Infographic: How Much Garbage is Floating in our Oceans?

Posted on July 10, 2012 by RSMAS

OceanDoctor.org recently published a cringe-worthy Infographic depicting just how much garbage is floating around in our oceans. The United States uses over 50 Billion plastic bottles each year, and only about 10 billion are recycled. Many of the un-recycled plastic bottles end up in the ocean. Some end up in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which is now twice the size of the continental United States! Others end up on our beaches! You can help by using refillable bottles, recycling, and participating in beach clean ups.

What do you do to protect the ocean? Leave a comment below.

-Laura Bracken
Outreach Manager
Follow the Rosenstiel School on Twitter: @UMiamiRSMAS
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7 Apps Worth Downloading

Posted on June 20, 2012 by RSMAS

Is there an app for that?
There are thousands of apps available now (Apple just announced its App Store alone has over 425,000 and more than 100,000 native iPad apps!). Some are designed to make your work and home life easier, while some are intended to entertain you. Then there are some apps destined to frustrate you and waste your money. Here are 7 apps that are worth a try.

UMiami
It’s all about “The U”
Instant access to UM news and events, track the RSMAS shuttle real time, and now search for items in the UM Libraries.
Education | Free

UPAD
Need to take notes? Use a stylus pen (or your finger) and it’s just like writing on a notepad. Highlight that important date, erase that doodle, then save, email and print your notes.
Productivity |$4.99 or Free lite version

iAnnotate PDF
Want to annotate your pdfs? Well now you can with this indispensable app that allows you to read, annotate, and share all those pdfs. Now we can truly go paperless.
Productivity |$9.99

DropBox
This is one of the best file storage services available. Great for file sharing, creating backups, and those out of office experiences. Works with UPAD and iAnnotate.
Productivity | Free

iBooks
Greatest app ever! Downloaded books and pdfs are displayed on a virtual bookshelf. You can download Douglas Brinkley’s newest book, Cronkite for $14.99. There are some free titles as well.
Books | Free

Lynda.com
This app provides access to hundreds of tutorials on the basics of Word 2010 to interactive design with Photoshop. Learn how to design you own logo, or give that presentation some pizazz.
Education | Free

TED
Talks from people everywhere doing some of everything. See Barbara Block tagging tuna, or Paul Snelgrove’s census of the ocean. Sometimes “how” they present is just as interesting as “what”.
Education | Free

Bonus App!!!

Fruit Ninja
Got some down time? No, not really!
Well here’s the app for you. Slicing fruit may seem mindless, but there is a method to the madness.
Games | $.0.99 or Free lite version

Have any personal favorites you would like to add? Share them in the comments section below or share thoughts about the apps mentioned.

Angela C. Clark-Hughes
Librarian Associate Professor
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University of Miami Celebrates World Oceans Day

Posted on June 8, 2012 by RSMAS

Happy World Oceans Day!

World Oceans Day is a celebration of the ocean, held annually on June 8th, and we have many reasons to celebrate! The ocean is an amazing resource for food and oxygen. It helps regulate the global climate, and even provides drugs to help fight human diseases. But for many, it is simply the joy of playing in the water that gives us reason to celebrate today. Swimming, surfing, scuba diving, boating, fishing.

Today is a chance for each of us to think about what the ocean means to you. Share how you are celebrating World Oceans Day below! For additional ocean related conversation, join us on Facebook and Twitter.

The 2012 theme is “Youth: the Next Wave for Change.” Join us in inspiring the next generation of stewards for the ocean. Share some of the amazing University of Miami ocean education resources with the special young people in your life!

• Virtual Shark Tagging Expedition
• Ocean Current Expedition
• Digital Atlas of Marine Species & Locations (DAMSL)
• Underwater Photography from around the world
• Explore & Discover: sea turtles, sea slugs, and much more

Team RSMAS Wins President’s Cup in 2012 Miami Corporate Run

Posted on May 3, 2012 by RSMAS

I used to make trips into Downtown Miami pretty regularly, but now it seems I am only there for the Miami Corporate Run, supporting “Team UM.” There is something about Downtown’s architecture that is enhanced beautifully by the evening light. The Brickell glass towers and the old stone buildings are just reborn under the sun’s setting rays.

When we heard the sound of the canon and thousands of little papers floated in the air, a clamor came from the crowd of 22,599 strong, all there to support one goal – a healthy and fit lifestyle for the corporate world. How many times are we witness of so many people getting together for the greater good?

There were people of all ages; young and older, fit and not so fit, but when the torrent of walkers descended upon the Brickell streets, it felt as if we were part of the same team. The weather was very clement but there was not even a single cloud and despite a soft breeze, it was hot.

Team UM was 900 people strong and RSMAS had 68 people who signed up. The UM tent was right next to the water and there was an unobstructed view of Biscayne Bay that could have made one think that we were far from a race.

Members of Team UM and Team RSMAS posing with Sebastian at the 2012 Miami Corporate Run.

When I was walking, I enjoyed looking at the colors of all the companies’ shirts and their reflections in the buildings. I also loved the contrast of the beginning of the route with modern structures and the end of it, coming back to the older sections of Downtown. It was as if the city itself had participated with all of what made its unique culture.

Team RSMAS won the President’s Cup challenge this year, by having the most registered participants on a single team. I will always remember the moment our team’s name was declared the winner, and the individuals who made it possible. What I will also treasure is the red glow of the Freedom tower in the dark sky and the thought that we were all together as one.

Sandrine Apelbaum
Meteorology and Physical Oceanography
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(Video) The Waterlust Project: Woodsled – Kiting the Alaia

Posted on April 23, 2012 by RSMAS

The Waterlust Project is a film series that focuses on the relationships we have with water and how humans connect with it on a personal level. As such, the scope of this project is broad, encompassing science, sports, conservation, and everything in between. The goal is to inspire more people to care about our oceans and the threats that they are currently facing, through showcasing the many ways in which we interact with water.

Our first Waterlust film was a short trailer designed to bring attention to the project, and get people excited about it. The second film by Patrick Rynne, R.I.P, addressed rip current safety, utilizing recent research conducted in Australia by Rob Brander, Jaime MacMahan and Ad Reniers.

We’re now happy to announce that our third film has just recently been released! Woodsled, by Fiona Graham, is a short film that explores the joys of building and riding your own alaia kiteboard. The alaia is the original wooden, finless, strapless surfboard used by the ancient Hawaiians. As a supplement to the film, we’ve created a “how to” manual and board templates for building your own alaia, which can be found on our website.

Lastly, we’d love for anyone and everyone to get involved with the Waterlust Project! Please think of it as a way to showcase your research, encourage conservation through art, or simply get creative in expressing what water means to you. Applications can be found on our website or shoot us an email if you have any questions.

We hope you enjoy the films so far and continue to follow our progress as we explore these connections and inspire people to think and enact change both within themselves and the world around them.

What did you think of the new Waterlust Project film? Leave comments below.

Fiona Graham
Student, Marine Affairs & Policy
www.waterlust.org
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Key Biscayne Local Wins 2012 Underwater Photography Contest

Posted on April 19, 2012 by RSMAS

Ximena Olds, local Key Biscayne resident, has been named “Best Overall” winner of our 2012 Underwater Photography Contest. Olds captured an orange headshield sea slug with a beautiful green seagrass background in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

"Best Overall" winner - headshield sea slug. Photo by Ximena Olds.

This year’s newest category was the online “Fan Favorite,” where the winner was determined by an online voting poll. The winner was Todd Aki, receiving nearly half of the 1,221 online votes, capturing a very colorful jellyfish.

Fan Favorite winner Todd Aki captured 1,221 online votes for this Jellyfish.

“Best Student Entry” went to Kyra Hartog for her beautiful portrait of a Whale Shark. Click here to see the rest of the 2012 winners. What image is your favorite? Comment below.

Best Student Entry is Kyra Hartog for this Whale Shark.

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Category Archives: Outreach