Newsroom
Emmy® Winning ‘Changing Seas’ to Premiere New Episode at UM’s Rosenstiel School
University’s NSF-funded National Resource for Aplysia featured in episode on medicines from the sea
April 25, 2011
MIAMI — (April 25, 2011) — WPBT2’s award-winning series Changing Seas returns to the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science with a brand new episode on Thursday, May 5, 2011. The School will host a bayfront reception at 6 p.m., followed by a screening of “Prescription: Oceans” in the Rosenstiel School Auditorium (4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami). To attend, kindly RSVP to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
The oceans are part of our newest medical frontier. Throughout Florida, scientists are studying sea sponges, horseshoe crabs, and sea hares for their potential therapeutic properties. Experts from UM and other universities are taking a closer look at marine invertebrates to gain insights into human biology.
The Changing Seas film crew followed National Resource for Aplysia Facility Director Thomas Capo and his team as they raise Aplysia californica (sea hares) for neuroscience researchers around the world. These mollusks grow from tiny microscopic eggs to the size of a football in just one year. Their oversized neurons serve as a model for studying memory and learning — research that may help scientists unlock the secrets to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson and other brain diseases. “Although these simple organisms may live in the ocean, their anatomies are shedding light on how complex mechanisms function within our own bodies,” says “Prescription: Oceans” producer, Kandra Velez.
For more information on this Changing Seas program, visit: http://ka.uvuvideo.org/_Changing-Seas-Season-3-Prescription-Oceans/video/1565243/86294.html
About WPBT
South Florida’s premier public broadcaster, WPBT2, is
a community-licensed, not-for-profit media enterprise serving
communities from the Treasure Coast to the Florida Keys. WPBT2
provides high quality content from
PBS, independent acquisitions and its own original
productions. WPBT2’s digital media platform, offers: 2HD,
a 24-hour high definition channel; Digital 2.2, a mix of
Science & Nature Channel, Culturas, The Florida Channel and
Create; Digital 2.3,
V-me, a 24-hour national
Spanish-language network; and www.wpbt2.org, the WPBT2 website
including, Impromp2
(a community blog), the WPBT2
Video Player and uVu,
a video sharing website.
About Changing Seas
Currently in its third season, Changing Seas
takes viewers on an exciting journey to the heart of our
liquid planet. Narrated by renowned voice talent Peter
Thomas, this documentary series lets viewers experience
first-hand how oceanographers study earth's last frontier, and
sheds light on how human activities are threatening ocean
resources. Changing Seasis made
possible by a generous grant from the Batchelor
Foundation. The series was recognized with a 2011
Gold Medal Award from ‘Miami Today’ and last
year’s ‘Sentinels of the Seas’ episode won a
Suncoast Emmy® Award.
About the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel
School
The University of Miami’s mission is to educate and
nurture students, to create knowledge, and to provide service
to our community and beyond. Committed to excellence and proud
of the diversity of our University family, we strive to develop
future leaders of our nation and the world. Founded in the
1940’s, the Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric
Science has grown into one of the world’s premier marine
and atmospheric research institutions. Offering dynamic
interdisciplinary academics, the Rosenstiel School is dedicated
to helping communities to better understand the planet,
participating in the establishment of environmental policies,
and aiding in the improvement of society and quality of life.
For more information, please visit www.rsmas.miami.edu.
