Names in the News

Chanton Photo Professor Jeff Chanton, the John Widmer Winchester Professor of Oceanography, and William T. Cooper, a professor of analytical and environmental chemistry in the department of chemistry and biochemistry, received a grant from the National Science Foundation to study the effects of climate change in Minnesota peatlands.
More on this story.

 
 

Kostka Photo Professor Joel Kostka and his research team will study 'hidden-hero' microbes in soil and water to help clean toxic sites. FSU researchers will be testing a natural method called bioremediation-the stimulation of naturally occurring microbes that Kostka calls "hidden heroes"-to promote bacterial growth in the soil subsurface that scrubs it of potentially deadly radioactive metal. More on this story.

 
 

Physical and biological professors from the FSU Dept. of Oceanography led by Professor William Dewar have completed a groundbreaking study calculating the amount of power generated by phytoplankton, microscopic plants that form the vast foundation of the marine food chain. The amount is a staggering five times the annual total power consumption of the human world.

Findings from the FSU-led study ("Does the marine biosphere mix the ocean?") appear in the Journal of Marine Research.

In addition to Dewar, FSU co-authors include Professor Richard Iverson, an expert in the physiology and ecology of marine phytoplankton; Assistant Professor Louis St. Laurent, whose extensive research focuses on tides, waves and turbulent mixing; and Assistant Professor Douglas Nowacek, an expert on the link between acoustic and motor behavior and ecological processes in marine mammals.

View full press release.
October 2006

 
 

Dittmar Photo Thorsten Dittmar, Assistant Professor, reports that mangroves, the backbone of the tropical ocean coastlines, are far more important to the global ocean's biosphere than previously thought. And while the foul-smelling muddy forests may not have the scientific allure of tropical reefs or rain forests, Dittmar and his colleagues at several German research institutions have noted that the woody coastline-dwelling plants provide more than 10 percent of essential dissolved organic carbon that is supplied to the global ocean from land, according to a report published in Global Biogeochemical Cycles. Dittmar's research was featured in several webnews articles, Mangroves Importance and Decline Studied. February 21, 2006

 
 

Dewar Photo William Dewar, the Pierre Welander Professor of Oceanography, was appointed chair of the Department of Oceanography by Interim Dean of the FSU College of Arts and Sciences, Joseph Travis. August 2005

 
 

Marcus Photo Dr. Nancy Marcus, Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Oceanography, has been named dean of Graduate Studies by FSU Provost and Executive Vice President Lawrence G. Abele.
As dean of Graduate Studies, Marcus will oversee the university's policies and procedures relating to more than 200 graduate programs, including 73 doctoral programs. She will also coordinate the university fellowship program and minority graduate fellowship program.
"I am very excited to have the opportunity to serve FSU as an advocate for graduate education," she said. "Graduate students are critical to the intellectual vigor of the university. I look forward to working with the administration, faculty, staff, and students to ensure that we provide the best possible educational experience for our graduate students." August 2005

 
 

Nowacek Photo Dr. Douglas Nowacek, and a group of fellow scientists from across the nation warn that the North Atlantic right whale's future looks grim if the current mortality rates continue. Their paper, North Atlantic Right Whales in Crisis is featured in the July 22, 2005 edition of the journal Science.

 
 

Chanton Photo Dr. Jeff Chanton, is the Florida Wildlife Federation's "Conservation Communicator of the Year" for 2005. He was honored for his advocacy of Florida's natural environment in both academia and the public. According to FWF, Chanton is very involved in local citizens groups' efforts to promote environmental education and energy conservation which has helped produce more committed conservationists to ensure a healthy Florida for the future.

 
 

Chanton Photo Dr. Jeff Chanton, collaborating with the Leon County Public Works Department and Tarek Abichou from the FAMU/FSU College of Engineering, received one of seven Florida Department of Environmental Protection grants for 2005-06 earmarked to support recycling and waste reduction. The group will be constructing a biofilter at the Leon County landfill created from tire waste, glass shards, and yard waste which is designed to sequester sulfur gases and methane emanating from the landfill thereby reducing the smell and the green house gas emissions.

 
 

Chanton Photo Dr. Jeff Chanton has been chosen as one of 20 recipients of the Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellowship. The Fellowship will provide him with intensive communications and leadership training to help him communicate scientific information effectively to non-scientific audiences, especially policy makers, the media, business leaders and the public.

 
 

Gihring Photo
Peterson Photo Tom Gihring and Ricky Peterson, graduate students with the Department of Oceanography, each received a three-year NOAA Fellowship. Their upcoming projects will focus on the health of the Apalachicola Bay.

 
 

O'Brien Photo Dr. James O'Brien has been invited to be the guest lecturer at this year's Physical Oceanography Dissertation Symposium (PODS). The symposium will be held May 1-7, 2005 in Waikoloa, Hawaii and is designed to bring together new PhDs and doctoral candidates soon to receive their degrees in physical oceanography for the purpose of scientific discussion and the forging of future professional relationships. Dr. O'Brien was chosen because of his strong influence in the field of physical oceanography as well as his keen commitment to the education of graduate students.

 
 

Sandal Photo Cathrine Sandal is the first recipient of the Jim and Sheila O'Brien Graduate Fellowship. The Jim and Sheila O'Brien Graduate Fellowship supports PhD candidates at FSU who have submitted a PhD prospectus to either the Oceanography or Meteorology Department in the College of Arts and Sciences. The Fellowship is a supplementary stipend for students in the area of air sea interaction and physical oceanography. Cathrine is Dr. Doron Nof's student.

 
 

Nof Photo Dr. Doron Nof was awarded the 2005 "Nansen Medal" by the European Geosciences Union (EGU), the only oceanographic award of the EGU.

 
 

coral photo Cheryl Miller, Dr. Nancy Marcus' graduate student, has been working on a coral reef project along with Brian LaPointe from the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute. The project was mentioned in two newspaper articles, one on Monday, December 27, 2004 in the Boca Raton News and the other on Tuesday, December 28, 2004 in the Miami Herald. The Weather Channel also plans to run a story discussing their research using their video footage.