Month: January 2021

Virtual Seminar – Envisioning a diverse and inclusive research workforce in fisheries science – January 28th

Mina Sattari

 

Ivan Arismendi, Oregon State University

Hosted by the Fisheries and Conservation Biology Lab

Presenting: "Envisioning a diverse and inclusive research workforce in fisheries science"

MLML Virtual Seminar | January 28th, 2021 at 4pm

Watch the Live Stream here.

 

 

 

Dr. Ivan Arismendi is an aquatic ecologist who currently holds an Assistant Professor position at Oregon State University. Growing up in southern Chile, his interest for aquatic ecology was sparked as he witnessed the invasion of trout and salmon in his native waters. He successfully obtained a bachelor’s degree in Fisheries Engineering and a Doctorate degree in Forest Sciences from Austral University in Chile. Currently, he leads scientific research to improve our understanding about the role of natural variability and human-related disturbances on aquatic ecosystems. Specifically, he focuses on global environmental change, invasion biology, and aquatic food webs. But, he is also interested in the people who use or study in natural resources, which has led to emergent research on diversity, equity, and inclusion in science. To date, Dr. Arismendi has led to over 70 scientific publications and has received various awards, including the “Savery Outstanding Young Faculty Award” from the College of Agricultural Sciences at Oregon State University and the Emmeline Moore Prize from the American Fisheries Society (AFS), a career achievement award that recognizes efforts in the promotion of demographic diversity in AFS. As a mentor and advisor, Dr. Arismendi helps students become the professionals they desire to be and he enhances the student diversity in his department by mentoring and advising both graduate and undergraduate students, including students from Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, and Vietnam. His research lab includes members from a variety of identities and backgrounds including racial minorities, gender minorities, veterans, and international students. He has mentored 2 postdocs, advised 14 graduate students, and mentored 19 undergraduate students. He contributes to several DEI initiatives, including a summer camp to engage high school students from underserved communities, which received the Oregon State University Outreach and Engagement Vice-Provost Team Award for Excellence in 2020. He self-identifies as a LatinX scientist with a strong commitment to serve as an example to students that science is available to everyone.

 

California Sea Lion Bowl – Virtual Event – February 6th

Lauren Cooley

The Sea Lion Bowl is one of 25 regional ocean science competitions, the winners of which compete in the National Ocean Sciences Bowl. The Sea Lion Bowl has been hosted by the California State University, Monterey Bay College of Science since 2017. While typically CSUMB hosts between 150-200 high school students and their coaches at an all day in-person event, this year the entire bowl will be held virtually on February 6, 2021. Teams of students from high schools across Northern California will compete in the quiz show-like competition. The students will answer marine science questions in the fields of  Biology, Geology, Chemistry, Geography, Marine-Policy, Oceanography, and Ocean Technology on the level of undergraduate marine science majors.

Moss Landing Marine Laboratories is honored to contribute to this event and help promote the importance of  STEM to high school students. Several MLML students will be volunteering at the bowl and we will also be hosting a virtual booth featuring information about our research and educational opportunities. To learn more about the Sea Lion Bowl and how you can get involved, please visit the event website.

California Sea Grant story highlights collaborative MPA research led by SJSU/MLML

Lauren Cooley

Just beyond California’s kelp forests, patches of rock and sandy seafloor stretch from 100-300 ft deep in what scientists call the mid-depth rocky reef ecosystem. This zone comprises around 75% of the state’s ocean, but its depth makes it a hard area for researchers to access—and one of the most understudied of the near-shore ecosystems.

SJSU/MLML researchers Dr. Rick Starr and Dr. Amanda Kahn are leading a long-term monitoring project that combines state-of-the-art ROVs and video landers with historical data including old photos and research accounts to shed some light on this understudied zone. The project contributes to a larger effort to study the effects of marine protected areas in California. In a three-year study funded by the Ocean Protection Council, California Sea Grant and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, scientists across the state are comparing changes in marine populations inside and outside of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).

Read more about this exciting ongoing research in the California Sea Grant story.

Photos courtesy of Rick Starr.

Professor Gitte McDonald featured in National Geographic video about emperor penguins

Lauren Cooley

Many campers have probably encountered a curious squirrel or hungry raccoon trying to break into their tent… but what about a pack of mischievous penguins? SJSU/MLML professor and Antarctic researcher Dr. Gitte McDonald is no stranger to the antics of these large seabirds.

Dr. McDonald and her colleagues were recently featured in a new video from National Geographic about the hilarious penguin invasion of their field camp in Antarctica. Check out the video here.

SJSU/MLML alumna Nancy Black establishes non-profit California Killer Whale Project

Lauren Cooley

The California Killer Whale Project (CKWP) is a new non-profit dedicated to the study of killer whales (Orcinus orca) along the California coast. While the organization was officially established in December 2019, their research has been going on for decades and their database of killer whale sightings spans the past 66 years. The mission of CKWP is to continue the long-term study of the ecology, natural history, and conservation of California's killer whales. CKWP CEO and co-founder Nancy Black received her MS in Marine Science from Moss Landing Marine Laboratories in 1995 and has spent the last three decades studying the killer whales of Monterey Bay. 

Learn more about the California Killer Whale Project and how you can contribute to their important research at their website.