Performance Report for Cooperative Agreement No: na06oar4810163 for the Period from September 1, 2006 to August 31, 2012 University of Maryland Eastern Shore
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- Center Director and Staff
- Executive Committee (EC)
- Center Core Administration (CCA)
- LMRCSC Board of Visitors
- Center Faculty and Staff Positions
- Programmatic: Technical Advisory Board (TAB)
- Table 7: Membership of LMRCSC TAB (2006 – 2012)
- Table 8: Number of Proposals Submitted Each Year to the LMRCSC, and Number of Proposals Funded
- Monitoring and Evaluation
- LMRCSC Exit Evaluation
Other Seminars: Visiting scientists at UMES were also able to use the Virtual Campus facility to give seminars. Dr. Harry Grier (Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute) and Dr. Marie Carmen Uribe (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México) visited UMES on October 30, 2009 and gave seminars. These presentations “Pelagic eggs: Oogenesis in common snook and red drum” and "Aspects of reproduction in viviparous fishes", respectively, were made available to all LMRCSC partners via the Virtual Campus. Approximately 30 students and faculty at UMES and 5 at SSU participated in the seminar. Furthermore, Dr. Arash Massoudieh (Catholic University of America) presented a seminar at UMES on November 10, 2009 entitled ‘Individual Based Modeling of Striped Bass Population Dynamics in San Francisco Bay’. The seminar was offered to the LMRCSC community via the Virtual Campus. Nine students and faculty attended at UMES. ib) Executive Committee Meetings: Apart from instructions, the Virtual Campus was used for Executive Committee meetings of the LMRCSC. From 2006 to 2008, most of the EC meetings were held by videoconference. Thereafter, the meetings were held by teleconference to minimize costs, or in person, especially in cases where most or all of the EC members were present at a professional meeting such as the AFS meeting held in Nashville, TN on September 1, 2009. ic) Student committee meetings: The virtual campus allowed committee members from NOAA and other agencies to participate in committee meetings of LMRCSC students and others. For example, Dr. Anne Richards and Mr. James Manning from NOAA NEFSC, Woods Hole, MA participated in Dan Cullen’s M.S. thesis committee meeting with Drs. Andrea Johnson and Paulinus Chigbu at UMES on March 6, 2008, as well as Mr. Cullen’s M.S. thesis defense on April 30, 2010. Sarah Wood’s co-advisor at the University of Maryland College Park attended her dissertation defense via the Virtual Campus on April 11, 2008. Dr. Ed Wirth (NOAA Hollings Lab.) participated as a committee member in the M.S. thesis defense of Bernice Bediako, an advisee of Dr. Andrea Johnson on July 2, 2008. Also, when Gretchen Bath Martin (NOAA SEFSC) was unable to travel to UMES for the master’s thesis defense of Dan Luers (UMES), the Virtual Campus allowed her to participate from the NOAA Beaufort Laboratory and enabled the defense to be held on schedule (November 21, 2008). id) LMRCSC External Review: The Virtual Campus was instrumental in allowing students and faculty at all partner institutions to provide vital feedback to the NOAA Evaluation Team which visited UMES on February 26, 2009. Twenty-six (26) students from UMES, SSU, DSU, UMBI-COMB and HU, and eleven (11) faculty members from UMES, UMBI-COMB, HU and DSU participated in these videoconferences. Similarly, the Virtual Campus was used during the LMRCSC’s external review on February 2, 2009 with approximately 20 students from UMES, HU, RSMAS and DSU participating. ii) Strengthening collaborations among center partners: LMRCSC scientists enhanced collaboration among them by co-mentoring students, co-teaching courses, facilitating recruitment of undergraduate students into center graduate programs, and by co-authoring proposals and jointly executing TAB funded projects. Several examples are given below. COMB, mainly through Dr. Jagus, contributed to capacity building at UMES and RSMAS by providing support of the research efforts of faculty and students from those institutions. Dr. Jagus joined Lara Nagle's master's committee for the later stages of her studies and thesis defense, and assisted Ms. Nagle's mentor, Dr. Joe Pitula by providing expertise and advice on the Q-PCR detection of the blue crab parasite Hematatodinium spp. Dr. Pitula's investigations were expedited by the provision of lab space, reagents and equipment in Dr. Jagus' lab for the development of a gel shift assay. Dr. Pitula was also assisted by the gift of a surplus Phosphoimager for analysis of radioactive samples. Dr. Jagus also participated in the advisement of a RSMAS Master’s student, Dr. Donald Bacoat. Mr. Bacoat made several extended trips to Dr. Jagus' lab to look at stress markers in cobia larvae reared with and without probiotics. Dr. Jagus also facilitated the interaction between Dr. Yossi Tal (COMB), aquaculture engineer, with Drs. Benetti and Orhun at RSMAS that led to the development of a joint project evaluating cobia (Rachycentron canadum) production in a fully contained, environmentally sustainable recirculating marine aquaculture system. Exchange between faculty and students through internships at center institutions, and campus visits by Center scientists led to increased interest in pursuing advanced degrees at LMRCSC partner institutions. Internships at COMB during the summer of 2007 led HU student, Jeanette Davis to join the master’s program in MEES at the Center of Marine Biotechnology in Fall, 2008. Similarly, Johnny Moore, a SSU graduate who performed research on sandbar sharks under the direction of Dr. Dewayne Fox, enrolled in the Master’s program at DSU following graduation from SSU. As previously mentioned, 7 students at UMES and 8 from SSU participated in Dr. Love’s (UMES) Ichthyology course taught via the virtual campus. Two DSU students also joined 8 students from UMES aboard the R/V Delaware II for the annual LMRCSC research cruise from January 7-18, 2008. Drs. Rose Jagus and Mary Stapleton (COMB) prepared a half day session on the life cycle and aquaculture of the blue crab for high school students participating in the Upward Bound Marine and Estuarine Science Program and the Eastern Shore Restoration and Education Program Marine and Environmental Science Camp on July 9 and July 16 respectively, at UMES. Twenty (20) students and their mentors attended each session. Dr. Paulinus Chigbu visited DSU on October 20, 2008 along with Dr. Meka Laster (NOAA EPP) and met with LMRCSC students, faculty and the Dean of the School of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dr. Dyremple Marsh. An RFP from NSF was shared with Dr. Dewayne Fox and other faculty members at DSU. This subsequently resulted in the submission of a collaborative proposal to NSF by UMES and DSU (Gulnil Ozbay, PI at DSU) entitled: Partnerships for interdisciplinary training of undergraduates in Biological and Mathematical Sciences. Dr. David Die (UM-RSMAS) visited both HU and DSU in December 2009 and presented a seminar entitled ‘How many billfish are there in the Atlantic ocean?’ He also discussed graduate opportunities at RSMAS with the students. The University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute was reorganized by the University System of Maryland (USM) and its assets, including the COMB, were distributed to other USM entities. COMB, now known as the Institute for Marine and Environmental Technology (IMET), was officially absorbed by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) on June 1, 2010. Dr. Jagus continued to serve as Project Director at IMET, maintaining the programmatic continuity of LMRCSC, and the renowned fisheries expertise at UMCES has significantly strengthened the Center’s research capabilities. New HU Research Assistant Professor Dr. Andrij Horodysky established linkage with Dr. Andrea Johnson (UMES) and Dr. Richard Brill (NOAA) which led to a successful project examining the sensory ecology of black sea bass. This project provided 10 weeks summer internship experience for Kendyl Crawford (HU) and Joe’ella Caddle (UMES) at the VIMS Eastern Shore laboratory in Wachapreague, VA. Drs. Horodysky and Johnson developed two proposals, including a renewal of the sensory ecology project that was submitted to the TAB on September 24, 2010. UMES collaborated with IMET, VIMS, and Morgan State University and developed the Center of Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST) proposal that was funded by NSF in 2010. Additionally, UMES collaborated with NOAA and UM-RSMAS and developed the professional science master’s program that was funded by NSF in summer 2010. iii. Strengthening administrative and programmatic components of the Center: The Center was guided by two management tracks, A) Administrative and B) Programmatic. The Administrative component included the Center Director, Program Manager, Executive Committee, Center Core Administration and the Board of Visitors. Center Director and Staff: Dr. Bradley Stevens assumed the position of Distinguished Research Scientist at UMES on October 7, 2009, replacing Dr. Eric May. Dr. Stevens was previously an Associate Professor at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and had served as a Research Fishery Biologist at the NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center in Kodiak, AK for 22 years. In August 2012, Mr. Todd Christenson who served as Program Manager of the LMRCSC for 8 years accepted a position at NOAA Headquarters, Silver Spring, MD. Ms. Judy Rose served as Interim Program Manager while a search was initiated to find a permanent Program Manager for the center. Executive Committee (EC): The EC consisted of the Distinguished Research Scientist, Project Directors from each Center institution and Center Director; Dr. Chigbu served as chair of the EC. The EC met bimonthly, and then monthly following the suggestion made by the external panel that evaluated the center in 2009. Meetings were held using the videoconference facility until 2008, or when possible, in person. After 2008, meetings were mostly held using teleconference to save costs. Examples of items that were discussed during the EC meetings are: i) Matters arising from Board of Visitors meetings, ii) Impacts of budget reductions on LMRCSC deliverables, iii) Strategies for recruiting Ph.D. students, iv) Development of collaborative research, and v) Development of the LMRCSC Strategic Plan. Center Core Administration (CCA): The CCA, consisting of UMES’ Vice President for Academic Affairs, a representative from the office of the President, UMES’ Dean of the School of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, Chair of Department of Natural Sciences, LMRCSC Director, Distinguished Research Scientist, and Program Manager, met several times from 2006-2012. CCA members met on July 9, 2010, and March 14, 2011 and were briefed by Dr. Chigbu on Center accomplishments, challenges, and needs. Examples of positive outcomes of the briefing of the CCA by LMRCSC Director are: 1) In response to the request for additional office space for graduate students and staff, the Banneker Building was assigned to the LMRCSC at UMES in 2009, and 2) UMES provided funds that were used to purchase a 21 ft boat in 2011 which enhanced capacity for UMES to conduct field sampling and research. LMRCSC Board of Visitors: The Board of Visitors (BOVs), consisting of the Presidents of the LMRCSC partner institutions or their designees met yearly from 2006 to 2012. Initially (from 2006 to 2009), the meetings were held at UMES. However, it was decided by BOV members during the 2009 meeting that the venue for the meeting should be rotated among the center institutions. As a result, the Nov. 3, 2010 and Nov. 2, 2011 meetings were held at SSU and university of Miami-RSMAS, respectively. At each meeting, the LMRCSC Director gave an overview of the LMRCSC programs, activities and accomplishments, in addition to areas that needed improvements, particularly recruitment of graduate students into the Center, and timely submission of the LMRCSC reports. BOV members offered suggestions for improving Center performance. Center Faculty and Staff Positions: Several changes occurred in the center faculty and staff in the past five years that had positive impacts on research, student training, and inter-institutional collaborations. In fall 2007, DSU took over the salary obligations for Dr. Gulnihal Ozbay who was supported by the LMRCSC. This freed funds for the LMRCSC faculty line that was then used in 2010 to hire Dr. Stacy L. Smith, a chemical oceanographer, with research expertise that was previously unavailable at the center. Dr. Smith, who also replaced Dr. Dewayne Fox as LMRCSC Project Director at DSU, initiated a project with her graduate student on the effects of ocean acidification on fish. She formerly worked with the Environmental Cooperative Science Center at FAMU where she conducted research on fish habitat in Appalachicola Bay, FL. HU hired Dr. Andrij Horodysky as Research Assistant Professor following the departure of Mr. Eric Wooden who occupied the position. In December 2008, Dr. Deidre Gibson replaced Dr. George Burbanck as the Project Director at HU. She has facilitated the placement of HU students for internships at various labs (e.g. NOAA) and institutions such as UMCES-IMET, OSU, and UMES. SSU filled its Post-Doctoral position with Dr. Matthew Ogburn who served in this capacity for two years from 2010 to 2012 before accepting a position at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, MD. Dr. Ogburn completed his doctoral work at the Duke University Marine Laboratory, where he studied blue crab recruitment dynamics, larval behavior, and physiology. His research addressed recruitment, larval transport, population dynamics and ecology of commercially important invertebrates. He subsequently developed a collaborative pink shrimp habitat and behavior project with Dr. Joan Browder at the NOAA SEFSC in Miami. SSU was able to continue its outreach and marine education uninterrupted by hiring Mr. Greg Hunter to replace the Marine Science Outreach and Camp Coordinator, Mrs. Rebecca Wells, who returned to teaching in a public school. Tasks and preparations related to the SSU Coast Camp for Youth and the Seaing is Believing Art and Essay Contest were continued. Mr. Hunter ran the art and essay contest January-February 2009 with ~100 entries. Dr. Neil Hammerschlag, who directed the South Florida Student Shark Project, was hired at RSMAS as a new research Assistant Professor in the Division of Marine Affairs and Policy. The LMRCSC partnered with this new program at RSMAS in its outreach and high school education efforts. Programmatic: Technical Advisory Board (TAB): Membership of the TAB is presented in Table 7; the composition has changed since 2006. Dr. Kristy Wallmo became the Technical Monitor of the LMRCSC and Chair of TAB in 2007 replacing Dr. Bonnie Ponwith. The TAB reviewed proposals submitted by LMRCSC scientists each in response to an RFP, and made recommendations to the Center Director. Dates during which RFPs were released, number of proposals submitted, and the number of projects funded each year are presented in Table 8. The number of proposals submitted by center scientists each year ranged from 13 (2010) to 27 (2007), whereas the number of proposals funded ranged from 9 (2008) to 12 (2010). A list of projects funded following TAB reviews of the proposals is presented in Tables 9-13, whereas descriptions of the projects including research results are available in Appendices IIa-e. The LMRCSC Project Directors decided strategically not to have Cooperative Workshops in 2007. Instead, using the NOAA NMFS research priorities identified during the four 2005 Cooperative Workshops (Quantitative Fisheries, Essential Fish Habitat, Aquaculture and Fisheries Socioeconomics) as a starting point, the 2007 Request for Proposals (RFP) was further refined through teleconferences between the Distinguished Research Scientist and researchers from NOAA. In the case of socioeconomics, individual communication with scientists from NOAA Headquarters, Silver Spring, MD and Woods Hole, MA was held and a draft RFP was prepared and submitted to NMFS scientists for review and comment prior to distribution. For aquaculture, both Sea Grant and NOAA Aquaculture Matrix scientists held a teleconference to discuss priorities and research needs. Phone conferences were held subsequently with division and section heads at the NMFS Science Centers to further refine the RFP and to identify NOAA NMFS scientists with whom Center scientists could work to develop proposals for submission. This process was felt to be much more cost effective than the three day annual workshop. However, from 2008 to 2011, the LMRCSC held one-day annual Science Meetings prior to the release of the RFP. Table 7: Membership of LMRCSC TAB (2006 – 2012)
Table 8: Number of Proposals Submitted Each Year to the LMRCSC, and Number of Proposals Funded
Monitoring and Evaluation: Online evaluation forms designed to assess LMRCSC programs have been in place since 2005. Four updated online evaluation forms for: 1) graduates, 2) cruise participants, 3) student interns, and 4) internship mentors were created and launched through the LMRCSC website in summer, 2009, replacing those formerly administered by SSU. LMRCSC Exit Evaluation: An exit evaluation form was created and distributed to graduating students. Twenty (20) undergraduate and graduate students from at least four LMRCSC institutions completed and submitted this form from 2006 to 2012. Respondents indicated that they would ‘strongly recommend’ LMRCSC. General comments on this exit evaluation included: “The program provided me with funding and guidance to become a better scientist. The classes provided information that is important in all scientific areas. I also received training and experience in developing and conducting scientific experiments. I learned the steps necessary to be a professional scientist.” “I am planning on working for NOAA as a fisheries scientist, and possibly continuing my education in the future. The LMRCSC aided by providing me the knowledge and experience to contribute to any job which I am involved. It also prepared me to transition into a Ph.D. program and be competent to achieve this degree.” “I feel that the program has helped me communicate my skills and experience to professionals in the marine science field in order to become well-known.” “Participation in the LMRCSC program assisted me in reaching my academic potential by offering great research opportunities and the ability to present the research at professional conferences.” “LMRCSC gave me an opportunity to continue my education in a more successful way. I will encourage everyone to consider LMRCSC as their primary option for a graduate program”. Directory: cms300uploadedFiles cms300uploadedFiles -> Kiah 1127 phone: 410-651-6429 office hours: mw 9: 00-10: 00 am, tu th 12: 00-3: 00PM cms300uploadedFiles -> Performance Report for Cooperative Agreement No: na11sec4810002 for the Period from July 1 to December 31, 2011 University of Maryland Eastern Shore Living Marine Resources Cooperative Science Center Paulinus Chigbu, Ph Download 7.02 Mb. Share with your friends:
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