LUMCON
We Robot, a horrible hagfish massacre, deep, delicious sandwiches, fish slime harvests, and more! Monday Morning Salvage: September 10, 2018.
Foghorn (a call to action)
The U.S. is turning a significant portion of Micronesia into live fire and bombing ranges to train Marines. It has plans to completely take over one island for this purpose and has control of two-thirds of another island.
If people in the U.S. mainland understood the military’s plan for Micronesia they might be alarmed. But this is really happening to U.S. citizens living in America’s territories.
Flotsam (what we’re obsessed with right now)
- How a team of amateur explorers and an underwater robot laid to rest the ‘Ghost of Baker Lake’.
- Jane Lubchenco: Science in a Post-Truth World. Hat tip: @EmmaJMcIntosh.
The Levee (news from LUMCON)
LUMCON’s DeFelice Marine Center, flooded, as seen from a dormitory balcony. (Photo: Courtesy of LUMCON)
Eat hagfish, work at LUMCON, clone Vaquita, question floating trash collectors, and more! Monday Morning Mega-Salvage: August 13, 2018
Foghorn (A Call to Action!)
- It’s time for Africosh! The annual Africa Open Science and Hardware Summit Heads is in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania this year!
- LUMCON is hiring! They’re looking for two exceptional coastal and marine science faculty hires in any discipline. And they have the best “come work for us” video!
Flotsam (what we’re obsessed with right now)
- Hakai Magazine is my jam this month.
- How an Epidemic Exposed the Ecological Importance of Sea Stars: The near eradication of British Columbia’s sea stars demonstrated the dynamic role they play in regulating kelp forests.
- How to Dismantle a Blue Whale: In Chile, a team of volunteers confronts stench and gore to ensure a new life for a dead whale. [Warning: Link contains graphic pictures of whale evisceration]
- I’ve been following this project for almost 2 years. Awesome to see how far they’ve come. NinjaPCR is a WiFi enabled, Opensource DNA Amplifier and Thermocycler for Polymerase Chain Reaction developed by 2 hackers in Tokyo.
- Plastic wrap made from shellfish and plants is completely compostable.
Hagfish (just Hagfish)
- Yes, people do eat hagfish. Yum! Snake-like creature writhes, squirms on grill.
- Hagfish are the emissaries of love, not war. Stop it. Synthetic ‘Slime’ To Help US Navy Trap Enemy Ships.
Gently jelly-nabbing bots, deep-coral under threat, albino stingrays, #JacquesWeek, and more! Monday Morning Salvage: July 23, 2018
Foghorn (A Call to Action!)
- All Hands on Deck! You’re got one week left to apply to join the MIT Media Lab and NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research for this year’s National Ocean Exploration Forum as an Ocean Discovery Fellow!
- Jacques Week 2018 is here!
Flotsam (what we’re obsessed with right now)
- What just happened? Everyone is going wild for the deep-sea fish attack video.
The Levee (A featured project that emerged from Oceandotcomm)
- Stitching Hope for the Coast – communicating coastal optimism for Louisiana. Deadline for submissions has been extended to October!
An octopus’s garden in the sea, the world’s densest island, dangers of deep-sea fishing, and more! Monday Morning Salvage: April 23, 2018
Foghorn (A Call to Action!)
- The journey is over but the expedition continues. Follow us on Open Explorer for our ongoing adventures in the Mariana Islands.
- WHOI is looking for some science communication superstars: Science Writer & Multimedia Producer and Social Media Specialist.
Flotsam (what we’re obsessed with right now)
- Nuclear Legacy Voyage with Okeanos Marshall Islands.
The Levee (A featured project that emerged from Oceandotcomm)
Hagfish, chill Puffins, swamp monsters, the mining boat floats, and more! Monday Morning Salvage: April 2, 2018
Foghorn (A Call to Action!)
- Want to help stem the tide of misinformation online and off? Do you have it all figured out and just need resources to implement your world-saving solution? The Rita Allen Foundation is looking for Solutions to Curb the Spread of Misinformation.
Flotsam (what we’re obsessed with right now)
- Hagfish. Tough. Lovable. Slimy. But not too slimy. Hagfish Take Weeks to Recover from Sliming Someone.
- Kevin D’Angelo integrated the OpenCTD with a new protocol for detecting salinity using the gold pins of a microUSB controller and I am blown away! Outstanding work.
- This is a puffin wearing sunglasses for science.
The Levee (A featured project that emerged from Oceandotcomm)
- Installed as a beacon of hope for a hurricane-racked island, the statue had to be moved multiple times due to the eroding coast: Our Lady of the Sea by Russel Arnott.
- Russell also created these outstanding posters to warn us away from Louisiana’s famed and fearsome swamp ghosts:
Beware the Feu Follet, by Russell Arnott
Help an ocean student catch a break!
The Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON), located at the very tip of Louisiana’s boot, is a special place. The only marine lab in Louisiana, LUMCON serves public universities and supports marine science for the entire state. I had the pleasure of visiting LUMCON late last year to lead an underwater robotics workshop for local high school students. It’s also currently lead by Dr. Craig McClain, commander of the good ship Deep Sea News.
The legendary Dr. M is currently fundraising for LUMCON’s summer programs, introducing K-12 students to marine science, supporting college course, and providing ongoing education programming.
LUMCON educators and scientists provide quality education at the university, K-12, and public levels; teaching marketable skills while increasing societal awareness of the environmental, economic, and cultural values of Louisiana’s coastal and marine environments.
We work hard to ensure our education programs are as affordable as possible. Indeed, our course tuitions are among the lowest in the nation. However, student tuition is still a barrier for low income students. Our Executive Director, Craig McClain, was one of these students. Had it not been for a scholarship provided by a generous donor, he wouldn’t have been able to participate in the LUMCON summer courses that would launch his career.
You can break those barriers by supporting a student with a donation to our Scholarship Fund. Donate by April 15th to ensure a student can engage with marine science in the Summer of 2017.
Head over to the LUMCON Donation Page and help support students!