CORAL GABLES, Fla. — May 14, 2012 — The University of Miami (UM) has been recognized in Princeton Review’s “Guide to 322 Green Colleges” as an environmentally responsible university. The Princeton Review, in collaboration with the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council, recently released the third annual edition of its unique, free guidebook saluting the nation’s most environmentally responsible “green colleges.”

Through its teaching and research endeavors, as well as the operations of its overall enterprise, UM is committed to the safeguarding of the environment. Innovative programs in schools and colleges, interdisciplinary centers and institutes, and events and activities throughout the University address issues involving a wide spectrum of environmental concerns.

The Princeton Review’s Guide to 322 Green Colleges: 2012 Edition profiles 322 institutions of higher education in the United States and Canada that demonstrate notable commitments to sustainability in their academic offerings, campus infrastructure, activities, and career preparation. The 232-page book—the only free, comprehensive, annually updated guide to green colleges—can be downloaded at http://www.princetonreview.com/green-guide and www.centerforgreenschools.org/greenguide. The guide was developed with support from United Technologies Corp., founding sponsor of the Center for Green Schools.

The Princeton Review chose the schools based on a survey conducted in 2011 of hundreds of colleges across the U.S. and in Canada to tally its annual “Green Rating” scores (scaled from 60 to 99) of colleges for its school profiles in its college guidebooks and website. The survey asks administrators more than 50 questions about their institution’s sustainability-related policies, practices, and programs. The company tallied Green Ratings for 768 institutions in summer 2011. The 322 schools in the guide received scores of 83 or above in that assessment. (Note: The Princeton Review does not rank the schools in the guide hierarchically (1 to 322), nor does it include those scores in the guide’s school profiles.)

The University of Miami is the largest private research institution in the southeastern United States. The University’s mission is to provide quality education, attract and retain outstanding students, support the faculty and their research, and build an endowment for University initiatives.  For more information, please visit www.miami.edu

MIAMI — May 8, 2012 — The final Sea Secrets Lecture of the 2012 season will take place on May 16 at 6:00 p.m. It will feature accomplished field biologist and wildlife photographer, Mac Stone.  Ever since early settlers arrived in Florida, the Southern Everglades were feared and revered by even the bravest explorers who dared to enter its waters. Poets, writers, and scientists came to regard this tropical estuary as one of nature’s most brilliant displays of life. In the last hundred years however, increased competition for fresh water has impacted the coastal and marine environment, endangering one of the state’s most biodiverse habitats.

Join Stone, who has been working with the National Audubon Society for more than two years in Florida Bay documenting and studying this complex ecosystem. Combining science and artistry, he paints a vivid picture of the interconnectedness of Florida’s fresh and saltwater communities and what we must do to preserve them.

UM’s Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science and the Ocean Research and Education Foundation host the popular Sea Secrets lecture series. The events are free and open to the public, and are designed to provide insight and information about the oceans that cover two-thirds of our planet, and much of which, are still an enigma. Lectures are preceded by a reception at 5:30p.m. Sea Secrets is sponsored by the Rosenstiel School of Atmospheric Science, The Shepard Broad Foundation, The Charles N. and Eleanor Knight Leigh Foundation, Southern Wine & Spirits and is organized by Robert N. Ginsburg.

About the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School
The University of Miami is the largest private research institution in the southeastern United States. The University’s mission is to provide quality education, attract and retain outstanding students, support the faculty and their research, and build an endowment for University initiatives. 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.

HONOLULU — April 25, 2012 — Many shark populations have plummeted in the past three decades as a result of excessive harvesting – for their fins, as an incidental catch of fisheries targeting other species, and in recreational fisheries. This is particularly true for oceanic species. However, until now, a lack of data prevented scientists from properly quantifying the status of Pacific reef sharks at a large geographic scale.

In a study to be published online April 27 in the journal Conservation Biology, an international team of marine scientists provide the first estimates of reef shark losses in the Pacific Ocean. Using underwater surveys conducted over the past decade across 46 U.S. Pacific islands and atolls, as part of NOAA’s extensive Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program  (www.pifsc.noaa.gov/cred/) the team compared reef shark numbers at reefs spanning from heavily impacted ones to those among the world’s most pristine.

The numbers are sobering.

“We estimate that reef shark numbers have dropped substantially around populated islands, generally by more than 90 percent compared to those at the most untouched reefs”, said Marc Nadon, lead author of the study and a scientist at the Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research (JIMAR) located at the University of Hawaii, as well as a PhD candidate with Dr. Jerry Ault at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science. “In short, people and sharks don’t mix.”

To obtain these estimates, Nadon and his colleagues used an innovative survey method, called ‘towed-diver surveys,’ which were designed specifically for the census of large, highly mobile reef fishes like sharks. The surveys involve paired SCUBA divers recording shark sightings while towed behind a small boat.

“Towed-diver surveys are key to our effort to quantify reef shark abundance,” said Ivor Williams, head of the team responsible for these surveys. “Unlike other underwater census methods, which are typically at an insufficient spatial scale to properly count large, mobile species, these surveys allowed our scientists to quickly record shark numbers over large areas of reef.”

The team crunched the numbers from over 1,600 towed-diver surveys, combining them with information on human population, habitat complexity, reef area, and satellite-derived data on sea surface temperature and oceanographic productivity.

The models showed the enormous detrimental effect that humans have on reef sharks. “Around each of the heavily populated areas we surveyed – in the main Hawaiian Islands, the Mariana Archipelago, and American Samoa - reef shark numbers were greatly depressed compared to reefs in the same regions that were simply further away from humans.” Nadon said. “We estimate that less than 10% of the baseline numbers remain in these areas.”

Towed-divers surveying large-bodied reef fish, including sharks, around Hawaii (photo: M. Nadon).

Like all fishes, reef sharks are influenced by their environment. “They like it warm, and they like it productive,” said Julia Baum, Assistant Professor at the University of Victoria, Canada, referring to the increase in reef sharks the team found in areas with higher water temperatures and productivity. “Yet our study clearly shows that human influences now greatly outweigh natural ones.”

“The pattern — of very low reef shark numbers near inhabited islands — was remarkably consistent, irrespective of ocean conditions or region,” added Williams.

“Our findings underscore the importance of long-term monitoring across gradients of human impacts, biogeographic, and oceanic conditions, for understanding how humans are altering our oceans,” concluded Rusty Brainard, head of the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division at NOAA’s Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, which conducted the surveys.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Barbra Gonzalez
University of Miami
Phone: 305-421-4704
Email: barbgo@rsmas.miami.edu

Marc Nadon, Lead Author
Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric
Research (Hawaii)/University of Miami
Phone: 808-983-3743*
Email: mnadon@rsmas.miami.edu

Extra photos of reef sharks and field operations are available upon request.

VIRGINIA KEY — Dr. James N. Sanchirico, Professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy at the University of California at Davis (UC Davis) and a Resources for the Future Non-Resident Fellow, proudly accepted the Rosenstiel Award this week at a banquet hosted by the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science. Among the guests at the banquet were UM Provost Thomas LeBlanc, Rosenstiel School Dean Roni Avissar, Marine Affairs & Policy Division Chair and Professor David Letson, and Sanchirico’s longtime scientific collaborator and Director of the UM Leonard and Jayne Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy and Professor Kenny Broad.

The Rosenstiel Award, created through a generous endowment from the Rosenstiel Foundation honors scientists who, in the past decade, have made significant and growing impacts in their field. It is an award targeted for researchers that are already making outstanding scientific contributions in their early to mid-career stages. Sanchirico was awarded this honor for his research in improving the understanding of the economics and ecology of spatial-dynamic processes inherent in renewable resources management, particularly as a guide to the design of marine protected areas (MPAs).

Earlier in the week, Sanchirico met with UM students and gave lectures on the Rosenstiel School campus about the modeling of ecosystems, highlighting the importance of social and economic information in creating effective models that can help us assess and manage resources more effectively.

The University of Miami is the largest private research institution in the southeastern United States. The University’s mission is to provide quality education, attract and retain outstanding students, support the faculty and their research, and build an endowment for University initiatives. Founded in the 1940s, 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.

MIAMI — April 23, 2012 — The behavior of marine larvae is central to fully understanding and modeling the pelagic (open ocean) stage for many coastal organisms. For the first time, a numerical study conducted by the University of Miami (UM) incorporates horizontal larval fish navigation skills into realistic 3D flow fields, creating a powerful tool that spells out how larvae use environmental cues to find their way back to the reef after being out on the open ocean. The new model uses reliable larval swimming speeds and vertical migration, known life history traits and spawning time to create realistic scenarios that can be studied in detail.

In an article entitled: “Orientation behavior in fish larvae: A missing piece to Hjort’s critical period hypothesis” that appears in the latest edition of the Journal of Theoretical Biology, scientists Erica Staaterman, Claire Paris* and Judith Helgers demonstrate that despite very low swimming speeds — approximately a few centimeters per second — orientation behavior during early stages is critical to bringing larvae back to the juvenile habitat. The research team shows that baby reef-fish must possess, as early as possible, the ability to sense cues radiating from the habitat that help them to navigate and survive the pelagic phase.

The team used Hjort’s “critical period” hypothesis, which says that fish recruitment variability is driven by the fate of the earliest larval stages, and that food and “aberrant drift” are the main factors contributing to the survivorship during this early phase. According to this hypothesis, the proportion of survivors during this “critical” larval phase is carried over throughout the entire life history of the fish’s population.

“Orientation during the “critical period” appears to have remarkable demographic consequences,” said UM Applied Marine Physics Professor Paris. “Larvae need to orient themselves soon after hatching to increase their chance to find any reef or to come back to their home reef. This notion of ‘larval homing behavior’ is a new concept, but it makes sense when compared to other essential larval developmental traits such as first feeding and swimming. If early fish larvae can sense their way home, we were certainly missing an important component in current bio-physical models that would change predictions of marine population connectivity.”

“Using this model we can add to Hjorts’ hypothesis that ‘behavior’ is a main factor contributing to the survivorship of the larvae, as well,” said Staaterman, a Ph.D. student at UM. “We have discovered that recruitment of reef-fish is linked to signals perceived by the pelagic larvae; if the signals disappear or weaken, larvae can get lost. Therefore, the health of the coral reef and its cues is not only critical to the adult reef-fishes, but it is also essential to the survivorship of their pelagic larvae.”

This study also shows the importance of the health of the habitat, even in complex coastal circulation with eddies and counter-currents: The stronger the cue information radiating from the surrounding habitat, the higher the survival rate of the larvae.

The flexible numerical tool that was developed through this study will allow scientists to set up hypotheses about both the nature of the cues and the larval behavior of a wide variety of marine species. This knowledge will allow us to better understand the enigmatic ecological “black box” of the pelagic larval phase, and help communities to better manage marine resources.

“These kind of studies, where the paths of millions of fish larvae are simulated in a model ocean, are really only feasible with the newest generation of numerical models,” said Helgers, a computer scientist who contributed to the model algorithm which is designed to answer questions on the interaction of larvae with ocean currents. “The model we have built is fast and reliable, which allows us to perform the complex computations required to track the larvae in a high resolution model ocean.”

“The outcomes of this study should serve to re-focus research on basic understanding of what larvae are capable of sensing, how they use their capabilities in the pelagic environment, and finally on the sequential importance of navigational cues needed for survival,” added Paris.

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.

*Corresponding author: cparis@rsmas.miami.edu

Ximena Olds — Overall Winner of the University of Miami 2012 Underwater Photography Contest

MIAMI — April 18, 2012 — More than 700 underwater images were submitted for the 2012 Annual Underwater Photography Contest hosted by the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science. The ‘Best Overall” photograph was submitted under the Macro category and was shot in the U.S. Virgin Islands.  The photo by Ximena Olds depicts a vibrant orange headshield sea slug on a brilliant background of green seagrass.

A panel of experts, including photographer and UM lecturer Myron Wang, underwater photographer Nicole Wang and Rosenstiel School Marine Biology & Fisheries Professor Dr. Michael Schmale judged the photos which came from 20 countries. Awards were given in three categories, Macro, Fish or Marine Animal Portrait, Wide Angle, and Best Overall submission. The School also recognized the Best UM Student Photo, which was of a whale shark submitted by Kyra Hartog.

“The quality of photos keeps getting better each year,” said Myron Wang, who has been judging the contest since its inception. “Judging becomes more difficult when you have so many wonderful pictures to choose from.  For me, there were excellent entries in every category but this year’s standout was the great picture of the juvenile sperm whale taken by Douglas Kahle in Dominica – it is spectacular!”

A new addition to the contest, an online ‘Fan Favorite’ poll on the Rosenstiel School blog, garnered more than 1,200 votes.  The winner, taking nearly half the votes, was a jellyfish shot by Todd Aki.

The underwater photography contest is held annually, and is open to all amateur photographers who earn no more than 20 percent of their income from their photography. To view the winners of this year’s contest, visit

http://www.rsmas.miami.edu/outreach/underwater-photography/2012-winners/.

The ‘Best Overall’ prize is a trip on Blackbeard’s Cruises departing from Freeport, Bahamas. This year’s ‘Best UM Student Photo’ was sponsored by Divers Direct. Since 1984, Dania Beach, Fla.-based Divers Direct has serviced the SCUBA community by offering a complete scuba certification curriculum and a large selection of scuba gear including scuba tanks, dive computers, scuba regulators, scuba wetsuits, and scuba masks from the world’s top manufacturers.  In addition to being recognized as the United States’ largest scuba retailer, Divers Direct is also well known for their exceptional customer service. For more information visit www.diversdirect.com or contact a Divers Direct Diving Expert via experts@diversdirect.com or by calling 800-DIVE-USA.

Winners listed by category, and location where photo was shot:

2012 Underwater Photo Contest Winners

Overall Winner

Ximena Olds – U.S. Virgin Islands

Online “Fan Favorite”

Todd Aki

Macro

1. Todd Mintz — Bonaire
2. Davide Lopresti — Indonesia
3. Marcello Di Franceso — Indonesia

Fish or Marine Animal Portrait

1. Douglas Kahle — Dominica
2. Rockford Draper — Indonesia
3. Nicholas Samaras — Greece

Wide-angle

1. Mark Fuller — Israel
2. Matthew Potenski — Bahamas
3. Bill Lamp’l — Fiji

UM Student

1. Kyra Hartog — Mexico
2. Phillip Gillette — Thailand
3. Austin Gallagher — Bahamas

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.

MIAMI — April 16, 2012 — Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science Marine Biology and Fisheries student, Rachael Heuer, was one of four University of Miami students to receive a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing research-based advanced degrees at accredited U.S. institutions.

Using Gulf toadfish (Opsanus beta) Heuer is studying how these fish might cope with ocean acidification, or changes in ocean chemistry resulting from rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that are absorbed by the ocean. Her initial findings indicate that toadfish exposed to elevated CO₂ levels, relevant for the near future and current upwelling regions, lose increased amounts of base from the body through the intestine. This is problematic since toadfish and other marine fishes need to retain bases to help them cope with acidic environments. Heuer’s preliminary findings suggest that this intestinal base loss negatively affects their overall pH balance and health.

“During my NSF Fellowship, I hope to build upon these findings by assessing the energetic cost and exploring the effects of long-term CO₂ exposure in the Gulf toadfish. I am excited to utilize this fellowship to contribute to a rapidly expanding field of ocean acidification research,” says Heuer. “Additionally, I was thrilled to see that NSF offers additional funding opportunities for fellows to conduct research at partner institutions near  the Baltic Sea, a unique environment that already has regions with CO₂ levels higher than what is expected globally over the next two centuries. This will allow me to further study the adaptive physiology of fish in a highly acidic environment.“

UM Professor and Rosenstiel School Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, Dr. Martin Grosell, is Heuer’s advisor, and is proud of her work since arriving at the Rosenstiel School. “Rachael came to the Rosenstiel School in 2010 with extensive teaching and outreach experience and significant research training. She is a highly deserving recipient of this prestigious fellowship that offers support for overseas research experiences and as such will enhance her scientific training.”

Heuer received her Bachelor of Science in Zoology from the University of Florida in 2006 and spent three years in Tampa Bay, Fla. teaching biology, ecology, and AP Environmental Science at East Bay High School before coming to the University of Miami. Heuer commented, “This experience greatly shaped my perspective on the importance of science education and the role of scientists in communicating with the public.”

About the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School
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.

MIAMI — April 13, 2012 — On warm days, the beach seems an ideal destination for family rest and relaxation. Who hasn't built a sand castle or been buried up to the neck in sand? However, that family fun has a dark side — sand can harbor illness-causing microbes. Unfortunately, there are no guidelines for sand quality at recreational sites.

Now, environmental scientists at the University of Miami (UM) and at Northern Illinois University have created a reference guide for potentially harmful germs in sand, similar to the guidelines set by the US Environmental Protection Agency for marine water. The report is published in the American Chemical Society journal Environmental Science & Technology.

“These values can be used by beach managers to make decisions concerning sand quality,” says Helena Solo-Gabriele, professor in the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering at the UM College of Engineering and principal investigator of this project. “That way, when regulators are faced with a decision about a potential health risk, there is a guideline available with which to decide whether or not the levels of microbes found in the sand are cause for concern.”

Dogs, birds and cats visiting a beach are common sources of bacteria in the sand. “Exposures to high levels of certain microorganisms could cause gastrointestinal illness in humans, while infectious risks vary in different microorganism,” says Tomoyuki Shibata, assistant professor in the Public Health Program and Institute for the Study of the Environment, Sustainability, & Energy, at Northern Illinois University and first author of the study.

The researchers wanted to determine what levels of bacteria, or pathogens, found in beach sand could pose a health risk for beachgoers, explains Solo-Gabriele, who is also Co-PI of the Oceans and Human Health Center at the UM Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science.

“The environments in the sand and water are very different,” said Solo-Gabriele. “The sand provides more protection against the effects of solar radiation, which has a tendency to inactivate microbes in water. Sand may also protect microbes from predators (other microbes) that are found exclusively in water.”

To develop the guidelines, the scientists ran one million simulations of the number of microbes in each gram of sand, the transfer of sand from hand to mouth and the ingestion rate. The researchers determined the risk of having 19 cases per 1,000 beachgoers--the level used by the EPA for swimming in marine recreational waters.

The team also documented the levels of pathogens found in the sand at Hobie Cat Beach, in Miami. The findings indicate that levels of harmful microbes at the beach site were low, when compared to the reference levels and therefore safe for beachgoers.

However, studies have shown that children have a higher illness risk than adults from beach and sand exposures. For that reason, the researchers will now focus on studies of kids’ play behavior in sand, to better estimate the acceptable levels of microbes that can cause diseases in children.

“Parents of young children don’t need to overreact to our findings and they can reduce their child’s infectious risk by basic hygiene practices such as hand washing before eating or drinking and taking a shower,” said Shibata.

The report is titled “Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment of Human Illness from Exposure to Marine Beach Sand.” The study was funded by the National Science Foundation through the Oceans and Human Health Center, at UM’s Rosenstiel School.

About the University of Miami
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. www.miami.edu

MIAMI — April 12, 2012 — Researchers from around the country came together at the Mayfair Hotel in Coconut Grove, Fla. this week to kick off the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI)-funded Consortium for Advanced Research on the Transport of Hydrocarbons in the Environment (CARTHE).  The goal of the group is to develop computational tools to accurately predict the fate of hydrocarbons found in crude oil that were released into the environment during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and help to guide risk management and response efforts in mitigation and restoration of the economy and the ecosystem. CARTHE is comprised of 26 principal investigators (PIs) from 12 universities and research institutions distributed across four Gulf States and in four other states. The Director of CARTHE is UM Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science Professor Tamay Özgökmen.

Sixty-five oceanographic modelers and observational scientists spent two days meeting in Miami.  The meeting was kicked off by Özgökmen, who was joined by Chuck Wilson, GoMRI Chief Science Officer, Kevin Shaw, the Program Manager for the project as well as management group from the Consortium for Ocean Leadership.  The team shared presentations, participated in plenary sessions and met in breakout groups to discuss the many facets of CARTHE.

Partners in this activity include scientists from City University of New York — Staten Island, Florida International University, Florida State University, Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Research Laboratory, Nova Southeastern University, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Tulane University, University of Arizona, University of Delaware and University of Texas at Austin. For more information about CARTHE, please visit www.carthe.org.

The GoMRI Research Board is an independent body established by BP to administer the company's 10-year, $500 million commitment to independent research into the effects of the Deepwater Horizon incident (www.gulfresearchinitiative.org/). Through a series of competitive grant programs, the GRI is investigating the impacts of the oil, dispersed oil, and dispersant on the ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico and the affected coastal States in a broad context of improving fundamental understanding of the dynamics of such events and their environmental stresses and public health implications.

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.

WASHINGTON — April 11, 2012 — The prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Foundation announced the recipients of its annual scholarships. Among those recognized as 2012 Goldwater Scholars are the following University of Miami (UM) students: Christopher Sanchez (Leonard and Jayne Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy); Ian Ergui (College of Arts & Sciences); and Juan Pablo Ruiz (College of Engineering). Christine Chesley (Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science) also received an Honorable Mention in recognition of her academic achievements. The goal of this prestigious program is to provide a continuing source of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians, and engineers by awarding scholarships to college students who intend to pursue careers in these fields.

Sanchez is majoring in Environmental Science and Policy with a focus on Anthropology, through UM’s Abess Center. The Center brings resources from various schools and departments at UM together with external scientists, policy makers, and planners, to offer comprehensive research concerning the most pressing environmental questions we face today. Aside from working with UM faculty, Sanchez is collaborating with scientists at Florida International University (FIU) and Arizona State University’s (ASU) School of Sustainability.

“Chris shows a level of tenacity rare even to established scientists,” said Dr. Evelyn Gaiser, FIU faculty member and Principal Investigator of the NSF Florida Coastal Everglades Long-Term Ecological Research program, in which Sanchez has been active since high school.

Dr. Amelia Moore, UM visiting professor of anthropology at the Abess Center and coordinator of the Rosenstiel School’s Master’s in Professional Science – Coastal Sustainability Program adds: “Chris is an excellent and dedicated student who is committed to using an interdisciplinary framework to address complex social and environmental issues. His passions have lead him to the intersection of environmental studies and anthropology, and this interest will continue to enable him to develop deeply empathetic, aware, creative and sustainable ideas for urban living.”

Fellow Goldwater recipient Ergui intends to pursue a Ph.D. in Human Genetics and Genomics, then start a company dedicated to creating genetically modified organisms for use in medicine and industry. And Goldwater Scholar Ruiz aims to conduct stem cell and tissue engineering research for regenerative medicine and teach at the University level.

In recommending Chesley, UM Physics professor, Dr. James Nearing said, “I like it when I can learn something from a student, and I have with her ... Christine does not simply accept a quick explanation, but will dig into the foundations. This is one of those rare cases where I honestly expect to hear about her accomplishments in the field in a decade or two.” Chesley has been accepted into the School’s competitive 5-year BS/MS program in Marine Geology and will be working with geologist Dr. Hal Wanless on research pertaining to magma and plate tectonics.

The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was established by Congress in 1986. A complete list of scholars and honorable mentions can be viewed at http://www.act.org/goldwater/sch-2012.html

About the University of Miami
The University of Miami is the largest private research institution in the southeastern United States. The University’s mission is to provide quality education, attract and retain outstanding students, support the faculty and their research, and build an endowment for University initiatives. For more information, please visit http://www.miami.edu.