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SFOS Newsletter
Spring 2009

Juneau fisheries graduate students at the Lena Point Building Dedication, with Gov. Palin. Photo by Katie Murra.

STANDOUTS
Student News

Congratulations to our Fall 2008 graduates

  • Tracie E. Merrill, M.S. Marine Biology, Dr. Brenda Konar, The status of Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) foraging habitat and diet around St. Lawrence Island
  • Sean Charles Rooney, M.S. Fisheries, Dr. Brenda Norcross & Dr. Jennifer Reynolds, Habitat analysis of major fishing grounds on the continental shelf off Kodiak, Alaska
  • Jeremy M. Mull, M.S. Oceanography, Dr. Mark Johnson & Dr. Tom Weingartner, QUIKSCAT measurements of the wind field over the Bering and Chukchi Seas
  • Katie Palof and Lisa Kamin. Photo by Katie Murra.

    Terril Efird presented on the site distribution of Pacific cod in kelp forests in Kachemak Bay at the 2009 Kachemak Bay Science Conference.

  • Michael R. Garvin, M.S. Fisheries, Dr. Anthony Gharrett, Identification and application of molecular markers to chum salmon (Onchorynchus keta) population genetics
  • Ron A. Heintz, Ph.D. Fisheries, Dr. Mike Stekoll, Effects of adult salmon carcasses on the energy allocation strategies of juvenile salmonids
  • Molly McCall Boughan, M.S. Oceanography, Dr. Bruce Finney, Paleoceanographic shifts in the Gulf of Alaska over the past 2000 years: A multi-proxy perspective
  • Other Student News

  • At the Lowell Wakefield Fisheries Symposium held in Anchorage in March, Jodi Pirtle won best student oral presentation for her talk entitled "Optimal nursery habitat for Alaska red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus): Biogenic habitats provide food and shelter."
  • Miranda Westphal won best poster presentation.
  • Katie Palof and Lisa Kamin organized the 13th annual American Fisheries Society Juneau Student Symposium held on April 27. Topics covered included salmon biology, crab biology, genetics, pollock biology, Pacific walrus biology and more.
  • Kristen Shake, an undergraduate student who will soon be one of Jeremy Mathis master's degree students, won the Flint Hills Undergraduate Research award for a study of seasonal changes in ocean acidification in the northern Gulf of Alaska.
  • Megan Murphy, Tania Spurkland, Terril Efird, Patrick Lane and Melissa Deiman presented at the 2009 Kachemak Bay Science Conference in Homer in March.
    Murphy presented on larval crab transport in Kachemak Bay, Spurkland spoke on the effects of salinity and light on the growth of sugar kelp, Efird presented on the site distribution of Pacific cod in kelp forests in Kachemak Bay, Lane spoke about movement and habitat use by the helmet crab and Deiman presented on macroalgal changes in the bay since 1976.

  • Click on the image to download the Spring 2009 newsletter (3 MB PDF).

    Greetings from the Dean
    During the last year, our faculty and staff considered future directions for our school by establishing a new SFOS strategic plan. This plan will allow us to build on our existing strengths and chart a new course for the next decade.

    Princess Tours gives $100,000 to UAF Marine Advisory Program
    Princess Cruises & Tours has donated $100,000 to the University of Alaska Fairbanks for the support of the Marine Advisory Program.

    SFOS scientists make headlines with Census of Marine Life findings
    According to a Census of Marine Life press release in February, the waters of the Arctic and Antarctic share 235 marine species. CoML also documented the existence of 5,500 marine species in the Arctic and 7,500 in the Antarctic.

    SFOS scientists key to Bering Sea studies
    One of the richest and most productive marine ecosystems in the world, the Bering Sea region provides more than half of the U.S. seafood catch and is home to dozens of marine mammal species. It is also the source of ...

    Juneau high school students do it again
    For the third year in a row, high school students from Juneau have won first and second place in the Tsunami Bowl, Alaska's regional version of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl...

    COSEE Alaska established; Sigman hired
    Marilyn Sigman, a respected marine science educator from Homer, has been named education specialist for the new Alaska Center for Ocean Science Education Excellence in Anchorage.

    SFOS dedicates Lena Point Fisheries Building
    SFOS dedicated the new Lena Point Fisheries Building in Juneau on April 28. Governor Sarah Palin spoke at the ceremony and congratulated UAF on its contributions to fisheries science. Other speakers included UA President Mark Hamilton, Representative Beth Kerttula and UAF Chancellor Brian Rogers.

    Optimism during an economic recession
    History shows that during tough economic times, more people decide to go to college. That's good news for SFOS, and good news for our state.

    Standouts - Faculty and Staff News
    Rolf Gradinger Heidi Herter Gordon Kruse  Ginny Eckert Scott Smiley Markus Janout Kate Wynne Anne Hoover-Miller Alexei Pinchuk

    Featured Faculty: Brenda Konar
    Brenda Konar is an associate professor of marine biology who specializes in marine invertebrates and plants. She was raised in California, but she loves the chill and darkness of Fairbanks winters.

    Spotlight on the Coastal Marine Institute
    by Sharice Walker, CMI Technical Editor
    The University of Alaska Coastal Marine Institute was created in June 1993 by a cooperative agreement between the University of Alaska and the U. S. Department of the Interior Minerals Management Service Alaska Region.

    Featured Student: Megan Murphy
    Megan Murphy already knows she wants to live and work in Homer, Alaska, and is pursuing a graduate degree in biological oceanography at UAF to help her achieve this goal. She is studying the oceanographic effects on crab larval transport in Kachemak Bay.

    Standouts - Student News
    Other Student News

    Featured Alumnus: Tim Sands

    Featured photo
    Mayumi Arimitsu, a master's degree student in fisheries, conducting her thesis research in Kenai Fjords National Park.