oral and poster pre- students’ research from other schools as well as others on the sentations. Participants numbered 56 oral presentations and 13 Gulf Coast,” Spaziani said. poster presentations with over 80 students attending. The overall winner of the oral presentations was Alison N. Rellinger from the University of South Alabama in Mobile. LUMCON News Vol. 8, No. 1 Page 6 News Bites The Estuarine Research Federation and Oceanography in St. John’s, New- LUMCON’s Marine Superintendent (ERF) held its 19th Biennial Interna- foundland, Canada. Joseph “Joe” Malbrough was named tional Conference in Providence, Rhode Vice Chair of the Research Vessel Op- Island November 4 through November erators Committee (RVOC) at Old Do- 8, 2007 with two LUMCON employees Executive Director of LUMCON Dr. minion University in Norfolk, VA at as presenters. Carrie M. Semmler, a Nancy Rabalais was elected as one of their April 22 to 24, 2008 annual meet- LUMCON Research Assistant, pre- four new Trustees of the Consortium for ing. Malbrough will serve a 3 year sented research on Marsh-Coastal Ex- Ocean Leadership (COL). She assumed term. changes and the Net Metabolic State of her three-year term at the Annual Meeting Terrebonne Bay. Co-authors included on March 8, 2008. COL is the newly con- LUMCON’s Mike Dagg, Rodney Pow- stituted combined Consortium for Ocean ell, Nazan Atilla, and Jean Rabalais. Research and Education and Joint See more news at www.lumcon.edu Also presenting was Executive Director Oceanographic Institution. and Profession Dr. Nancy Rabalais. Her presentation, co-authored by Eu- gene R. Turner, of Louisiana State Uni- versity, was on Why, How, and How Much to Reduce Nutrients that Cause Gulf of Mexico Eutrophication.

LUMCON Research Assistant Carrie Semmler and Executive Director and Professor Dr. Nancy Rabalais gave pre- sentations at the 2008 Summer Meeting of the American Society of Limnology The America’s Wetlands Conservation Corps escorted by Nicole Cotten, educa- tion instructor, who gave them a tour of the LUMCON facility.

Publications Glibert, P. M., et al., including N. N. Ra- Stressors on the Diatom Psuedo- balais. 2008. Ocean urea fertilization for nitzschia pseudodelicatissima and carbon credits poses high ecological Cyanobacteria-Common HAB Species Baustian, M. M., S. J. Bentley, and J. risks. Mar. Pollut. Bull. Doi in Louisiana., LSU Sea Grant / NOAA. H. Wandersee. 2008. Innovative assess- 10.1016/jmarpolbul.2009.03.010. $12,702 ment tools for a short, fast-paced sum- mer field course. Journal of College Turner, R. E., N. N. Rabalais and D. Rabalais, N. N., Principal Investigator, Science Teaching July/August 2008: Justić. 2008. Gulf of Mexico hypoxia: al- B. L. Babin, Co-Investigator, Standardi- 54-60. ternate states and a legacy. Environmental zation of Local Data Network Nodes in Science and Technology 42: 2323-2327. the GCOOS-RA, Texas A & M Re- Dagg, M., S.-I. Uye, L. Valdés, and R. Kelly-Gerreyn, B., N. N. Rabalais, J. search Foundation DOC/NOAA, Harris. 2008. Human and climate forc- $22,701 ing of zooplankton populations: Intro- Middelburg, S. Roy, K.-K. Liu, H. duction. ICES J. Mar. Sci. 65: 277-278. Thomas, and J. Zhang. 2008. Continental Roberts, B. J., Principal Investigator, margins: Linking ecosystems. Eos, Trans. N. N. Rabalais, Co-Principal Investiga- Dagg, M., R. Sato, H. Liu, T. Bianchi, Amer. Geophysical Union 89(7): 64. tor, and R. Eugene Turner, Co-Investiga- R. Green and R. Powell. 2008. Micro- Hill, W. R., S. E. Fanta, and B. J. tor, Critical Biogeochemical Processes bial food web contributions to bottom in the Atchafalaya River Delta. LA BoR water hypoxia in the northern Gulf of Roberts. 2008.13C dynamics in benthic algae: Effects of light, phosphorus, and Support Fund Contract # LEQSF (2008- Mexico. Cont. Shelf Res. 28: 1127- 11)-RD-A-22, $137,457 1137. biomass development. Limnology and Oceanography 53(4): 1217-1226. Sparks, S., Principal Investigator, The Sato, R., Y. Ishibashi, Y. Tanaka., T. Gulf of Mexico Program 2008, Ishimaru., and M. Dagg. 2008. Produc- EPA/Gulf of Mexico Program, $78,950 tivity and grazing impact of Oikopleura dioica (Tunicata, Appendicularia) in Grants St. Pé, K., Principal Investigator, Tokyo Bay. J. Plankton Res. 30: 299- BTNEP EPA2008, US Environmental 309. Rabalais, N. N., Principal Investigator, Protection Agency, $428,000 D. Daigle, Co-Investigator, Coastal Visser, J., Principal Investigator, Sutor, M. and M. Dagg. 2008. The ef- Restoration through Enhanced Science Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, fects of vertical sampling resolution on and Technology (CREST), NOAA Office and Restoration Act (CWPPRA), Prior- estimates of plankton biomass and rate of Response and Restoration, $1,442,000. calculations in stratified water ity Project List Number 18, Dept. of De- columns. Est. Coast and Shelf Sci. 78: Rabalais, N. N., Principal Investigator, fense, Army Corps of Engineers, 107-121. The Potential Effects of Environmental $103,400

LUMCON News Vol. 8, No. 1 Page 7 Art from LUMCON’s Coastal Landscape Photography Class

Works entitled “In Black & White” from LUMCON’s Permanent Collection of Louisiana’s Retreating Coast and Communities were shown in an exhibit at the The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. The center is located downtown in the Gateway Plaza. The exhibit was held from April 4 to August 2, 2008. Lunch-and-learn events took place on April 23 and July 9. The collection is featured on page 15 of the Spring/Summer 08 The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts issue. For the past nine years, LUMCON has been offering this unique course. Utilizing the magnificent and endangered backdrop of the local es- tuary, the course introduces black and white photography. The exhibited collection was developed by LUMCON University Educa- tion Coordinator, Nicole Cotten, along with artists and Assistant Professor Karin Eberhardt and Department Head, Professor Dennis Sipiorski, from Southeastern Louisiana University, Associate Professor Gary LaFleur of Nicholls State University and Digital Pho- tography Art instructor Daniel Kariko from Florida State University together with Assistant Curator Brook Greene of The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts. The Center can be contacted at [email protected] or www.turchincenter.org. Greene reported over eight hundred attended the exhibit with a few from Louisiana. Of the group of coordinators, only Sipiorski could not attend. “The experience was a good opportunity to visually inform the community of Boone, NC about the wetland loss in coastal Louisiana,” Cotten said. The Nicholls State University publication of the 2007 Jubilee Anthology, “Jubilee: A Festival of the Arts & Humanities,” credits LUMCON’s Coastal Landscape Photography Course for all photographs featured in that publication, as they have done in the past. Course instructors include Dennis Sipiorski, Chair of the Art Department at Southeastern Louisiana University, and Dr. Gary LaFleur, Associate Professor of Biology at Nicholls State University. The course inspires students to investigate endangered envi- ronments of the Louisiana coast and aids in documenting the varied ecosystems through visual arts in particular photography.

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