Volume 20, Number 5

May 2009

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There's always something happening here at the Sea Lab, and we hope to bring you frequent updates of the latest activities.

Help Support Manatee Research in Alabama - Purchase a Manatee License Plate

The manatee was recently designated Alabama's state marine mammal. Help support research about these gentle, charismatic creatures by purchasing a distinctive Mobile Manatees license plate, which was approved on March 10 by the Alabama Legislative Oversight Committee. (READ MORE)

Dr. Toby Bolton Takes the Helm as Director of the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program.
By Tom Herder, MBNEP

The Mobile Bay National Estuary Program (MBNEP) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Toby Bolton as its new Director. Dr. Bolton comes to Mobile from Adelaide, Australia, where he lectured in Marine Biology at Flinders University and managed the Lincoln Marine Science Centre. During his tenure there, in one of the largest fishing and aquaculture centers in the southern hemisphere, he gained considerable experience working with a diverse range of stakeholders, including conservation organizations, industry, and community groups. (READ MORE)

Springtime is upon us - time to set up CAAMP
Marcus Drymon, PhD student

Dr. Sean Powers' Fisheries Ecology Lab has been awarded a grant by the NMFS Shelby Center at the DISL to set up Coastal Alabama Acoustic Monitoring Program (CAAMP). This innovative program will utilize a series of wireless hydrophones to examine the extent to which marine animals are using Mobile Bay as essential fish habitat. (READ MORE)

Holy Mosasaur! Estuarium Has New Paleogeology Exhibit!

Thanks to a generous donation from a beneficent sponsor, the Estuarium is proud to present its newest exhibit for our visitors, a journey back in time when dinosaurs and marine reptiles roamed the earth and swam the seas. The Estuarium's Paleogeology Exhibit features a striking twenty-eight foot replica of a mosasaur, a marine reptile that was abundant during the late Cretaceous, about 89-65 million years ago. Trying to avoid being its dinner is toxochelys, an ancient sea turtle that was also plentiful during that period. (READ MORE)

The Multi-taskers - Administrative Assistants at the DISL

Juggling constant phone calls, e-mails, requests for information and a wide range of requests from a busy staff, the often overlooked but much appreciated Administrative Assistant can be the calm eye of the academic storm.  Administrative assistants Lori Angelo (AA to the Executive Director), Denise Keaton (AA to Discovery Hall Programs, the K-12 and public outreach branch), and Carolyn Wood (AA to University Programs, the graduate and research arm) have to be fully informed on what's going on with their programs and with their staff. (READ MORE)