Events
Join the Green Navigators in clearing the brush and overgrowth trails on campus! Please check the address notes for the location. Gloves and equipment will be provided. It is recommended that participants wear long pants, long sleeves, or a sweatshirt, and at minimum close-toed shoes, as well as bring water. Sticker(s) Available: Trail Clearing Contact bbarreraguerrero@umassd.edu for meet-up times and locations.
Grab a snack as you learn about climate change, sustainability, and everything in between through the Sustainability Movie Series here on campus held by the Office of Campus Sustainability. Movie Synopsis: In Burning, Academy & Emmy-award winning Australian filmmaker Eva Orner takes an unflinching look at the unprecedented, catastrophic Australian bushfires of 2019-2020 and shines a light on the global issue of climate change. The documentary delves into the disaster that unfolded across Australia, analyzing the irreversible damage, and the roles played by the federal government and media. Sticker(s) Available: Sustainability Movie Series
Observatory Open House No Moon - Saturn, Jupiter & Uranus
Department of Fisheries Oceanography "Diverse uses for Species Distribution Models (SDMs) in New England fisheries management" Michelle Bachman Lead Fishery Analyst, NEFMC Wednesday, November 27, 2024 3pm-4pm SMAST E 101-102 and via Zoom Abstract: Species Distribution Models (SDMs) combine presence / absence or relative abundance data from fishery-independent surveys with environmental data to predict the probability of marine fish and shellfish species occurrence through space and time. Using Community Basis Function Modeling techniques (Hui et al. 2023), offshore and inshore fish survey data, and a diverse suite of environmental predictors, we are estimating distributions for New England Council and Mid-Atlantic Council managed species and other abundant species in the Northeast U.S. Shelf Ecosystem. A solid understanding of current species distributions and the factors that influence them is essential to fisheries management decision-making in an era of climate change. We envision diverse applications for model outputs that aim to improve the responsiveness and resilience of fisheries management. The initial application for these model outputs is revising essential fish habitat designation maps. The Council's essential fish habitat designations support fisheries management decisions as well as consultations on non-fishing projects that are likely to impact fish habitats, and, by extension, fishery resources and fisheries. The three climate-resilience applications are: (1) identifying considerations for designating ecosystem component species in our fishery management plans, (2) developing revisions to governance approaches to account for current vs. historic species distributions, and (3) evaluating the results of portfolio analyses that will be used to identify opportunities and gaps in our management system, for example how fishing permits are structured. This talk will briefly describe our modeling approach and share how the results will be applied to each of these four projects. Potential future updates to these SDMs will also be noted. Join the Zoom Note: Meeting passcode required, email contact below to receive To request the Zoom passcode, or for any other questions, please email Callie Rumbut at c.rumbut@umassd.edu
Thanksgiving recess
Classes resume. Thanksgiving Recess is November 28-30, 2024
Classes resume at 8am today.
Department of Estuarine and Ocean Sciences MS Thesis Defense "A Post-Enrichment Assessment of Belowground Carbon and Organic Matter and the Potential for Increased Accumulation in a Fertilized Coastal Salt Marsh" By: Wendy Copps Co-Advisors: Miles Sundermeyer and David White Committee Member: David Schlezinger Tuesday December 3rd, 2024 11am SMAST West 204 706 S. Rodney French Blvd, New Bedford and via Zoom Abstract: Great Sippewissett Marsh in Falmouth, MA is the site of a 50-year nutrient-enrichment experiment. Experimental plots were established and fertilized with four different nutrient regimes (low, high, extra high, and no fertilization), in order to evaluate the marsh response. As a follow-up to this enrichment study, the present study was conducted to measure the amount of belowground carbon and organic matter within the experimental plots at the conclusion of the enrichment period. The goal of this study is to assess whether fertilization of the marsh facilitated increased carbon and/or organic matter accumulation in the sediments and to identify any potential relationship between the amount of fertilizer applied and the amount of carbon or organic matter stored in the sediments. The increase in the marsh surface platform is vital to maintaining the functions of the marsh as sea level rises. In a sediment-starved system such as Great Sippewissett, belowground accumulation of organic matter plays a dominant role in elevating the marsh surface platform. However, the results of this study show that higher nutrient loading does not generate more carbon or organic matter within the marsh sediments and, thus, nutrient loading is unlikely to promote elevation of the marsh surface through increased production and storage of carbon and organic matter in the sediments. Join the Zoom Note: Meeting passcode required, email contact below to receive To request the Zoom passcode, or for any other questions, please email Callie Rumbut at c.rumbut@umassd.edu
Fall 2024 Course Withdrawal period (grade of a W) ends for the Third 5-week session MLT-MLS Program classes.
Thesis defense by Jeffrey Illsley Title: Identity and Democracy: Cultivating a Voice in Professional Political Communications Abstract: The portfolio Identity and Democracy is a showcase of both real world professional political communications and the academic analysis of modern political communications. The portfolio lends special focus to the role identity plays in political rhetoric and how it is applied from our local State Representative's office all the way to Washington D.C. This portfolio demonstrates the best practices of political communication and illuminates an analysis of those strategies. Contact: Professor Katie DeLuca, kdeluca1@umassd.edu Committee: Professor Chris Eisenhart (advisor) and Professor Karen Gulbrandsen
Fall 2024 Course Withdrawal period (grade of a W) ends for the Second 7-week session.
Join the Green Navigators in clearing the brush and overgrowth trails on campus! Please check the address notes for the location. Gloves and equipment will be provided. It is recommended that participants wear long pants, long sleeves, or a sweatshirt, and at minimum close-toed shoes, as well as bring water. Sticker(s) Available: Trail Clearing Contact bbarreraguerrero@umassd.edu for meet-up times and locations.