Wanted: IAN Business Manager
The Integration and Application Network invites applications for a Business Manager to assist with financial management and budgeting, and to provide leadership and direction to IAN staff on policy issues related to budget, financial management, and accounting procedures. For further information, please visit the UMCES employment page.2008 Chesapeake Bay summer forecast released
EcoCheck (NOAA-UMCES Partnership) recently released a forecast of Chesapeake Bay summer dissolved oxygen and harmful algal bloom (HAB) conditions. The forecasts are produced in collaboration with partners from USGS, Morgan State University and the University of Michigan. This year's forecast has been expanded to include a prediction of Prorocentrum harmful algal blooms in the Maryland portion of the Bay (thanks to Jon Anderson from Morgan State University). This summer it is predicted that: (1) the volume of anoxic water in the Bay's mainstem will be 1.7 ± 1.27 km3 , or the 5th largest since 1985; (2) the volume of mainstem Bay hypoxic water during July will be 9.9 km3 , or the 6th largest since 1985; (3) Microcystis blooms in the Potomac River will be of moderate severity; and (4) Prorocentrum blooms are predicted to occur in the lower reaches of the Patuxent River in late June to early July and in late June in the Lower Choptank River and Bay Bridge region. For further information, visit the EcoCheck Chesapeake Bay forecast pages.
Centers for Ocean Science Education Excellence Coastal Trends hosts researcher, educators, and students
From June 16 to 19, Centers for Ocean Science Education Excellence (COSEE) Coastal Trends welcomed two scientist-educator teams to Horn Point Laboratory in Cambridge, Maryland for an orientation program. Each team includes a scientist, educator, graduate student, and undergraduate student committed to developing effective educational materials for K-12 classrooms. Through lectures, activities, and field trips, the orientation program introduced the teams to research trends in seagrass and dead zones and educational trends in inquiry and critical thinking. During the program, the teams discussed how to incorporate current scientific knowledge into the 5E lesson plan format, adapted from the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study. Over the course of the summer, these teams will conduct research and create educational materials on coastal trends that will be field-tested by teachers. IAN staff will provide science communication and web support to the teams as they develop their materials and assist in the evaluation of the final products.
Integrating Science with Park Management Decisions Workshop
A National Park Service Workshop was held at the Chattanooga Choo Choo, a hotel/conference center in the converted railroad station in Chattanooga, Tennessee in June. The workshop was entitled "Integrating Science with Park Management Decisions" and included discussions between park superintendents, resource managers and scientists from the Inventory and Monitoring Program. Issues included science communication, barriers to effectiveness, thresholds, web tools, printed products, and assessment approaches. Bill Dennison and Shawn Carter presented the approach being developed in the National Capital Region Network parks and facilitated a session in which managers and scientists identified issues and proposed activities to enhance collaborations. This workshop continued to build on the strong partnership developed between the Integration and Application Network with the Inventory and Monitoring Program of the National Park Service.
New IAN Personnel
On June 9, IAN welcomed Hilary Stevens as a Science Communication Intern. During her summer-long internship, Hilary will be working on several projects including the COSEE Coastal Trends project. Hilary will also assist IAN graduate student Ben Fertig in various field and laboratory analyses. Hilary grew up in Glenview, IL and will be starting her junior at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin, in the fall. Hilary is working toward a degree in Communications with a minor in English. Hilary enjoys photography and one of her projects during her internship will be to enhance the IAN Image Library. Hilary's interests include running, reading, playing lacrosse and being outside.