FantaSEA Football Furor Takes Over UMiami Rosenstiel School

Posted on December 13, 2012 by RSMAS

It has been a long grueling season for you Fantasy Football owners. The roller coaster ride of emotions has been full with moments of joy, confusion (anyone owning C.J. Spiller or Jamaal Charles) and bewilderment (Seahawks vs. Packers). Now it is playoff time – Winners move on, losers pack their bags and empty their wallets. But this had us thinking. What would the ultimate Fantasy Football roster look like? And what if this hypothetical roster was composed of sea life? So, in spirit of Fantasy Football playoffs, here is our Pro Bowl roster. Good luck!

Quarterback – Octopus: It makes sense to put a cephalopod with 8 arms behind center. Honestly, who else would you want as your field general? Not to mention, the Octopus is highly intelligent and capable of making those crucial decisions. The Octopus is also able to camouflage himself as a defensive mechanism.

Running back – Tiger Shark: This is our top point getter – think Arian Foster. This top predator is going to rack up tons of points and eat everything in sight. Sharks are the police of the ocean. If it’s 4^th and goal, you are handing it off to the Tiger Shark.

Running back – Mahi-Mahi: Flashy, quick, and strong. Mahi grow quickly and are always ready for a good fight. Their acrobatic moves and ability to change color make them a top pick for any good fantasy team.

Wide Receiver – Sea Otter: Think Julio Jones here. The sea otter is one of the only marine animals that can use his hands, is quick and reliable. The otter is very popular and is going to give you lots of points on a weekly basis.

Wide Receiver – Sailfish: Every team needs a player like AJ Green. Fast, explosive and has a deep threat potential. The Sailfish is arguably the fastest and most aggressive fish out there, and eats smaller fish for breakfast, lunch and dinner! Chalk up 6, because the Sailfish is going deep!

Tight End – Humpback Whale: Does Rob Gronkowski ring a bell? Much like Gronk, the Humpback Whale is multi-talented. It can block, dive, breach, swim long distances or stay in the same area (Hawaii breeding grounds). The Humpback Whale is our go-to passing option in the red zone.

Kicker – Dolphin: Can you think of a better option here? The Rosenstiel School is in Miami, we have the Dolphins, and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to reference Ray Finkle in a blog post. Ace Ventura aside, the Dolphin is a highly charismatic mega fauna, and can score you lots of points if need be. Don’t worry, pressure doesn’t get to ol’ Snowflake during that last second 50 yard field goal for the win.

Defense – School of Blue Fin Tuna: The Chicago Bears defense has had a great fantasy season. Much like the Bears, the Bluefin Tuna are big, fast and it’s hard not to appreciate them. You can’t go wrong with the Bluefin Tuna.

Check out our FantaSEA team in action!

So what sea creatures would YOU have on your FantaSEA team? Think you can beat us? Write a comment below and let us know who you would have picked and why?

Brought to you by Andrew DeChellis & Laura Bracken; Drawings by Kyra Hartog; Animation by Lizzie Bracken. Special thanks to Austin Gallagher and Peter Chaibongsai for their invaluable assistance.

Set Sail With Pangea Exploration

Posted on October 23, 2012 by RSMAS

Pangaea Exploration is a Miami-based marine conservation organization, sailing the world to advance exploration, education, and conservation. Last week, Emily Penn, Program Director of Pangaea Exploration, gave a passionate and informative presentation to faculty and students at the Rosenstiel School. If you missed the presentation, don’t worry. It’s not too late to get involved!

Pangaea Exploration operates a 72ft sailing vessel, Sea Dragon, and coordinates expeditions to carry out scientific research and filmmaking around the world. They have spent the past 2 years sailing 50,000nm, researching plastic pollution, ocean acidification and coral health. They provide a platform for scientists to collect the necessary samples to conserve the marine ecosystems.

The Sea Dragon partners with researchers to collect important scientific observations, but also dedicates space on the ship to citizen scientists. The Pangaea crew teamed up with 5Gyres and spent a large portion of the past year collecting and studying marine debris in the North Pacific, specifically mapping the tsunami debris from Japan. They also worked with Woods Hole Oceanographic to collect water samples along the equator in the Pacific Ocean.

In spring 2013, they are coming to the Caribbean and Miami. Here is how YOU can get involved:

- Be the lead scientist on a cruise. All expenses paid for you, but you take on the responsibility of coordinating the activities of the citizen scientists who will help you collect your data.

- Pay your way either as a scientists going to collect your own data or as a citizen scientist.

- Send your sampling materials with the crew and ask them to collect the samples on your behalf.

- Intern for Pangaea Exploration here in Miami (with the chance to go on the ship for one of the legs).

Contact: Alex@panexplore.com

For more information, check out their website: panexplore.com.

-Laura Bracken
Outreach Manager
Follow the Rosenstiel School on Twitter: @UMiamiRSMAS
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Univ. of Miami Community Participates Globally During the International Coastal Clean Up

Posted on September 19, 2012 by RSMAS

Saturday, September 15th, was the 2012 International Coastal Clean Up, organized by the Ocean Conservancy (and locally by the Robert Allen Law Firm). University of Miami faculty, staff, and students participated by cleaning up their little pieces of paradise and teaching children about the importance of a clean ocean.

The RSMAS community cleaned the University’s Virginia Key beach. We had over 20 people participate and together they picked up hundreds of pieces of plastic and Styrofoam, over 100 bottles and cans, close to 100 straws, 15 articles of clothing, a battery, fireworks, and much more! By noon, the dumpster was full and our beach was clean (at least temporarily).

Three current UM students (Nate Formel, Kelly Montenero, and Virginia Ansaldi) and one RSMAS alumna (Danni Washington, Big Blue & You Foundation) partnered with Greg Anderson and the City of Miami to bring 15 children to clean up a local barrier island. They taught the students about the native ecosystem and why it is important to keep Biscayne Bay clean, and then eagerly picked up a huge amount of trash!

UM Biology students who are spending the Fall 2012 semester at the Isabela Oceanographic Institute in the Galapagos Islands cleaned the coast of Puerto Villamil, their home for the next few months. They teamed up with local residents to ensure that their beaches, mangroves, and wetlands were trash-free.

How did you participate in the International Coastal Clean Up?

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.

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

(Video) Exploring Marine Science Day 2012

Posted on March 27, 2012 by RSMAS

The Rosenstiel School has partnered with the American Association of University Women (AAUW) annually to host a day of interactive learning for 6th and 7th grade girls. Saturday marked our 10th anniversary of Exploring Marine Science Day!

Fifty young women from across South Florida spent their Saturday with Rosenstiel’s female faculty, students, and researchers with hope of getting an up close look at what it is like to be a marine scientist.

• The girls started their day by drawing blood from a toadfish with Dr. Danielle McDonald and Rachel Heuer. They learned about red and white blood cells, plasma, and stress hormones.
• The amazing women from MGG never disappoint! Amel Saied, Monica Arienzo, and Amanda Oehlert taught the girls about ocean pH, ocean acidification and its effects on carbonate-producing organisms. The girls conducted experiments to see the process of acidification and its effects.
• Sea Grant agent Dr. Lisa Krimsky made plankton fun and exciting by teaching the girls to make their own plankton out of clay. The girls raced their creations in a giant tub of water – the team with the slowest time won.
• Tours of the R/V Walton Smith by Dr. Josefina Olascoaga, Katie Shulzitski, and Laura Bracken – including sitting in the Captain’s chair (thanks Captain Shawn).
• Aplysia! Outreach Manager Laura Bracken taught the girls about the importance of the amazing aplysia and the fascinating details of their life cycle, but the best part was actually getting to hold their slimy new friend.
• Melissa Pelaez introduced the girls to the wonderful world of aquaculture and even let the girls watch them feed the cobia, mahi mahi and pompano!
• The day concluded with a lesson on corals and climate change by Erica Towle and Rachel Silverstein. The girls then actually fed the corals and watched them eat under a microscope.

Quotes from their evaluations:
“This was so awesome!”
“I loved all of (the activities) because I learned new things and I had a lot of fun!”
“Thank you for doing this!”

The activities are clearly fun and engaging but most importantly we changed these young women’s views about science. According to the evaluations, the majority have an increased interest in studying!

Thank you to all of the volunteers from RSMAS and AAUW for making this day a success.

Volunteers:
Monica Arienzo, Christine Beggs, Angela Colbert, Sharein Eltourky, Esther Goldstein, Rachel Heuer, Verona Hormann, Lisa Krimsky, Danielle McDonald, Amanda Oehlert, Josefina Olascoaga, Melissa Pelaez, Renellys Perez, Carol Richardson, Emily Riley, Amel Saied, Barbara Schwartz, Rachel Silverstein, Erica Towle, Noelle Van Ee.

Laura Bracken
Outreach Manager
Follow the Rosenstiel School on Twitter: @UMiamiRSMAS
“Like” the Rosenstiel School on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/Rosenstiel School

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