www.hboi.fau.edu

Bulletin April 2010

Construction...…………...….......p. 1- 3New Collaborations…………....….p. 4Fish Farming…………………….…...p. 5The Medusa Lander..………….…..p. 6Welcome President Saunders…...p. 7Cooperative Institute………..........p. 8Battle of Smarts………………....….p. 9Wachovia Makes Donation........p. 10HBOIF Board……………..…….…..p. 11Thank you, John Byrne……...…...p. 11

in this issue

Poised for Growth; $44 million expansion underway

Every gardener knows the value of pruningto promote healthy growth, but nobodycould have predicted how two hurricaneswould eventually bring new life to HarborBranch. The 2004 storms, which made land-fall less than 30 miles away, dealt a sternblow to the aging campus. Damages faroutstripped insurance remunerations, andbuildings that couldn’t be repaired had tobe abandoned.

The turning point would come in 2007 when,after nearly a decade of active partnership,Harbor Branch and Florida Atlantic Universityagreed to become one. The Florida statelegislature blessed the agreement with $44.6million in campus renovation funding, andtoday the work – which includes removal ofthe abandoned structures, renovation ofother buildings, and new construction – is inhigh gear.

Similarly, the University and its “new” marinescience center are intently focused on com-pleting the integration process. The endresult will be nothing short of a campus andan organization reborn.

This new construction will add 40,000 sq. ft of laboratory and office space as part of FAU's investment inresearch at Harbor Branch. (image courtesy of PGAL)

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The plaza, with its views down the Link Port canal,and located between the Edwin A. Link buildingand the new laboratory building will become thecenter of a renovated Harbor Branch.

Already underway, the renovation of the Edwin A. Link building will feature changes such as a new entrance onthe west side of the building and a new cafe space. Once renovated, the Link Building will once again houseHarbor Branch’s library. (images courtesy of Song + Associates)

The renovated entrance toHarbor Branch will be wider andwill promote better traffic flow forvehicles entering and leavingHarbor Branch (image courtesyof Song + Associates).

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Another perspective of the Link Building which will feature a new entrance on the west side of thebuilding and a significantly remodeled exterior.

Architects rendering ofthe plaza between thetwo buildings incorpo-rates wave pattern foundin the institute’s logo.

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Just as a renewed Harbor Branch-FAU campus is startingto take shape, the profile of Harbor Branch as a researchinstitute of Florida Atlantic University is beginning toemerge. The change largely is a logical evolutionbecause the institutions have been working together formore than 10 years. Newer and increasingly apparent toboth, however, is an air of opportunity as vast as theoceans.

The best pairings tend to be those where the partnershipis fueled by each party’s individual strengths. In thisinstance the primary strengths are education andocean science and technology research. Although FAU

has earned an excellent reputation in areas of oceanresearch, the merger means that it now has a world-class ocean science program and an expanded oceantechnology program. And while Harbor Branch has hadstrong educational offerings over the years, the influx ofnew talent – FAU students and postdoctoral investiga-tors – will revolutionize its research and education.

“Our faculty is very enthused,” says Gary Perry, Ph.D.,Dean of the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science(CESCS). “We all see Harbor Branch as a terrific resourceto help develop our programs, and people are ready toget down to the nitty gritty of making this happen.”

Educational collaboration kicks into gear this summerwhen as many as five postdoctoral investigators will joinHarbor Branch-FAU, with each being supervised andmentored by Harbor Branch faculty and co-mentored byFAU faculty. The 13 potential research topics for the two-year positions, which are supported by specialty licenseplate revenue, indicate a broad range of opportunity.

At the program level, there are a number of areaswhere the combination of intellectual talents, alreadyunderway in many instances, is sure to produce morethan a simple sum. Harbor Branch-FAU has a continuingengagement with FAU’s Center for Ocean Energy andTechnology, and deeper collaboration among therespective engineering programs will lead to new think-ing and stronger solutions.

"We have a long history of collaboration with HarborBranch," says Karl Stevens, Ph.D., Dean of the College ofEngineering and Computer Science, "and now our facultymembers are very excited about enhanced researchopportunities in areas such as energy, acoustics, offshorestructures, imaging, sensors, and ecosystems."

Similarly, Harbor Branch-FAU’s Marine Biomedical &Biotechnology programs will build upon relationshipswith the Departments of Biological Sciences andChemistry, and develop collaborations with the emerg-ing biotechnology cluster on FAU’s Jupiter campus.

“FAU already had a strong ocean engineering programbut less in terms of ocean science,” said John Wiesenfeld,Ph.D., former CESCS Dean and Chair of the HarborBranch Advisory Committee. “The merger gave FAU anopportunity to launch into ocean science in a big way.”

Harbor Branch plus FAU: Greater than the Sum

Above: New banners at Harbor Branch entrance

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Although nature has struggled to absorb theimpacts that human appetites and lifestyles havehad on marine life, efforts are underway at HarborBranch to turn the tide. Two separate partnershipsbetween Harbor Branch-FAU Aquaculture (led byPaul Wills), the US Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Services (USDA-ARS), and theFlorida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission(FWC) have been working to develop and refinemethods for fish farming toward goals that includesatisfying the mounting demand for seafood,improving the commercial viability of aquaculture,and replenishing the supplies of Florida’s mostpopular gamefish.

With the world’s population growing and wild har-vest of seafood stuck at 1980s levels, the need forsustainable fish farming is clear. The Harbor Branch-FAU partnership with USDA-ARS began in 2001 as ameans of developing aquaculture technology andtransferring it to industry for commercial applica-tion. By designing and refining methods of farmingsaltwater fish at inland locations, the program aimsto aid the US agricultural sector by eliminating theneed for aquaculture operations to locate onincreasingly scarce coastal lands, and helping torealize the trade and food biosecurity benefits of astrong domestic aquaculture industry.

Among the many successes of the USDA-ARSprogram are the development of spawning tech-niques for Florida pompano, numerous advancesin feeding and water recirculation techniques, andgrowout of Florida pompano and cobia to marketsize in large-scale production systems.

The FWC collaboration began in 2006 and has beenworking on the Florida Marine FisheriesEnhancement Initiative, a plan to create a networkof marine enhancement eco-centers at locationsstatewide (including Harbor Branch-FAU) to supportthe $9.4 billion Florida sport fishing industry byproducing red drum, snook, and spotted sea trout.To date the program has demonstrated that reddrum can be grown from eggs to market size inwater reuse or recirculating systems, and, in collab-oration with USDA-ARS scientists, has engineered aprototype recirculating system with special attentionpaid to optimizing production and cost efficiencies.

The two partnerships also have served to fostercollaboration between Harbor Branch-FAUAquaculture and other organizations includingMote Marine Laboratory and the University ofFlorida Institute of Food and Agricultural Studies,leading to shared knowledge and better solutions.When it comes to preserving marine life, the morehumans working on the side of nature, the better.

Aquaculture Collaborations Spawn Knowledge

Cobia is a fast-growing species that adaptsreadily to aquaculture conditions.

Redfish, a popular sportfish in Florida, can beraised for stock enhancement Florida Pompano, a tasty saltwater fish, can be

grown in tanks in near fresh-water

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Who in life hasn’t wanted to be an invisible observer atone time or another? This idea is the concept behind anew type of autonomous lander designed and built byHarbor Branch-FAU engineers to capture images ofdeep sea life that would tend to avoid the noise andlights of submersibles. Successful sea trials wereconducted in early March with a prototype in theFlorida Keys in preparation for eventual deployment oftwo units off the coast of Australia or New Zealand.

Although the concept is not new – project managerLee Frey was the lead engineer on the Eye in the Seaproject that first put an autonomous lander on theocean floor to shoot video in the dark – this configu-ration, called Medusa, is. University of Queensland’sJustin Marshal, Ph.D., was interested in a lower-cost,modular system that could be deployed without anunderwater vehicle and function in the midwater aswell as on the bottom. Harbor Branch, founded oninnovation, delivered.

The Medusa lander is designed to be deployed on theseafloor as deep as 2,000 meters or, after removing thelegs and adding a length of line to the drop weight anda fin for stability, higher in the water column. Each unitis equipped with an ultra low-light video camera, waterand light sensors, and far-red LED lighting that cannotbe seen by many creatures. Modular sensor andbattery housing design will allow researchers to experi-ment with different types of equipment.

Medusa can function continuously at full power forapproximately 72 hours per set of battery packs.Retrieving the unit is accomplished via an acousticsignal sent from the surface that causes the lander tojettison its drop weight and ascend. On the surface,its yellow syntactic foam flotation and strobe lightmake it easy to spot. Additionally, a transponder onthe unit relays acoustic position information.

Developed to study the biodiversity and behavior oforganisms in the deep sea, Medusa will be deployedon filming missions to the seafloor or open ocean forseveral days, potentially capturing footage of never-before-seen marine life. Imagine what you might seeif you were invisible.

New Landers Destined for Down Under

From left to right: Harbor Branch ocean engineer-ing team, Lee Frey and Andy Sherrell get readyto show University of Queensland's Adrian Flynn,Ph.D. what Medusa can do.

Medusa is an underwater camera system that can floatin the water column or sit on the ocean floor to getvideo of organisms that will not approach noisy under-water vehicles.

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Foundation, director of University ofSouth Florida’s Institute forBiomolecular Science, and assistantprofessor in the Louisiana StateUniversity Botany Department. Shedid her postdoctoral work in botanyat the University of Georgia.

In her introductory letter to the FAUcommunity, Saunders writes ofworking “to build a new prototypefor the university of the 21st centu-ry, one that is characterized moreby innovation than tradition,” andthat she “can think of no moreworthy goal for a university to pur-sue than to become a center ofcutting-edge scientific discovery.FAU is clearly on that path, andcontinued emphasis on develop-ment of the University’s researchcapabilities will be a strong focusof [her] presidency.” HBOI-FAUlooks forward to working with Dr.Saunders to realize FAU’s consider-able potential.

What started with 43 candidatesfrom four countries came down toa scientist with strong administra-tive credentials and a stated ded-ication to research and innova-tion: Cleveland State Universityprovost Mary Jane Saunders, Ph.D.,soon to become Florida AtlanticUniversity’s sixth president. She wasselected from three finalists onMarch 3 by popular vote of the 13-member FAU Board of Trustees.

Before becoming provost,Saunders was the founding deanof the CSU College of Science,which comprises the Biology,Geology, Environmental Sciences,Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics,Psychology, and Health SciencesDepartments. She also had beendirector of the university’sBiomedical and Health Institute.Saunders previously was a deputydivision director and programofficer at th e National Science

Dr. Mary Jane Saunders, soonto become Florida AtlanticUniversity’s sixth president.

Harbor Branch Welcomes New FAU President

The Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution Foundation, recently hon-ored John Byrne, Ph.D., for over 35 years of volunteer service to variousboards and committees at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute.Byrne is the retired president of Oregon State University and pastAdministrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Dr. John Byrne honored for 35 years of Service!

John Byrne, Ph.D., long time supporter and Harbor Branch board member accepts a memento of his servicefrom HBOIF chairman, Jim Seitz.

Ocean Science Lecture Series continues through the Summer:

• Wednesday, May 5, at 7 p.m. - Semester By The Sea: Training the Next Generation• Wednesday, June 23, at 7 p.m. - Trials and Tribulations of Collecting Algae in Panama,

Mark and Diane Littler, Smithsonian Institution P. 7

Last year, Harbor Branch and University of NorthCarolina Wilmington were awarded a NationalOceanic and Atmospheric Administration grant toestablish a cooperative research and educationinstitute (CI) based at Harbor Branch. This year, HarborBranch scientists and engineers are pursuing theresearch objectives that helped garner the prize.Projects include:

• Deep coral sense – John Reed was part of a teamthat deployed a prototype lander to collect some ofthe first detailed data on deep (1200-2400 feet) coralmounds off Florida’s east coast.

• Where plankton and corals meet – Tammy Frankand colleagues will study plankton biodiversity andfactors affecting this primary food source as a meansof characterizing relationships between coral andmid-water ecosystems.

• Coral reefs in the twilight zone – Reefs between thelowest depth most divers can reach (90-120 feet) andwhere light no longer enables photosynthesis (>450feet) are the target of a team that includes Reed,Joshua Voss, and Sara Edge. The first year involvesextensive mapping and molecular-basedanalysis of these vulnerable ecosystems.

• Finding new drugs – Amy Wright and herco-investigator will be analyzing thebiodiversity in habitats explored by CI insearch of new treatments for a variety ofhuman diseases.

• Research technology development – Vossand Dennis Hanisak are part of a teamdeveloping and deploying new technolo-gies to study ocean acidification and itsimplications.

• Students at sea – Hanisak, Frank, andcolleagues are providing students ocean-going experiences in exploration of theeastern seaboard.

Although as much as $22.5 million in fundingover a five-year period is associated with theassignment, the fact that the CI strengthensHarbor Branch-FAU’s ability to develop otherfunded collaborations with and beyondNOAA may be of more significant benefit.

“NOAA made clear the premium it places on innova-tion for this CI,” said Shirley Pomponi, Ph.D., HBOI-FAUExecutive Director of Science, Technology, andDevelopment, and CI Principal Investigator andExecutive Director. “Our great heritage of innovationhelped us win this opportunity, and we will continue tobuild on that.”

NOAA Cooperative Institute Breeds Collaboration, Innovation, Opportunity

Shirley Pomponi, Ph.D., executive director, leadsthe cooperative institute on land and under water.

The area above shows the principal locations where the cooperativeinstitute is conducting research.

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On March 5th and 6th FAU Harbor BranchOceanographic Institute hosted the east Floridaregional round of the 2010 National OceanScience Bowl (NOSB). NOSB is a high schoolacademic team competition that uses a quiz-bowl format to test students on their knowledgeof marine biology, oceanography, and otheraspects of ocean science.

Fifteen teams representing nine east Floridaschools participated in this year's event.Perennial powerhouse schools such as Miami-Dade's Mast Academy returned this year. Theywere joined by several NOSB newcomers likeBrevard County's Heritage High School. This alsomarks the third year of participation for St. LucieCounty Marine and Oceanographic Academy(MOA) whose students attend class daily at theHarbor Branch site.

Marine and Oceanographic Academy's A Team,coached by Scott McMillen, played the role ofpotential spoilers, advancing to the final round toface another dominant Masters Academy Ateam. In the end, the MAST team, coached byMark Tohulka and Henrike Gröschel-Becke,came out on top, breaking a tied game in thefinal round of the competition with a correctanswer as the buzzer signaled the end of thecompetition.

Next stop for the winning team: St. Petersburg,Florida, and the 2010 NOSB national finals in April.

The NOSB is sponsored by the Consortium forOcean Leadership which is made up of leadingnational oceanographic institutions, universities,and public aquariums. The annual competitionwas launched in 1998 in honor of theInternational Year of the Ocean and has grownto include 25 regional competition locations with300 schools and over 2,000 students participatingeach year.

2nd Place Marine and OceanographicAcademy A: Coach Scott McMillen, SamJones-Bangston, Tommy Yannoupoulous,Josh Hackett, Coral Levy, Zoe Tucker.

4th Place MAST B

3rd Place South Broward A

1st Place MAST A: Michael Ronzetti, Shanique Martin,Maya Becker, Joe Andreoli, Mitchell Rosenstein, and standing in as head coach for Mark Tohulka, is Henny Gröschel.

NOSB 2010: High-Scoring High Schoolers with Water on the Brain?

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Wachovia Wells Fargo Foundation Funds Giant Squid Exhibit at FAU Harbor Branch

At Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor BranchOceanographic Institute, thanks to an educationalgrant from the Wachovia Wells Fargo Foundation, apreserved giant squid specimen will soon find new lifeas an educational display at the Harbor BranchOcean Discovery Center. “The Ocean DiscoveryCenter is a great educational asset for FloridaAtlantic University, and the Wachovia Wells FargoFoundation supports the efforts of Harbor Branch toinform the public about ocean conservation,science, and emerging technologies,” saidWachovia Bank Area President Joe Lembo.

The animal was captured by commercial longlinefishermen one hundred miles offshore from PortCanaveral and was donated to the center. Thespecimen measures approximately 10 feet. Missingfrom the specimen, however, are the two longpredatory tentacles that would have likely put theliving animal at just over 20 feet total length. Thedelicate tentacles were separated from the rest ofthe animal during capture.

The grant from The Wachovia Wells Fargo Foundationwill help pay for a specimen case and interpretivedisplay. “Fewer than 600 giant squid encountershave been reported,” said Jim Masterson, Ph.D.,director of the Ocean Discovery Center. “They havebeen found in fishing nets, washed up on beaches, orin the stomachs of sperm whales. A small number ofanimals have been preserved, and still fewer are onpublic display. Little is known about these animals,and our exhibit will raise awareness that thesespectacular animals are out there.”

“The addition of this exhibit represents a majorenhancement to the center's offerings and will givevisitors a chance to see an animal that few people getto encounter. We are grateful to the Foundation forsupporting the Ocean Discovery Center,” saidMasterson.

Serving as a public gateway to Harbor Branch, thecenter houses interactive exhibits, live animal displays,a video theater, and other displays exploring themarine environment and depicting Harbor Branchresearch. Exhibit content is developed in close coordi-nation with Harbor Branch scientists by award-winningeducators and media specialists.

The Harbor Branch Ocean Discovery Center, USHighway 1, between Ft. Pierce and Vero Beach, isopen to the public at no charge from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.Monday through Friday, and Saturday 10 a.m. to 3p.m. Displays are continually evolving to showcasethe ongoing research and conservation efforts ofHarbor Branch and to give visitors a close-up look atthe emerging technologies used by the marineresearch community.

From left to right: KarlSteene, Harbor BranchOceanographicInstitution Foundation;Kimberly Mullins,Wachovia Bank vicepresident/relationshipsmanager; Jim Masterson,Ph.D., director of theHarbor Branch OceanDiscovery Center; andJoe Lembo, WachoviaBank Area President

A dead squid specimen. Very few intact and preservedspecimens of giant squids exist, and few, if any, picturesexist of live, giant squids in their environment.

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www.hboi.fau.edu

Harbor Branch Oceanographic InstitutionFoundation, Inc. Elects Members

Four new members were elected to the HarborBranch Oceanographic Institution Foundation, Inc.Board of Directors at the annual fall meeting onOctober 29, according to chairman Jim Seitz. Electedto two-year terms were William Barrows, PamHoughten, and Karl Steene, all of Vero Beach, andMichael Minton of Ft. Pierce.

As a direct support organization for Harbor Branch-FAU, the Foundation exists to garner private supportfor the Institute’s mission and programs.

William Barrows is a retired executive from FusiteCorporation International Operations and has beenassociated with Harbor Branch for many years,including as a long-time member of the Friends ofHarbor Branch. Locally he has served as president ofthe Anchor Property Owners’ Association, and is amember of the Moorings Club and a supporter of theEnvironmental Learning Center. Barrows is a graduateof the University of Cincinnati.

Pam Houghten is the Director of Education& Community Outreach for Torrey PinesInstitute for Molecular Studies in Port St.Lucie. She also is the president of the St.Lucie County Education Foundation and ison the Workforce Solutions and St. LucieCounty Chamber of Commerce Boards ofDirectors. Houghten is a graduate of Mira

Costa College, University of Texas at Tyler, and TylerJunior College.

Karl Steene is past director ofcommunity relations for RBC Bank andhas worked for Riverside Bank,Provident Bank, Coral Gables Federal,Citibank, and First Union. He currently ispresident of the Rotary Club of VeroBeach Oceanside. Past honors include

2007 Cultural Council of Vero BeachPhilanthropist of the Year, 2008-09 District 6930 Rotarianof the Year, and Assistant District Rotary Governor.Steene is a graduate of Florida Atlantic University.

Michael Minton is president of thecommercial law firm Dean, Mead,Minton & Zwemer. He is the past vicechairman of the Governing Board forthe South Florida Water ManagementDistrict. He was awarded Special Meritby the Florida Bar Tax Section 2009and has received Outstanding Tax

Attorney citations from Florida Trendmagazine’s Legal Elite, Chambers USA: America’sLeading Lawyers for Business, Best Lawyers in America,and Florida Super Lawyers magazine. He is a graduateof University of Florida and the UF College of Law.

Standing: William J. Stewart, Michael Minton, John McConnell, Chairman James, L.Seitz, Chairman, Karl Steene, John Byrne. Sitting: Pam Houghten, Sherry Plymale,Marilyn Link. (also on the Board, but not pictured here: John B. Dodge, C. AmosBussmann, Joseph Duke, William Barrows.

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5600 US1 NorthFort Pierce, FL 34946

Florida Atlantic University, a member of Florida's StateUniversity System, was established by legislative act in 1961. Inaddition to its original 850-acre campus in Boca Raton, FAUhas campuses in Fort Lauderdale, Davie, Dania Beach, Jupiter,Port St. Lucie and Fort Pierce. Fully accredited by the SouthernAssociation of Colleges and Schools, FAU is currently serving28,000 regularly enrolled, degree-seeking students through its10 colleges.

FAU’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute is dedicated toexploring the world’s oceans—integrating the science andtechnology of the sea with the needs of humankind. HarborBranch is involved in research and education in the marinesciences; biological, chemical, and environmental sciences;marine biomedical sciences; marine mammal conservation;aquaculture; and ocean engineering.

Mark your calendars for National Estuaries Day 2010 – September 25th.

Free public event at Harbor Branch!Gift Shop and "Friends of Harbor Branch" program office located on site.

Hours: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m..Phone: 772-465-2400, ext. 293.

Group tours please call ext. 417 for scheduling.

Harbor Branch specialty license plates support research, conservation and education.

Visit the Harbor Branch Ocean Discovery Center!

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