Dauphin Island Sea Lab 2014 Annual Report Alabama’s Marine Science Education and Research Institution The Twenty-Two Member Schools of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab/ Marine Environmental Sciences Consortium • Alabama A&M University, Huntsville, AL* • Alabama State University, Montgomery, AL* • Athens State University, Athens, AL • Auburn University, Auburn, AL* UAH • Auburn University at Montgomery, UNA ASU AAM Montgomery, AL • Birmingham Southern College, Birmingham, AL JSU • Huntingdon College, Montgomery, AL BSC, SU, • Jacksonville State University, UAB Jacksonville, AL* TC • Judson College, Marion, AL UA UM • Samford University, Birmingham, AL* JC AU • Spring Hill College, Mobile, AL AUM, • Talladega College, Talladega, AL • Troy University, Troy, AL UWA HC, TU • Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL* ASU • University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL* • University of Alabama at Birmingham, TU Birmingham, AL* SHC, • University of Alabama in Huntsville, UM, Huntsville, AL* USA • University of Mobile, Mobile, AL • University of Montevallo, Montevallo, AL • University of North Alabama, Florence, AL • University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL* • University of West Alabama, Livingston, AL * Schools with Graduate Degree Programs Annual Report 2014 - page 2 Statement of Purpose The Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL) is Alabama’s marine research and educational institution. Founded in 1971 by the Alabama Legislature to maximize the marine sciences capabilities of several Alabama institutions and minimize duplication, DISL serves twenty-two Alabama colleges and universities, both public and private. DISL and its faculty work toward the combined purposes of conducting pure and applied research, and sponsoring structured educational programs for individuals and organizations interested in and dependent upon the marine environment. Dauphin Island Sea Lab/ Table of Contents MESC provides equal Member Schools....................................................................2 educational opportunity to, Statement of Purpose/Table of Contents...............................3 and is open and accessible to, Letter from the Executive Director......................................4-5 all qualified students, without Administration and Facilities..............................................6-13 regard to race, color, creed, • Administration national origin, sex or qualified • Business/Finance handicap/disability with • Information Technology respect to all of its programs • Public Relations and activities. • Institutional Advancement • Facilities and Vessel Operations • Technical Support Disabled students will • Data Monitoring/Data Management/Metadata be provided “reasonable Discovery Hall Programs................................................14-18 accommodations” when they • Academic Year Programs have identified themselves • Summer Programs and validated their special • BayMobile need(s). Complete • Professional Development confidentiality is maintained • Professional & ServiceActivities unless authorization for The Estuarium................................................................19-21 release or information has • Docent Program been given in regards to University Programs.......................................................22-24 disability. Dauphin Island Sea Lab Foundation................................25-26 Mobile Bay National Estuary Program/ Coastal Policy Program................................................. 27-32 • CCMP Dauphin Island Sea Lab • Status and Trends: Environmental Monitoring for the Coast 101 Bienville Boulevard • Ecosystem Restoration and Protection Dauphin Island, AL 36528 • Education, Outreach and Capacity Building Ph: (251) 861-2141 Resident Research Faculty.......................................33-34 Fax: (251) 861-4646 Faculty Activity................................................................35-49 www.disl.org • Faculty News and Awards • Book Chapters and Projects For questions about this • Peer-Reviewed Publications Annual Report, please e-mail • Other Publications - Technical Reports, Miscellaneous • Abstracts and Presentations for Scientific Meetings Lisa Young, Public Relations • Other Presentations Consultant, at lyoung@disl. • Workshops, Meetings Attended or Organized org. • Public Outreach and Other Service • Offices, Boards, Panels, Consulting Cover Photos: (Top) DHP students • Grants in Force aboard the Alabama Discovery. • Research Projects Abroad (Bottom left) Ph.D. student Kristen • Media Dahl displays one day’s haul of Board of Directors/Executive Committee/ lionfish gathered near Pensacola. Program Committee........................................................50-51 (Bottom right) Dr. Ken Heck prepares to dive. Federal Awards/Grants...................................................52-53 Balance Sheet.....................................................................54 DISL Educational Impact in Alabama, by County.............................................................55 Annual Report 2014 - page 3 2014 Letter from the Executive Director 2014 was a bittersweet, yet transformational Mobile County Public School System’s Coastal year for all of us here on the campus of the Academy located at Alma Bryant High School. Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL). 2014 was This new collaboration with the local school the year we began the development of a system will further enrich the experiences campus-wide strategic plan. We launched a provided for students, both educationally and number of original initiatives that will allow our occupationally, in our coastal area. programs to grow in new, exciting directions while continuing to maintain very high levels The data in this report also show that the of scholarship in our historically successful University Programs faculty was similarly education and research programs. This was productive in 2014. Demand for our the year we broke ground on the new Marine consortium’s statewide undergraduate marine Mammal Research Center, and the annex curriculum continues to remain high. Our to the publicly acclaimed Estuarium. This faculty delivered nearly 1200 credit hours was also the year we acquired a $2,000,000 of undergraduate coursework to students bond to begin to restore aging facilities on our from 15 of our 22-member institutions, and campus. Sadly though, this was also the year their research efforts were supported by we said goodbye to several close colleagues some $3,000,000 in extramural spending and friends. generated by just 15 resident faculty. Of note, is the additional $11,000,000 dollars in grants In reading the details in this report, you will see and contracts awarded to DISL faculty and that The Discovery Hall Program (DHP) had the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program another outstanding year. The DHP enrollment (MBNEP), now branded as a division of numbers for 2014 show that our educators the DISL, in the last quarter of 2014. These continue to nurture important relationships numbers strongly suggest that the research with school systems and educators throughout and community engagement programs are the state. DHP hosted over 10,000 students growing aggressively. Importantly, faculties and parents on the DISL campus this past from our member institutions are also engaged year. Moreover, teacher participation in DHP collaboratively in a number of these studies. In science workshops show that our state’s terms of scholarship, our faculty and students educators are very interested in developing published some 70 scientific papers in leading a deeper understanding of marine research journals in our field. Over 90 presentations and the importance of our state’s remarkable were given at national and international natural resources in their everyday lives. This scientific meetings in 2014. This past year year also marked the completion of important the DISL has hosted a number of research modernizations of DHP technology, facilities seminars given by scientists from our MESC- and the addition of a new BayMobile vehicle. member institutions. To maximize this cross- More significantly, with new distance-learning institutional effort, we are also now streaming capabilities, and BayMobile, our educators these seminars live to our member schools, were able to reach students and educators then posting them later to YouTube in the throughout our state who are not able to interest of increasing MESC student and faculty enjoy in person the curricula provided on our interest in our coastal resources. These things campus. DHP also became the sponsor for the all show that the scientists from around the Annual Report 2014 - page 4 remarkable coastal resources to their lives. The Estuarium plays a key role in improving marine literacy, through increased public knowledge of marine processes. Our docents provided some 3,500 hours of service in support of the Estuarium’s efforts. An additional, 58,800 individuals viewed our new website. I am betting this number will double, as the new website is now averaging over 11,000 new monthly visitors each month!! It should be noted that none of these successes would have been possible without the important contributions of our highly professional and committed support staff. They regularly do so much for the campus that it is simply astounding. No one works harder for the good of our programs than the folks in data management, information technology, scheduling and administrative assistance, facilities and maintenance, technical support, Dr. John Valentine, DISL Executive Director finances, cafeteria, and custodial services.