Note from the Director
Over the past year, the MSC faculty has been working closely with Dean Murray Gibson to develop a strategic academic plan for the Marine Science Center. There are many facets of this plan, and our primary goal is to become a global leader in the area of Urban Coastal Sustainability. We will focus faculty hiring in several areas including climate change; fisheries mariculture; evolutionary and ecological genomics; ocean acidification; coastal sensing and engineering; and conservation, management, policy and law. Our strategic plan recognizes the vital importance of coastal ocean ecosystems to the regional economy and planetary health, and the MSC is uniquely positioned to assume a leadership role in addressing the challenges these ecosystems face.
It is my pleasure to report that execution of this plan is in full swing. We are in the process of finalizing the details of $2.4 million plan (funded in large part by a generous grant from the National Science Foundation) to build four new research laboratories and completely replace our flowing seawater system. We have also completed a thorough study of our Nahant site that will intelligently guide our rapid expansion and have begun construction of a new lab that will house Dr. Jonathan Grabowski’s research program in fisheries biology and ecology. Jon joined the MSC faculty in autumn 2011, and we are very excited to have him here! I should also highlight that a faculty search for two scientists in the area of climate change in underway, and we expect these individuals to join the MSC in the autumn of 2012.
Another exciting development is that Dean Gibson has merged the MSC and the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences to create a compelling platform that will further enhance our academic and research efforts in environmental science, policy and sustainability. We all look forward to the synergies that this merger will create as our Department moves forward.
Our Outreach Program continues to grow and flourish, serving thousands of children from dozens of school districts around Massachusetts. Students at Girls Inc. of Lynn are benefitting from the great new “Beach Sister” with support from a grant from the New England Ocean Science Education Collaborative and the placement of an Americorps Massachusetts Promise Fellow on the program. The Coastal Ocean Science Academy serves high school students with a healthy dose of marine science each August. Relationships are being forged with community partners to expand our programs for families and adult audiences, complementing our existing offerings of a monthly lecture/film series and an annual Open House.
The MSC staff continues to set a new standard for operations at the MSC. In the past two years we have hired four new staff. Sarah Phenix (Lab Manager) continues to oversee many of the daily aspects of MSC operations and has played a key role in managing and overseeing the numerous construction activities taking place at the MSC. Carole McCauley (Outreach Program Coordinator) is working to hard to create dynamic outreach and educational programs that promote scientific literacy and environmental responsibility for many K-12 students from surrounding communities. More recently, Heather Sears has joined us as our new Budget and Administrative Officer. Her effectiveness and diligence has had an incredibly positive impact on the MSC and we are most fortunate to have her with us. Finally, Ted Lyman has joined that MSC as our new Dive Safety Officer/Three Seas Program Coordinator. Ted brings with him an incredibly diverse skill set and he will work closely with Sal Genovese (Director, Three Seas Marine Biology Program) to build on the already excellent reputation of the Three Seas Program. Sal and Ted will also have a key role in guiding students that are interested in our new Marine Biology Major.
Our team continues to work hard to create a dynamic and exciting new environment for students, faculty and the community. As always, we very much appreciate your continued support!
Cheers,
Geoffrey C. Trussell, Director
Marine Science Center
Nahant, MA 01908