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Welcome
to the latest Corning
School of Ocean Studies newsletter. Thanks for your interest in
us, and our two majors:
Marine Biology and
Marine Science. To returning readers, welcome back! To new
readers, we hope you share our passion for the marine environment
and will enjoy learning about our programs.
Each fall I ask the entering class of
students what brings them here. The answers are diverse, but a
common theme always emerges: they share a fascination for the sea
and its creatures, and they want the first-hand, hands-on learning
about the ocean world that our programs provide.
Some have careers in mind. One new
marine biology major, for example, envisions traveling the world
researching how
sharks use electrical signals to locate prey. Another sees
herself protecting marine organisms through a career in
marine policy. A marine science major plans to combine his
interests in ocean exploration and marine archaeology. All are real
possibilities!
Others arrive not knowing where
college will lead. They remind me of myself at that stage... science
was just so interesting I knew an exciting, though unknown,
career lay ahead. That came true, and I wouldn't have traded a
minute of my journey for a different path!
Whatever your interests and aspirations,
consider how you might make a difference through science.
You could help
discover new species, chart
unknown seafloor, extract promising
drugs from marine
bacteria,
track
marine migrations or the movement of huge, deep currents... the
possibilities are endless!
Opportunities exist for you at
every level, as a summer intern, college graduate, or a PhD
scientist!
I invite you to learn more about marine
biology and marine science at
Maine Maritime.
Write
or call me (1-800-464-6565 in state; 1-800-227-8465 out of state) anytime
for information about our programs.
Have a great fall!
Ann Cleveland, PhD
Marine Biologist and Chair of the Corning
School
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In This
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The Corning School's
newest waterfront facility
–
a "wet lab" –
is nearing completion. It will feature salt water aquaria,
"sea tables", and other amenities intended for the study of live
organisms. To get it just right, Corning School faculty visited
other marine laboratories and worked with an architect for a design that
reflects teaching and research priorities. "Students, especially
those doing senior research projects, require access to salt water
aquaria that can be configured in many different ways," says
Dr. Alan Verde,
Assistant Professor of Marine Biology. "With its modular design, this lab will
meet these needs for many years to come." |
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The new wet lab (left) is a commitment
to active learning. Seawater, piped directly to the facility from
nearby intakes, will enter aquaria from above. The aquaria (not shown)
will sit on fiberglass sea tables. |
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The wet lab will be used for both
classes and student projects. Most Corning School courses have labs,
which can use the facility to maintain organisms for study. The wet
lab is also likely to see heavy use by students, as suggested by the
wide variety of ecological, physiological, and behavioral research
currently underway.
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If it's fall, it must be project
time... look around campus and you will see signs in all our labs,
from the ecology lab, to the chem lab, to the research vessel
Friendship out on nearby Penobscot Bay. Each marine biology and
marine science senior does a research project. This year's topics
range from marine toxicology to beach processes. Students will
report on their findings in December (stay tuned!) but here's a
preview:
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You may recall From our
last
newsletter that Wes Gapp, Marine Science 2007, is
comparing fossil foraminifera (a type of marine protozoa) in
local geological strata to species present in Penobscot Bay.
Here (left) Wes uses an electron microscope (at Hamilton
College, this summer) to reveal details of a tiny fossil
foraminiferan shell (right). |
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Several projects have lots
of field work. At right, Rex Lebeau, Marine Science
2007, obtains water from her study site. Rex's project
investigates relationships between tide, river discharge, and
suspended sediments in the Penobscot River. Rex's six cruises
involved planning the science and operating equipment. At far
right, Rex examines data she has just collected with a
conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) profiler before deciding
on which water depths to sample. |
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Image left and above
courtesty of Jennifer Rider, Marine Biology 2009 |
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Sometimes you have to build 'em,
sometimes you have to watch 'em... senior projects require many
skills! Nicole McKenna, Marine Biology 2007 (left),
builds submersible stirrers for her study of sea star
metabolism. Meanwhile Katie Carnevale, Marine Biology
2007 (right), checks in on her collection of green crabs to
prepare for investigations of their physiology. |
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Nothing beats a campus visit to learn about a college!
Come to Maine Maritime to learn
about us, tour our facilities
and experience what makes Maine
Maritime special. Meet
students, faculty, and coaches.
Learn about financial aid,
athletics, majors and minors,
the application process, and
more.
Sign up for an
Open House this fall or
spring:
Oct. 21 and Dec. 9 2006, and
Mar. 31, 2007
Or arrange a custom
tour at your convenience!
Call
(1-800 464-6565 in Maine; 1-800
227-8465 out of state)
or
contact Admissions
for more info.
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| Corning School
courses often require work outside of class -- and that includes on
the water! |
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First-year students in
Professor
Boucher's Intro to Marine Science course already
have first-hand knowledge of local waters. Just a
month into the semester they had found positions
at sea from magnetic bearings, cored seafloor
sediments, and deployed a CTD profiler to study water
temperature and salinity. Later they will put these
and other skills together on a class cruise to
characterize the Penobscot River estuary. |
Students at work on an OS101 cruise. |
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What makes this possible?
Our students' "can do" attitude, a large array of professional
equipment and facilities, and faculty interest in learning beyond
the classroom.
What makes this different?
Classrooms so close to the shore, some with running seawater
and aquaria, just aren't available at most colleges.
Will you be involved? Absolutely! From fun
introductory labs on the water in your first classes, to
challenging, advanced projects in your upper level courses, you
will be involved! |
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Not all
water adventures are work! Many Corning School students
participate in sailing and other extracurricular activities.
Marine science faculty and students enjoyed an afternoon "fun"
sail on the historic
Schooner
Bowdoin this September.
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Marine
Science students on board the S/V Bowdoin. Maine
Maritime owns and operates the historic schooner which
is used in several college programs. Opportunities
to maintain and sail this vessel are available to
students in all majors. |
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You may have
heard that college professors prefer research to teaching. Not so at
Maine Maritime! While all Corning School professors maintain
expertise through active research, they also care deeply about
teaching. This is evident not only in their collaborative research
with students, but also in their publications.
Professors Lauren Sahl
and Joceline Boucher's
most recent publication, for example, is about education. Their
article "Hands-On
Oceanography, An Introduction to Finding Context" appears in the
September issue of the journal Oceanography. The paper
explores ways to teach oceanography by using online data to support
in-lab measurements. They developed this approach in Maine Maritime
classes!
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Normally, we feature
interviews with Corning
School graduates in this spot. This time, we call your attention
to several excellent career sites:
Our thoughts
to prepare for a rewarding career in marine science or marine
biology? Tomorrow's careers require you to be well rounded -- you
will need an education that builds a strong foundation in science,
communication (writing and presentations), technology (computers and
instrumentation) and math. Maine Maritime's unique blend of
classroom and hands-on learning will engage you immediately and help
you build that foundation.
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For more on Marine
Science and Marine Biology at Maine Maritime, visit our
departmental website. For
more on Maine Maritime, visit our
campus website.For information
about items reported in this newsletter, contact the Corning School's
Professor Joceline Boucher.
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