 | Graduate students Michael Studivan and Courtney Klepac were each recently awarded $12,500 President's Challenge Scholarships from FAU. These scholarships will provide tuition funding as well as support for Michael's research in mesophotic coral reefs and Courtney's investigations on the St. Lucie Reef. Congratulations Michael and Courtney! |
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Dr. Voss recently gave a talk at the Specialty License Plate Research Symposium at Harbor Branch. His presentation (see video below) focused on the St. Lucie Reef project, which is funded in part by a grant from the Florida's Save Our Seas plate.
Today marks the start of the 2013 Coral Ecosystem Connectivity Cruise that will
explore diverse and unique coral reef habitats in Pulley Ridge and the Dry Tortugas. Teams aboard the R/V Walton Smith will use ROVs, fish traps, and plankton tows to characterize the benthic, fish, and larval communities on these mesophotic reefs. Aboard the M/V Spree, technical dive teams will collect coral samples that our lab will analyze to assess coral health and connectivity. The project is focused on investigating the role that the relatively healthy mesophotic reefs of Pulley Ridge may play in replenishing key species, such as corals, grouper, and snapper, and other organisms in the downstream reefs of the Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas. Because of the well-documented decline of Florida’s reefs, it is important to identify, protect, and manage sources of larval reef species that can help sustain Florida’s reef ecosystems. From August 13-29, follow the cruise HERE to see mission logs, photos, and videos posted through the expedition.
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