Wading Through Research

Guest Post from Alex Perez, undergraduate researcher in the Seagrass Ecosystems and Marine Macroalgae labs at FIU. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When one thinks of Florida Bay the connotation is that of a shallow water system that is surrounded mangrove tree islands and mud banks. The thoughts of aquatic vegetation and blue water coloration more diverse than your standard 8-pack Crayola box, is what I used to think of. That is of course before I began to notice what was soaring above the surface. My first taste of the birds of Florida Bay was an experience I have yet to repeat, one chilly winter day as we were making our run from the western portion of the Bay to the center of the Bay we came across thousands (not a hyperbole) of migratory birds. The sound of our outboard shattering the tranquil water exciting the birds to take flight, was the first time I really no...

"Nothing endures but change." -- Heraclitus It is indeed a time of change for the FCE LTER graduate students. One of our own, Ann Hijuelos, Trexler lab master's student and blog founder, successfully defended her thesis and has moved on to greener pastures (a real job in Baton Rouge, LA). On behalf of all of us here at the blog, I thank Ann for her leadership and wish her well in all future endeavors. In the power vacuum that resulted from Ann's departure, Jenn Sweatman, Fourqurean lab PhD student, has forcefully taken the reins of the blog and we can only hope that she is a kind and benevolent master. I am very confident that Jenn will lead us to new heights of blogitude! Also, thanks to the fearless leadership of Dr. Evelyn Gaiser and the hard work of many other FCE contributors, our NSF grant has been renewed for another six years in the amount of $5.88 million! This grant renewal ensures that vital FCE research will continue until at least 2018, and a new crop o...