The Lazarette Gazette NEWS FROM - The University of Texas at Austin MARINE SCIENCE INSTITUTE Port Aransas, Texas 78373-5015 ·(361-749-6760 -fax 361-749-6777) (internet: thompson@utmsi.utexas.edu) Vol. 8, Issue 1, 26 February 1999 In ·this issue of Lazarette Gazette Wayne Gardner: Welcome Jay Brandes . ~ .............................. cover Lee Fuiman: Antarctica Sealcam ................·. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Hans Henrik Jacobsen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 June 25 -Retirement Party & Informal Mini-Reunion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 ·Regular sections: ·· director's report-p. 1, seminars -p. 4, attaboys -p. 5, c~ise reports & boat operations -p. 5, egabrag woes -p. 7, ·msi on the www -p. 9, personnel -p. 10 We are pleased to welcome Dr. Jay Brandes as a new faculty member to the Department ofMarine Science and as a Research Scientist at the Marine Science Institute. Jay spenthis early years in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and then moved with his family to northern California. He completed his B.S. degree at California State University, Humboldt, and ~.--r.:~~ . then attended the University ofWashington for graduate workin Chemical Oceanography ~i; under the supervision ofProfessor Allan Deval. His main research specialty is the global ~~· nitrogen cycle with emphasis on using natural abundance of stable isotopes of nitrogen to develop nitrogen budgets for the global oceans. Jayreceived his Ph.D~ from the University ofWashingtonin 1996 and then was accepted.as a Post-doctoral fellow to study at Carnegie Institute under the supervision of Dr. Marilyn Fogel, who received her doctoral degree from The University of Texas under Professor Pat Parker at UTMSI. Jay's goals include establishing a new stable isotope biogeochemistry program at UTMSI (a research area pioneered by Dr. Parker and his students in the 1970's and 80's) andto continue his studies on the origin oflife within hydrothermal systems. Jay and his wife, Mary Lou, have purchased a house in the Moorings and moved there with their young son, Ulysses, in December 1998. We wish them well in Port Aransas! We are looking forward to our next Marine Science Advisory (MSAC) Committee meeting on March 26-27.Our MSAC members have continued to be most generous to our Institute and Department. In addition tocontributing funds to the Director's Discretionary Fund and to the Visitors Center, several members havecontributed funds for individual Student Fellowships. MSAC memberJoel Levy sponsored a luncheon, aftera tour of UTMSI, for a group of friends from Rockport who were interested in learning more about theInstitute and Program. Some of these visitors have already contributed to our efforts to support our students. Clay Rushing has been leading an active MSAC effort to provide Port Industries of Corpus Christi an opportunity to support UTMSI efforts to study issues related to water quality and livingresources in Texas coastal regions. As part of this effort, Representative Gene Seaman organized anopportunity for four of our faculty members and myself to make a presentation at a Port Industries CEO luncheon on January 5. The feedback was positive and we are planning to sponsor a lunch and tour forPort Industries environmental representatives on March 4. The Beachcomber, our new research airboatthat was purc.hased with MSAC funds under Ed Fleming's leadership, has even surpassed our expectations inbeing a most useful boat for very shallow waters. Although, it has taken longer than we desire, progressis occurring on the Animal Rehabilitation Keep building and we are looking forward to seeing constructioncommence soon.. We extend our heartfelt thanks to all ofthe MSAC members as well as to our alumni andother friends who have contributed to these UTMSI causes. Their/your support is indeed gratifying. -Wayne Gardner Springtime in Antarctica With only two seasons ofexperience working in Antarctica,I'm coming to the conclusion that every season is challenging, but that it is impossible to predict thechallenge. Our three-year research project on the hunting behavior and physiology ofWeddell seals beganin September 1997. Our team ofeight converged on Los Angeles International Airport from Port Aransasand Galveston, Texas and San Diego and Santa Cruz, California. From there, we traveled en·masse to Christchurch, New Zealand, our point ofdeparture for· a place the locals call The Ice, the literati call TerraIncognita, and we know as Antarctica. · After only a couple of days in the strikingly English city ofChristchurch, we were outfitted for our destination, crammed into a military transport plane, and headedfor the sea ice runway of McMurdo Station. We spent our first full week in Antarctica being trained for everything from survival in the snow and on the sea ice to the correct manner to dispose ofeach of18 types of recyclable wastes. For the next three weeks we were based in "town" while we tested potential sites for our field camp. This was when we had our first taste ofAntarctica's infamy, its· treacherous storms of wind and snow, known locally as "herbies:" Thisstorm·lasted for several days and, at one point, reached Condition 3 -white-out in which no one is allowed to leave the building they happen to be in at the time. Itgave our team members pause, ifonly momentarily, to think that we were about tospend the next eight weeks in an isolated camp of cloth-sided structures away fromtown on the vast, exposed expanse ofsea ice between Ross Island and the Continent.. Our project's goal is to learn how Weddell seals find and capture their prey as they swim under tlie frozen sea ice while holding their breath for up to. 70 minutes. We do this by attaching a video camera and a small computer to each seal. The camera is mounted on the seal's head to give.us a "seal's eye view" and the computer records the seal's depth, swimming speed, compass heading, and other parameters. From thisOwe can reconstruct the swimming path ofthe seal and see the environment in front ofthe seal throughouteach dive, something that has not been possible ever before. 2 The biggest challenge of our first year came after about one week at our sea ice camp. A herbie blew in late one evening. The winds rose to sustained speeds of 55-60 mph, with gusts above 70 mph. Tensions rose as we saw the seams of our Korean War vintage Jamesway, a modular canvas building that was our laboratory, spread apart. The roar ofthe storm and the fatigue of a long day heightened our amp.ety as we set about to keep our laboratory from exploding with the next gust. The storm stayed with us for three very _ long and tiring days but we sustained no permanent damage. With a few weeks of perspective, it became clear that this was a valuable experience. We all learned a lot about ourselves and each other during that crisis, and it was good to learn these things so early in our trip. We were well prepared for the next threeday herbie, which arrived about a week later. In 1997, we managed to deploy our instruments on five seals during the first season. Ittook us nearly nine months to analyze more than 130 hours ofunderwater video and data. Our 1998 field season was a mirror image of the previous year; the challenge was of a completely different sort. As before, we arrived in Christchurch and were outfitted for gear, but we were given a few days off before our scheduled flight.When the time came, we crammed into the military transport plane and headed for The Ice. Four hours into the six hour flight, as a few of us were viewing the majesty of Antarctica's glaciers and mountains through the precious few portholes, the load master announced that conditions on the runway at McMurdo station would prevent our landing and that we were returning to Christchurch. So we tried again the next day. Another eight-hour boomerang flight. Now, I realize that soine wealthy tourists might pay a large sum of money for such a sightseeing fly-over ofAntarctica, but let me put this in perspective. On the dayofeach flight, we rise at 3:30 am in order to get to the airport, change into full Antarctic regalia, weigh in,and assemble in the boarding lounge by about 8:00 am. Boarding can take place anytime between 9:00 and 11:00,.which means that.a boomerang flight gets you back to Christchurch some time after dinner... a full day shot. It took us 12 days to get to McMurdo Station this year, that's about 24 hours in the air and no frequent flyer miles! · Once we got to Antarctica, everything went like clockwork. The seals were cooperative and the equipment worked well.. We collected an enormous amount ofdata which we were able to begin analyzing while we were there.. Most surprisingly, the weather was glorious: bright, sunny, calm~ and warm(-20 to +10 F). The one new fellow on the project felt he was cheated; he never got to experience the real fury of Antarctica's weather. The rest of us agreed. Anyone who is inter~sted in our adventure ·and research in Antarctica should look to our web site (www.utmsi.utexas.edu/staff/fuiman/antarctica). Our firs·t technical publi_cation is scheduled to appear in the February 12 issue ofScience, and articles in tlie popular media are listed below (and there was a front page feature story by Dan Parker in the Corpus Christ{Caller Times Monday). . -Lee Fuiman Original press release.by National Science Foundation: http:I Iwww.nsf.gov IodIpaInewsI press I99Ipr997.htm Video and data link provide "Seal's eye view" of the world Television (brief video clips) Thursday, February 11, 1999, 5:45 pm: NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw Thursday, February 11, 1999, 6:27 pm: CNN Headline.News Internet: http://foxnews.com Scientists strap camera to seals to observe their underwater secrets 8:23 am ET (1323 GMT) February 12, 1999 By Amanda Onion Newspapers/Magazines: Sunday, February 14, 1999:. story by Odette Frey for Sonntags Zeitung (Switzerland) 3 • Dr. Alex Buentello, Texas A & M, College Station, Amino acid nutrition in fish, December 10, 1998. • Trina Loomis, Department of Marine Science, The University of Texas, Characterization ofa nuclearestrogen receptor in the testis of Atlantic croaker and effects of estrogen on testicular steroidogenesis, December 11, 1998. • Dr. Timothy W. Lyons, Department of Geological Sciences, University of Missouri -Columbia, Recentadvances in the sulfurI redox chemistry of modern anoxic sedimentary systems: Implications for the evaluation ofpaleoenvironments, January 15, 1999. •Dr. Paul J. Harrison, Department ofEarth and Ocean Sciences, University ofBritiSh Columbia, Is therea connection between dust and fish?: How the NE Pacific food chain responds to gradual vs episodic ironinputs, February 12, 1999. • Dr. Richard A. Jahnke, Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, Marine carbon dynamics: Global ocean/foxes and sea fioor primary production on continental shelves, February 26, 1999. •Where do I begin? First a great-big thank you for your willingness to host the winter meeting. The amount ofplanning and coordination for such an event is tremendous, and I certainly appreciate your good heartedness to provide such a successful endeavor. Likewise, the facilities, organization and activities were first class. I have never had so much fun and learned so much, especially at an "educational" conference. Wow!! My head is still spinning from all the new knowledge. Additionally, your insights made the event . meaningful. Itwas easy to see the unique gift that each plant, animal, etc. brings to the various systems. Be sure to tell the Captain ofthe Katy how much we enjoyed his stories and insights during our excursions to the bay and lighthouse. In addition, a big thank you to Neal for his patience. He never tired of the endless questions, that only a person from a land-locked state could ask. Thank you again for a truly wonderful experience!!! (to Rick Tinnin from C. J~ Vires, Konawa Public Schools, Konawa, Oklahoma -Professional Development Awards Winter Meeting) • I'm a friend of Randy Pritchard and thought I'd cruise the 'net to see if I could firid any information onthe Marine Science Institute and got way more than I had bargained for! Congratulations on one of thefinest web sites I've found. Very well done, easy to use and most informative. By the way, I'm a WinterTexan and your site served me well in finding Randy's proper home address. Maybe I'll run into you nextwinter when we again take up residence in good old Port A! We're looking forward to that with greatanticipation. Thanks for a well done web site. (To Lee Fuiman from Paul Saurer) 4 Cruise #98-726-This was a special one day surveyfor the Artificial Reefprogram of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, specifically to check on a report that oil might be coming out ofone ofthe ship's forming the Liberty Ship site offshore from Port . Aransas. On the 17th of November we departed Port Aransas at 1222 and returned at .::..r·..~·:ljR.=$'!1t'~~~.2015. Douglas Peter of the TPWD was ChiefScientist, accompanied by Tom Yourk, Rik . -~Anuskiewiel, and Jack Irion all ofthe MMS and John Gataes of the USCG. The USCG ~~~--~-~representative was able to obtain oil samples. At the site we also released a turtle. It was calm and the turtle stayed around the boat for a few minutes. Cruise #98-727-RIVLONGHORNs final cruise for 1998 was for the Plasma Sound Source project for the U.S. Navy by Dr. Robert Rogers ofUT Austin's Applied Research Laboratory~ Dr. Rogers was Chief Scientist. Other members ofthe scientific group, all from ARL, were John Copeland, Stephen Lacker, Mike Walifore, Jennifer Hall, Anne Mayoral, and Willie Booker. We departed port at 0800 on December 7 and returned at midnight December 9. We headed out to 50 miles Southeast of Port Aransas, where vie anchored in 50 fathoms ofwater. After we were anchored a cold front blew through with winds of40 mphand 8 to 10· foot seas. The next day conditions improved and we deployed BOB (remote data collectingvehicle that looks like something from Star Wars) and, at first,-tested it with a tether. The tether was removed and deployed once again, but BOB did not follow commands well and headed east. The Zodiac was deployed in 5 to 6 foot seas to hunt for BOB, but no BOB was found. It was a very low profile gadget with 10 hours of battery life for the electric motors that propelled it, and the RIV LONGHORN could not breakaway due to another project that was taking place .at the same time. The otQ.er work found a break in their cable insulation and had other problems with·their experimental instrumentation, resulting in cutting the trip short by two days. Although Dr. Rogers reported in his Research Vessel Cruise Assessment that the trip was only Marginally-Successful we were pleased to note he reported, Crew & Captain Excellent! · Cruise #99-728 -This was our first cruise of 1999, and is an opportunityto note RIVLONGHORN cruises are numbered in sequence, preceded by the year, from her first cniise: 71-1. This cruise was a short channel survey arranged by Dr. Faust Parker, a UTMSI graduate who is now Director of EspeyHustoil & Associates Bioassay Laboratory in Houston. Their work was for the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers. Water and mud was collected at 3 different sites in the main ship channel and at 2 sites North and South ofthe channel. Martin Heaney was ChiefScientist, accompanied by Cody Mikeska. Mr. Heaney "·· reported, good trip. RIV KATY-We have 75 trips already scheduled for the RIV KATY in the next few months. We have made a very important improvement to the RIVKATY which all those students who go to sea aboard her in the future will not see, but will hear, or maybe we should say not hear. They will be able to hear the instructor much more clearly than has been possible in the past; what they will not hear is loud exhaust noise. A typical trip aboard the RIV KATY may have as many as twenty or so students, all striving to hear the instructor on the aft work deck. I worked with engineers from Maxim Mufflers to plan a total replacement of the main engine exhaust system, with larger pipe and the maximum size super quietmuftlers which were available for.her 671 Detroit Diesel. Our UT boat personnel, primarily Captain John Turany and Captain Randy Pritchard, did most ofthe work, including new insulation. I am happy to reportthat the.result has been a really significant reduction ofthe noise level. We now have materials on order for one more step in this project-sound insulation ofthe engine room in order to reduce non-exhaust noise. -Noe Cantu 5 SCHEDULE FOR THE RIV KATY MARCH 01 02 05 05 08 10 11 12 12 13 16 17 17 22 22 23 24 25 25 26 27 27 29 29 30 30 31 APRIL 01 . 05 07 07 08 08 09 09 13 13 15 16 16 17 19 19 20 21 22 · 22 23 MAY 04 04 05 06 06 .07 08 10 11 13 14 17 18 19 20 JUNE 10 17 24 29 JULY 08 21 21 27 0800-1700 MCNEIL HS, AUSTIN 1300-1700 BURBANK HS. SAN ANTONIO 0800-1200 CLEBURNE HS, CLEBURNE 1300-1700 MCALLEN HS, MCALLEN 0800..1100 MCNEIL HS, AUSTIN 1300-1500 BANFF SCHOOL, HOUSTON 0800-1700 UTMSI ELDERHOSTEL 0800-1200 AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE, AUSTIN 1300-1700 TAMUCC, CORPUS CHRISTI 0800-1200 EASTERN HILL HS. FORT WORTH 0800-1200 BRUNDRET MS, PORT ARANSAS .0800-1200 BRUNDRET MS, PORT ARANSAS 1300-1700 BRENHAM HS, BRENHAM 0800-1200. FIRST BAPTIST ACADEMY HS, DALLAS 1300-1700 TAMUCC ·1300-1700 TAMUCC 1300-1700 LA VERNIA MS, LA VERNIA 0800-1200 LBJ HS. JOHNSON CITY 1300-1700 WICHITA HS EAST. WICHITA KS 0800-1200 ZAVALA ELEMENTARY. AUSTIN 0800-1200 UT BIO-SCIENCES 1300-1700 MISSION HS. MISSION 0800-1200 INGRAM T. MOORE HS. INGRAM 1300-1700 TARLETON STATE U, STEPHENVILLE 0800-1200 KEYSTONE SCHOOL. SAN ANTONIO .. 1300-1700 DUNBAR MS. LUBBOCK 0800-1200 ROBSTOWN HS, ROBSTOWN 0800~1700 UTMSI ELDERHOSTEL 0800-1700 ANDERSON HS, AUSTIN 0800-1200 YOE HS. CAMERON 1300-1700 VYSEHRAD MS, HALLETTSVILLE 0800-1200 WM. JAMES MS, FORT WORTH 1300-1700 N. MESQUITE HS, MESQUITE 0800-1200 N. MESQUITE HS, MESQUITE 1300-1700 · s~GUIN HS, SEGUIN 0800-1200 FLORENCE MS, FLORENCE 1300-1700 VYSEHRAD MS, HALLETTSVILLE 0800-1700 UTMSI ELDERHOSTEL 0800~1200 KIRBY HALL HS, AUSTIN 1300-1700 · FORT WORTH COUNTRY ·DAY SCHOOL 1300-1700 MISSION HS. MISSION 0800-1200 ALLEN HS, ALLEN 1300-1700 GREGORY-PORTLAND JR.H., PORTLAND 0800-1700 · GREGORY-PORTLAND JR.ij., PORTLAND 0800-1700 GREGORY-PORTLAND JR.H., PORTLAND 0800-1200 DRIPPING SPRINGS MS, . DRIPPING SPR. ' 1300-1700 ST. MARY'S CATHEDRAL .MS, AUSTIN . 0800-1200 IMMANUEL LUTHERAN HS. HOUSTON 0800-1200 EANES ELEMENTARY, AUSTIN 1300-1700 OZON~ HS, OZONA 0800-1200 HIGHLANDS HS, SAN ANTONIO 0800-1200 EANES ELEMENTARY. AUSTIN 1300-1700 ST. PAUL LUTHERAN SCHOOL, AUSTIN 1300-1700 TRINITY EPISCOPAL, VICTORIA 0800-1200 N. RICHLAND MS, FORT WORTH \ 0800-1700 · GONZALES JR.H., GONZALES 0800-1200 BARTON CREEK ELEMENTARY, AUSTIN 0800-1200 FOREST TRAIL ELEMENTARY, AUSTIN 0800-1200 FOREST TRAIL ELEMENTARY, AUSTIN 0800-1700 ROGERS MS, SAN "ANTONIO c 0800-12.00 CEDAR VALLEY COLLEGE, LANCASTER 0800-1200 CEDAR VALLEY COLLEGE, LANCASTER 0800-1700 UTMSI ELDERHOSTEL 0800-1700 UTMSI ELDERHOSTEL 0800-1700 UTMSI ELDERHOSTEL 0800-1700 UTMSI ELDERHOSTEL 0800-1200 BIOLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHY. MNSF354T 0800-1200 . EAST CENTRAL UNIVERSITY. OKLAHOMA 0800-1200 WELDER WILDLIFE. SINTON 1300-1600 BIOLOGY OF FISHES. MNSS354C 0800-1200 MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL SC . MNSS54Q SUSAN WILLSON CINDY WHEELER CINDY ROSS CHRIS KRULL SUSAN WILLSON LAURIE CLAIR JUDY REYNOLDS DR. YVONNE ESTES RON SMITH BUNNY DOUBRAVA ANDREA CANTU ANDREA CAN'rU KERRI MASON KEVIN SPINGLER KIM WITHERS DAVID MCKEE DANA GRUBB STANLEY PROCHNOW ART WEIGAND TODD MCDOWELL DR. KAY MCMURRY AL KRULOCK MARY BETH BAUER DR. PHILLIP MURRAY JOHN PRINCE JIM CRITES BECKY SULLIVAN JUDY REYNOLDS JEFF SCHWARZ TONY LAFFERTY CLAUDIA MCKAY AVA MYRES YOLANDA .BLACKSHEAR YOLANDA BLACKSHEAR BETSY MARTIN · SHERI HILL C::LAUDIA MCKAY JUDY·.REYNOLDS · JOHN BATTERTON S~ON HAMILTON · AL KRULOCK EMILY MAXwELL KIM SCHMID . KIM SCHMID· KIM SCHMID SANDY · SOUTHWELL MISTY POE DEL MAU LINDA HARRiS RON CASEY PIERRE VELASQUEZ LINDA HARRIS REBECCA LANGE BETTY FREDERICK LEE WAGSTAFF JOANN RICHARDSON MAROLYN SMITH SANDY MEDINA SANDY MEDINA· MARY WILLIAMS RON BEECHAM RON BEECHAM· JUDY REYNOLDS JUDY REYNOLDS JUDY REYNOLDS JUDY REYNOLDS DR. ED BUSKEY RHONDA PETTIT SELMA GLASSCOCK DR. LEE FUIMAN DR. PAUL MONTAGNA 6 Trials and tribulations ofa MS! vehicle With retirement approaching, I have been clearing out my computer, because it is overloaded and there is "stuff' about which my successor need not be concerned. Though unworthy ofretention, nevertheless the message below seems appropriate for Egabrac Woes. -John Thompson (from Thompson to Shaw, Subject: Van) Here is what happened to the van: xxx was driving back from Austin on 183 at night. xxx saw something on the road and swerved to avoid it, xxx got all the way offthe shoulder and the vehicle turned around and continued on backwards until being stopped by a barbed wire fence, but only after knocking down at least one post. xxx restarted the vehicle and drove back to Port Aransas. However, before reaching PA xxx was stopped by the LAW who had noticed barbed wire trailing from the van's stern. Pretty good vehicle to have survived! 7 RETIREMENT PARTY & INFORMAL MINI-REUNION: JUNE 25TH, 1999 You are invited to attend the Institute's "Retirement Party &.Mini-Reunion" in behalfof John Thompson and Bill Behrens on Friday, June 25th, 1999. We will have more details later, but please help us make sure there's enough Barbecue and Stuff, by letting us know if you are coming! Contact Lynn Amos by June 4, 1999 -Telephone (361749-6740); email·(lynn@utmsi.utexas.edu). John H. Thompson, Jr. -John Thompson, Associate Director -Administration, has served the Marine Science Institute for 39 years, and has decided to up-anchor on JUn.e 30, 1999. He has been a part of the working and learning lives of hundreds, maybe thousands, of people in .that long period of time, and has worn all sorts of hats: administrative assistant, executive assistant, marine laboratory manager, and acting director for facilities. John has been almost the one constant element in a setting that has changed and shifted with the years, as directors, faculty, supporting staff, and students came, stayed a while, went on. There are few people who, having been here for a few years, have not got a "JT Story." He has been primarily responsible for the superb physical plant facilities and grounds, and much involved in the building, maintenance, and operations of the Institute's research vessels and small boats. As Editor of the Lazarette Gazette, since its debut in 1992, he has given us some history and many amusing stories under various pseudonyms. E. William Behrens-Bill Behrens, Associate Professor, Department ofMarine Science, retires on May 31, 1999, after 38 years with the University. Bill 'began work as head of the Marine Geology program at Port Aransas in 1961, before completing his Ph.D. at Rice. Bill has bounced around from his first many years at Port Aransas to Galveston with the Geophysics Institute and then to Austin, still with the Geophysics Institute. But he has always had a formal connection with the Department of Marine S.cience as well as strong, albeit sometimes informal, connection with the Marine Science Institute and the town ofPort Aransas, where he still maintains a residence. His research has taken hini from the.mud of Baffin Bay to the deepest areas of the Gulf of Mexico, and he has especially been involved with the summer teaching program at Port Aransas throughout all the years and no doubt easily holds the record for introducing the most students to a marine science seagoing experience aboard the RIV LQNGHORN. 8 ... Visitors to the MSI Web Site 500~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~---, 450 400 350 ~ ~ 300 . ~a. 250 ~ 200 :I: 150 100 . ..r--... 50 ~\ _____r-_____/-1996' 04--~f----+~-+-~+---+~-t-~-t-__,t---t-~--:-~i---7" 1-31-1-31-30-30-29-29-28-27-27-26 26 Jan Jan Mar Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep. Oct Nov Dec Date It was a very good year...and 1999 starts off with a bang! In the spirit ofthe season (this was written in early January and updated in February), I join much ofthe press in summarizing the past year, at least in terms ofthe MSI web site. Throughout the year, we servedalot of people from outside the Institute. The fall was, as usual, a very busy time. This probably reflectsthe interest ofprospective graduate students. Clearly, the :web site is proving to be an excellent means of ·providing information and advertising MSI. Tony Amos' tide charts ha:ve always been popular (probablynot due ·to prospective graduate students). · In 1998, they were.yiewed 3,528 tim~s. The charts of m~teorological and hydrographic data from our Pier Laboratory (including.air/sea temperatures, humidity,salinity, barometric pressure, wind speed, wind directi~n, . wind gusts, and sea height) thatwe addedin May · are receiving some attention. Visitors downloaded them between 26 and 44 times each month throughDecember. Other·statistics ofinterestfor the year (excluding use by MSI personnel): We averaged about 9,024 hits per month or 296 hits per day. Visitors on more than 18,000 different computers viewed 490 differeD:t pages on our site. The majority of activity on our site takes place Monday through Thursday,dropping by about 40% on the weekends. What are visitors looking at? The top 10 pages for the year andthe number ofhitsfor each are in the table on the left (below). Our faculty members have been expandingthe content of their pages. Some of them almost have small web sites of their own incorporated into the MSI site. l'he results ofthe unannounced, online popularity contest of our faculty are in the table on the right. -Lee Fuiman Top 10 MSI Web Pages Faculty Web Page Popularity 19947 Home Page 1078 Buskey 349 Thomas5005 Academic Main Page 706 Fuiman 329 Ingall3891 Staff Listing 524 Holt 324 Amos 3528 Tide Charts 513 Villareal 323 Behrens2885 General Information 484 Montagna 306 Benner2098 Port Aransas Environment 413 Dunton 298 Whitledge 1839 Graduate Program 391 Gardner 223 Maguire1779 Summer 1997 Academic Program 1.591 Marine Education Services 1452 lVV Longhorn Page Melissa Michels MSI welcomes Melissa Michels! Melissa joined Team Fuiman in January as an undergraduate intern from UT-Austin. She will spend the Spring semester gaining first-hand laboratory .research experience. Melissa will be involved in several ongoing projects as well as conducting a project of her own. In addition, she is enrolled in Joan Holt's class, Seminar in Marine Science, where she hopes to blend in imperceptibly with the graduate students. Melissa is quite active; she plays in the Port Aransas volleyball league and has been seen jogging down Station Street to the strains of unknown music playing on her walkman. Jonah Alan Smith Michael and Taralie Smith are the proud parents of a new baby boy. Jonah Alan Smith came into the world at 3:16 am on January 13 a whopping 9 lbs. 6 oz. Mother, baby, and daddy are doing fine. Joe Pearson Maintenance Worker II Joe Pearson has been promoted to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Mechanicfl'echnician Ollie Bandy. Joe's duties will primarily involve painting at MSI. Congratulations to Joe Pearson! Hector Garcia is now working on a partial time basis as a Police Guard to fill in during absences of the regular full time security workers (Bob Johnson also continues in this work). Hector and his spouse have their "main" home in San Antonio but spend most of their time in Port Aransas. Hector is retired from a long career as an air-traffic controller. Hans Henrik Jacobsen will be working at the Marine Science Institute the next six months with Ed Buskey. Hans: "I was born in Copenhagen, Denmark and I grew up in the outskirts of Copenhagen in a typical Danish workingclass/middle class area. I have an older·sister, a nephew and a niece. After high school I drove city buses in Copenhagen, drove trucks.and delivered mail for the national postal company in Denmark for some years.· At a point I realized that I had to put my self together and get an education, and I started to study at Roskilde University center (approx. 30 miles from Copenhagen) in 1988. I graduated in 1991 as a BSc in a combination ofsocial/administrative and natural science. During mytime at Roskilde University center I had begun to be more and more interested in marine biology, andI enrolled at the University of Copenhagen in 1991 to study biology. I had my BSc in 1994 and became MSc. in 1996 in biology .. My masters thesis was· done at the marine biological laboratory in Helsing~r under the supervision of Dr. Per Juel Hansen.. The thesis was an experimental comparison between a he.terotrophic dinoflagellate and a ciliate' that were potential competitors for the same prey organisms. While I studied biology I had the opportunity to work at the Greenland Fisheries Research doing shrimp survey along the east/west coast ofGreenland. After my masters was done I went tolive in northeast Greenland for a period of 6 months. After I came back from Greenland I worked for my masters Supervisor until I, in February 1998, became employed at the Danish Institute for Fisheries Research as· a Ph.D. student. My Ph.D. supervisor is Professor Thomas Ki~rboe. My Ph.D is ·partly a continuation of my masters project, in the direction ofpredator -preyinteraction in the microzooplankton food web. The project I will be working on at MSI under Dr. Buskey's supervision is an investigation the behavior of autotrophic nanoflagellates (approx. 5 -10 microns large). Autotrophic nanoflagellates are photosynthetic and are thus considered as plants or vegetables; however close microscopic observations have showed that these small single celled plants actually have the capability of escape behavior. Hopefully the project will end up with a closer understanding of the mechanisms that controls the escape behavior of these organisms or plants!" 10 J.D. Arnold began his employment here in September of 1998 working in Scott Holt's lab. with Camero_n Pratt. Arnold: "For the most part I help out in the field, or in the lab, with a few different things that are happening. . Currently I have b~en working through samples that were collected -during the fall.The opportunity to come ·and work here has been great. As an undergrad~ate at Texas A&M UniversityCC, it is great to be able to have a chance to get niy feet wet, ifyou know what I mean. I am very thankful for the confid~nce that everyone has shown in me, and I hope to be here a while longer. Current~y I ama senior, expecting to graduate in May of 200p. After receiving my degree in Biology, I am planning ongetting a teaching certificate, as well as continuing my education. Since I have worked here I have observed a unique atmosphere, and therefore I would really enjoy staying here while working on a higherdegree." Christopher Halverson is working in Scott Holt's lab for a few months on a mountain ofichthyoplankton collections from tP.e fall field sea~on. Halverson: "I'm originally from.Duluth, Minnesota,at the head.ofLake Superior. I'm a practicing Zen Buddhist, a starving musician, and the·proud(?) masterof a little brown and white neurotic mutt. I have held about·as many jobs as years l have lived (28), andhave_moved away from home many times,.ptit always return to the shores of that big, cold lake. NormanMaclean wrote that all his life he hac;l been "haun.ted by waters," and I now can begin to understand-what he·meant. ·Altl).ough I have spent much of my. last 10 years in·Arizona, I will always find my true homenear _the water-not so much "haunted" as humbled. ·Living and working in Port Aransas has providedmany opportunities to be humbled, and my experience so far at UTMSI°working with Scott·Holt, Cameron, . and Sharon (and.just down the hall my fiancee, TJ...) has far exceeded my expectations. BrendaBlack is the.proud new mommyofAmanda C~rolBlack. Brenda traveled to China in January.to bring her new 12 month old baby. girl.home. . Mommy and baby girl are doing fine and it's ourunderstanding that she's a real cutie!