re : search a journey of intellectual inquiry university of north carolina wilmington Deep expertise UNCW ReseaRCheRs Delve iNto the CaRibbeaN { a message from the dean } Most of you are now familiar with the research being conducted by UNCW faculty in the coastal region of North Carolina. However, the projects conducted by our researchers range far beyond our state’s boundaries and territorial waters. A little over a year ago, our office put out a call to convene all of the faculty members at UNCW who were engaged in research projects in the Caribbean. We were amazed at the number who responded and by the diversity of the disciplines and localities that were represented. So, we decided we’d feature some of this fascinating work in this issue of re:search. We’ve highlighted the ongoing projects supported by the Cooperative Institute for Ocean Exploration, Research and Technology (a partnership among NOAA, Florida Atlantic University and UNCW) along the coast of Florida and into the Caribbean. Also featured is work on sponges off Florida, archeological expeditions to the Mayan ruins of Belize and research on coral reefs in Curacao. In an attempt to capture the broad array of projects and places they are conducted throughout the Caribbean region, Robert Roer we constructed a centerfold map for this issue. The result was an impressive display of the reach of UNCW research and its importance in studying our neighboring tropical environments. The work on coral reefs and associated organisms, like sponges, is particularly relevant to the study of global climate change. The coral reef ecosystems are sites of incredible biodiversity and productivity in the oceans, and they are particularly susceptible to the perturbations associated with climate change. Climate change is also the topic of an article about a new research professor in our Department of Environmental Studies, Paul Hearty, who comes to UNCW with a grant from the National re:search a journey Science Foundation for research into what past geological processes can tell us about current of intellectual inquiry changes in global temperature. to explore or examine The Caribbean is not the only interesting venue for UNCW researchers. Ann Pabst and in order to discover Bill McLellan report on work they’ve done to conserve the endangered Irrawaddy river dolphin in Southeast Asia. We highlight the exciting new Wildsumaco Research Station in the mountains Fall 2011/Spring 2012 of Ecuador that was built by Francis Marion University in partnership with UNCW and re:search is produced by the discoveries being made there. UNCW University Relations This issue features many more examples of research and outreach conducted by our faculty University of North Carolina Wilmington and students. Much of this research would not be possible without the energy, dedication and tireless work of our graduate students, like Tse-Lynn Loh who is pursuing her Ph.D. in marine Office of Research Services biology (pg. 4) and Anne-Marie Hodge (pg. 14-17). The success of the research endeavor at any 601 South College Road university depends upon its ability to recruit and retain the best and brightest graduate students. Wilmington, NC 28403-5973 As state funds continue to decline, it is increasingly difficult for UNCW to assemble competitive 910.962.3810 financial packages to attract the most outstanding graduate students from across the nation. We seek your help to provide support for the well-being of our graduate programs. Please Website: visit www.uncw.edu/advancement to see the opportunities that are available. www.uncw.edu/research Twitter: https://twitter.com/UNCWResearch Thank you. Facebook: http://on.fb.me/L13ubN Tumblr: uncwresearch.tumblr.com Robert Roer Dean of the Graduate School UNC Wilmington is committed to and will provide equal educational and employment opportunity. 5000 copies of this public docu- ment were printed at a cost of $7,380.00 or $1.57 per copy (G.S. 143-170.1) University of North Carolina Wilmington is a public comprehensive university dedicated to excellence in teaching, scholarship, artistic achievement and service. The university seeks to stimulate intellectual curiosity, imagination, rational thinking and thoughtful expression in a broad range of disciplines and professional fields. Publishers re : search Robert D. Roer, PhD Dean of the Graduate School and Research Stephen S. Meinhold, PhD a journey of intellectual inquiry Associate Dean of Research Editor William Davis ’08M university of north carolina wilmington { table of contents } Contributing Writers William Davis ’08M Sally J. Johnson ’14 MFA 10 14 Joy Davis ’06 Emily Jones ’09, ’10M Kim Proukou ’06M Copy Editors Marybeth Bianchi Andrea Weaver Elizabeth Humphrey Designer Kyle Prey Photographer 10 DEEP ExPErTiSE Jamie Moncrief Printer For the researchers from the University of North Carolina Wilmington, the Caribbean is Theo Davis Sons Inc. no vacation. From studying ways to prevent the decline of the region’s coral reefs to providing medicine to poor villagers to unearthing the history of vanished civilizations, the university’s Website faculty, staff and students have spent decades expanding the world’s understanding of the Sally J. Johnson ’14 MFA region and finding ways to improve the lives of its residents and the health of its ecosystem. Cover Photograph Courtesy of Joseph Pawlik FEATUrES Correspondence [email protected] 14 GoiNG WHErE THE 24 SPriNG BrEAk WiLD THiNGS ArE iN BErMUDA UNC Wilmington and Francis Marion University UNC Wilmington students have been given in South Carolina have partnered to establish a the opportunity to study on the Bermudan island F research station in the remote jungle of Wildsumaco of St. George thanks to a grant from the Gillings E CRI in Ecuador. The Wildsumaco Research Station family. For the past six years, the donation has N MO provides researchers with a home base for studying allowed students to take a 10-day field course E MI the diverse ecosystem that provides a home to at the Bermuda Institute of Biological Sciences A W/J thousands of species of insects, birds and mammals, studying alongside students from the United C N including several species of wild cats. Kingdom’s University of Southampton’s School U of Ocean and Earth Science. The experience is Contributing writer Sally J. designed to give students a first-hand experience of Johnson is an MFA candidate 20 rE:SEArCH what it means to become a professional researcher. at UNCW studying poetry. She iNTo rESiLiENCy received her BA from Western Psychology professor Antonio Puente studies DEPArTMENTS Michigan University, where she the connection between patients’ self-image and graduated with highest honors. 2 NEWS their ability to respond to change. The founder and Originally from Grand Rapids, 4 STUDENT SPOTLIGHT co-director of the low-cost Mental Health Clinic Mich., Sally is the second of at the Cape Fear Clinic in Wilmington, Puente 6 RESEARCH AND LEARNING six children. is working at the forefront of integrated mental 18 MEDIA SHELF: health services, using the science of psychology BOOKS, CD AND FILMS to incorporate mental health treatment into 20 OUTREACH the traditional healthcare professional. 25 SUSTAINABLE SEAS { news } THE roCk WHiSPErEr by William Davis ’08M F E RI C N O M E MI A J W/ C N U Paul hearty examines a Pliocene fossil discovered in Western australia. Earth is warming. Determining what this will mean for future generations is one of the greatest challenges in modern science, and UNCW environmental studies professor Paul Hearty has been tapped as one of a world-class team of scientists working to provide answers to this question. Hearty is one of five principal investigators Over the next five years of the grant, on a grant to build a comprehensive model of the PLIOMAX team will tackle three major past climate change by integrating elements of problems in climate science. In the first phase, the world’s crust, oceans, atmosphere and ice they intend to use fossil and geological data sheets using fossil and geological data from collected at sites across the world to build a an ancient warming period 3 million years greatly improved database of sea levels and ago. The National Science Foundation (NSF) thus ice sheet behavior during the Pliocene. has funded the five-year study for $4.25 million, “Geology has to drive this process. a rare achievement in an age when basic Geology provides first-hand information UNCW research budgets have been drastically cut. about the position and movements of ProFESSor Approximately 3 million years ago, the sea level,” said Hearty. Earth was warmer. Global average tempera- In a subsequent phase of the project, AND PriNCiPAL tures were 2-3o Celsius (3.6o F to 5.4o F) great- this data will feed into a series of experiments iNvESTiGATor er than today. Known as the Mid-Pliocene that will provide estimates of the global sea Climatic Optimum (PLIOMAX), this interval level under a variety of climate change scenarios. oN MAJor has received renewed attention by researchers From this work, the team also intends to build CLiMATE CHANGE because its temperatures and composition of a high-resolution comprehensive model of the atmosphere are similar to those predicted the world’s atmosphere-ocean-ice sheet/shelf rESEArCH by global climate change models for the systems. The ultimate goal of the project is to SHArES coming century. better forecast the potential behavior of sea “We have to go back 3 million years to levels and ice sheets in a warmer world. $4.25 MiLLioN find CO (carbon dioxide) levels of 400 ppm For climate researchers, the Mid-Pliocene 2 NSF GrANT (parts per million). Our atmosphere, now represents the last great warm period in at about 393 ppm, will easily reach 400 ppm Earth’s history. As the era’s climate roughly by the end of this decade,” said Hearty. resembles the late 21st century projected by ppaaggee 22 uunnccww rree::sseeaarrcchh { news } the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel Raymo praises Hearty’s fieldwork skills, tectonically stable areas far from tectonic on Climate Change, it has drawn extensive calling him one of the best in the world at plate boundaries. The team has already academic interest in recent years. Agencies interpreting sea level changes from analyzing gathered data in Australia, will travel to such as the U.S. Geological Survey and the the rocks and fossil data. South Africa this year and have planned British Geological Survey have begun major “Paul is an amazing field geologist research expeditions to India, Madagascar efforts to construct data models from with decades of experience looking at the and throughout the Southeastern United States. this period. coastal record of sea level change. I call him Much of this research would have been While there is general agreement about ‘The Rock Whisperer,’” said Raymo. impossible little more than a decade ago the temperatures of the Pliocene, controversy The grant’s other principal investigators – because of the vast amounts of manpower exists about the extent to which its warmer geoscientist Rob DeConto from the University and time that it would have taken to collect temperatures and higher carbon dioxide of Massachusetts-Amherst, physicist Jerry the data. With tools like differential GPS units levels affected global sea levels. Researchers Mitrovica of Harvard and earth scientist that are topographically accurate within a few agree that sea levels were higher during the David Pollard of Pennsylvania State University centimeters and Google Earth images, the Mid-Pliocene, but the magnitude of the – all have world-class reputations in their team can accomplish research in a single rise has been hotly debated. Researchers’ fields. In recommending the grant for full day that would have taken much longer estimates have ranged from 10 meters (32 feet) funding, the NSF reviewers cited the vast in past years. to around 40 meters (131 feet) higher than expertise of the team as a major factor “Armed with a laptop and a GPS on today. Higher sea levels are directly tied to in the decision. your dashboard in real time, you can track the melting of the world’s polar ice sheets Hearty’s role will be to lead field expeditions yourself and potential outcrops on a digital such as Greenland and Antarctica. collecting the fossil and geological evidence geologic map,” said Hearty. Hearty is hesitant to make predictions that will make up the raw data used by the ice Hearty trusts the final results of the based on the past. He acknowledges the and crustal modelers. One of the chief hurdles study will prove valuable in the future. By complexities of predicting the future through in accurately modeling the past and future understanding the response of nature to past studying geological and modeling data. Climate behavior of global climate has been a lack global changes, he hopes that future genera- science deals with a massively complex system, of sea level data. tions will be better prepared to deal with the and the variables that led to sea level rise The PLIOMAX team has already anticipated effects of climate and sea level 3 million years ago included more than provided solutions to some of the period’s changes. simple temperature and CO relationships. greater mysteries. In examining past glaciations “None of us think that in our human 2 Even so, the most conservative estimates and interglacials, they determined that not lifetime or even over several generations, sea of sea level rise during the period would, if only will the levels of the oceans rise when level is going to rise 25 meters,” said Hearty. repeated in a warming future, dramatically the ice melts, but the earth itself will slowly But it will rise. It has in the past, and change the shape of the world’s coastlines. respond when relieved of the pressure of it will again in the future. Hearty says that On a geological scale measured in millions millions of tons of ice. The deformation of addressing these changes will be one of the of years, the ocean has risen and fallen many the earth combined with the rising waters major challenges of the world’s future leaders. times due to climate change. Hearty said has led to some of the large discrepancies “We’re tinkering with a natural machine important geological evidence of this can in findings of past studies. we don’t understand,” said Hearty.  be found throughout Southeastern North “You can load kilometers of ice on a Carolina, which once was submerged continent, and as the ice disappears, the beneath the ocean. continent rebounds hundreds of meters,” Hearty will serve as one of the principal said Hearty. investigators on the grant, a prestigious spot Resolving this controversy is of more on a project featuring an all-star team of than academic interest. The world’s govern- researchers from the top universities in the ments will need accurate projections to plan United States. The project’s leader, professor for a world of rising seas. In recom- Maureen Raymo of Columbia University, is mending that the study receive full recognized as a global leader in the field of funding, the NSF’s review panel paleoclimatology and paleoceanography. praised the research’s strong She and the other members of the team, societal relevance. working jointly in various combinations, To collect this data, have published widely on climate change Hearty and other members in the Pliocene. of the PLIOMAX team Hearty has worked and published with gather samples and precise the team for years, including leading a field measurements from regions expedition in Australia whose findings that share common traits: provided the rationale for the larger study. coastal regions located in uncw re:search page 3 { student spotlight } GrADUATE STUDENT ProFiLE NoTES FroM THE UNDEr(WATEr) WorLD So yoU WANT To BE AN AqUANAUT? by Tse-Lynn Loh ’12 PhD In August 2010, Chris Finelli, chair of the We were also put through our paces A big advantage to working from University of North Carolina Wilmington for the safety and skills aspect of training. Aquarius was the vast amount of bottom biology and marine biology department, We were repeatedly told that “the surface time we got. With eight and a half hours of together with Tiffany Lewis ’11M, Steve is not an option” while saturated and went work time every day, the four of us could McMurray ’08M and I embarked on an through several drills to ensure that we accomplish in a few days what it would take adventure – we were training to be aquanauts! could find our way back to the habitat at all a full lab crew weeks to do. The Aquarius habitat is an underwater times. All of the things we take for granted We often get asked, “What is it like laboratory and living space where researchers on regular dives – ascending in case of a lost underwater?” It was usually pretty busy. Eight can work and live during 10-day missions. buddy, not finding the dive boat underwater, and a half hours of diving did not include Owned by the National Oceanic and Atmo- problems with dive equipment, etc. – were setting up and preparation time. We were spheric Administration and operated by UNC no longer options. always glad to come in for our midday Wilmington. Aquarius is located at Conch The most memorable drill consisted quiet-time or nap between dives. Reef off Key Largo, Fla., and sits at a depth of searching for a “missing” excursion line Food was prepared in foil pouches of 60 feet, with living quarters at 45 feet. and finding our way back to the habitat, all with the hot water tap or the microwave. As you can imagine, working out of an the time with our masks off. Yes, even if our No open flame was allowed due to the higher underwater habitat opens up a new realm of masks were to get knocked off underwater, partial pressure of oxygen in the habitat. possibilities with regard to scientific diving. we would have to swim back maskless rather We quickly became well acquainted with the We did not surface during those 10 days and than surface and regroup. various flavors of freeze-dried camping food. were effectively saturated (with nitrogen) after My eyeballs and I were certainly glad Space was at a premium, and the nightlife 24 hours. As long as we did not dive shallower to pass the aquanaut boot camp and get options limited. than 45 feet, we did not need to worry about on with work. After a couple of days in the laboratory, decompression and could stay out diving for We descended into the habitat after we also got used to the webcams monitoring long periods of time. A typical workday was one week of training with our two super our activities (and signs of life) 24 hours a six hours of diving in the morning followed by “hab techs” who ensured our underwater day. It was interesting to get a Facebook another two and a half hours in the afternoon survival and sanity. This mission was part message about me applying rash cream Before we could descend, though, we of a collaborative effort between Finelli and on my legs! had to undergo some rigorous training by Joseph Pawlik of the biology and marine What about entertainment? With the the experienced instructors at the Aquarius biology department to study Caribbean abundant sea life around the habitat, we did Reef Base. As aquanaut candidates (you only sponge ecology. Finelli and Tiffany were not miss television at all. Nighttime brought become full-fledged aquanauts when you get interested in studying the water-filtering the giant groupers that hunted yellowtail saturated), we had to get familiar with the capabilities of coral reef sponges, especially snappers outside the galley viewport. technical aspects of saturation diving as well the giant barrel sponge Xestospongia muta. At the end of the mission, we were happy as our dive rig – two 125-foot tanks attached Steve and I were setting up a caging experi- to ascend once more and breathe in “regular” to a wing with 55 pounds of lift and a multitude ment to monitor predation effects and the atmospheric air, but it was with an air of of straps and attachments. The tanks were so growth of sponges at different depths on the wistfulness that I said goodbye to Aquarius heavy I did not require any additional weights reef. We also maintained and collected data and swam out to the surface.  to dive. They definitely took some finesse to from a series of long-term sponge plots. deal with, especially on days with rough seas. To read more about this research visit: http://aquarius.uncw.edu/missions/2010/08_2010/expd { student spotlight } UNDErGrADUATE ProFiLE by Sally J. Johnson ’14MFA ear responsible for balance, control of the orientation of the head and stabilization of visual fields. These structures are very important since loss of their functions “can result in hearing loss and vertigo and the inability to carry out normal tasks like walking or reading,” according to Pyott. The research is the first of its kind EF in the vestibular apparatus, said Pyott. RI NC Pylaeva’s work is vital to understanding O M how sodium-potassium pumps function E AMI in the inner-ear organs and could pave J W/ the way for other researchers and doctors C N U to develop vestibular implants or treat olga Pylaeva vestibular disorders. Pyott says Pylaeva’s When olga Pylaeva ’11 moved to the research “has very important conse- United States from Moscow at the age of quences on how these structures within 13, she knew she wanted to be a doctor. the inner ear function.” “I never decided to go into medicine. Pylaeva plans to have this work It was just something I felt all my life,” in print by the end of the year with she said. Pyott’s aid. Pylaeva, a biology and marine In addition to her work in the lab, biology major, credits the University Pylaeva was an active and involved of North Carolina Wilmington for student with a 4.0 GPA. In 2009, she helping her attain her goal of attending volunteered at a local hospital but was medical school. unsatisfied with how little she could In her four years at UNCW, Pylaeva do to help. was able to perform her own research, “I could only give people a blanket travel to and volunteer in developing in the waiting room,” she remembers, countries and achieve recognition for because she wasn’t a doctor or a nurse. her contributions. Her decision to attend “That wasn’t enough. So I went to get UNCW was “one of the best of my my CNA license [that summer].” life so far,” she said. She founded the Global Health While many universities reserve Brigade chapter at UNCW, planning and direct research, lab work and publication fundraising for its first trip to Honduras for graduate and doctoral students, in December 2010. UNCW strongly encourages undergrad- She also received the 2011 scholar- uate involvement. Working with Sonja ship awarded to aspiring physicians by Pyott, assistant professor in biology the New Hanover-Pender County and marine biology, Pylaeva was able Medical Society. to pursue groundbreaking work in Spring semester 2012 Pylaeva human biology. started classes at the Brody School of Pylaeva researched sodium and Medicine at East Carolina University.  potassium exchange in the vestibular apparatus, the structures in the inner F E RI C N O M E MI A J W/ NC uncw re:search page 5 U { research and learning } FroM CUrriTUCk BANkS To BALD HEAD iSLAND by Emily Jones ’09, ’10M “I like trees because they seem more resigned to the way they have to live than other things do.” — Willa Cather Ecologically rich and breathtakingly beautiful, being depleted at an alarming rate. Hopefully maritime forests in North Carolina shelter the study will help to create plans to preserve barrier islands and the mainland from storm the forests,” said Jones. damage, provide a habitat for countless plants A DIS involves investigation beyond and animals, retain moisture and recharge what is offered in existing courses. It encour- aquifers. However, as important as they are, ages students to take the knowledge they only 10 percent of North Carolina’s original have gained in the classroom and apply it maritime forests have survived into the with the guidance of experienced faculty 21st century. members. UNCW’s philosophy is that such The N.C. Division of Coastal Manage- student/faculty partnerships are crucial to ment surveyed the forests in 1988, but no the undergraduate education experience. one had measured the extent of change that “The culmination of the student took place over the next 23 years. So when learning experience is independent study R e Anthony Snider, assistant professor of envi- and applied learning. Putting what they have D Ni s ronmental studies at the University of North learned in the classroom into action in the y N Carolina Wilmington, met environmental ‘real world’ is why students are in school. ho t N studies student Graham Jones ’10, an idea Faculty mentorship is critical to this process. a W/ that Snider had locked away for years was Without faculty direction and experience, C N U set free: a research project to update the the value of the individual study would be anthony snider and Graham Jones data on the loss of maritime forests along diminished,” said Jack Hall, environmental North Carolina’s barrier islands. studies department chair. Maritime forests are… “I kept the idea in the back of my head, Listed as a globally imperiled ecosystem  true forests and when I joined UNCW’s environmental by The Nature Conservancy, the state’s mari-  influenced by salt spray studies department, I waited for a student time forests have been severely diminished  stable through high winds, poor sandy soils with sufficient interest and the ability to by development. The 1988 study listed 24 and occasional salt-water inundation conduct the research. Graham Jones fit maritime forest sites of 20 acres or more on  dominated by live oak and sand laurel oak the bill perfectly,” said Snider. North Carolina’s barrier islands with a com-  present on stabilized sand dunes, dune swales and sand flats The existing baseline study provided a bined total area of 12,628 acres. Preliminary  constantly succeeding and regenerating complete geographic assessment with specific results of Snider’s and Jones’s project show  home to many rare and endemic species surveys of historic and then-current forest that only 18 of the original sites, equaling  threatened by climate change and use, including plant species, topography, site 11,180 acres, remain. human development disturbance and ecological significance as Jones and Snider hope their study well as applicable land management and will support keeping protective measures forest preservation regulations. Snider’s hope in place for the state’s remaining maritime forests is the most effective means of was to bring the original study up to date. forests. The information will help land doing so.” Limited resources forced him to put the managers and legislators make informed Jones graduated from UNCW in idea on hold until he came to UNCW in fall decisions about the need for preserving December 2011 and plans to continue his 2007 and met Jones. Eager and excited, Jones and restoring this unique habitat. studies at the master’s level. With the help enrolled in a directed individual study (DIS) “In the face of increasing sea level rise of a grant from the University of North course with Snider designed to revisit the and storm intensity associated with climate Carolina General Administration, he and 1988 study. change, ensuring the persistence of barrier Snider plan to continue their research not “I wanted to work on this project islands is the surest means of protecting only on the 18 remaining maritime forest because maritime forests have continued to the coast of North Carolina,” Jones said. sites, but also at the six sites lost since disappear for the last 23 years and are still “Protecting and extending the maritime the original study.  page 6 uncw re:search { research and learning } UNCW ProFESSorS WorkiNG To PrEvENT t R e ExTiNCTioN oF rArE o Ci f o rivEr DoLPHiN y s te R U by Brian Burch, University Relations Intern o C o t o Professor Ann Pabst and William McLellan from the h P University of North Carolina Wilmington have been working CioErT with Southeast Asia’s biologists, conservationists and government to a recording device on shore or on officials to find ways to save a marine mammal whose population by Sally J. Johnson ’14MFA a boat without harming the coral. has fallen below 100 living members – the Irrawaddy river Daniel G. Baden, director of dolphin. Native to Southeast Asia’s Mekong River, the world's For the past three years, the the Center for Marine Science at 10th longest river, this genetically isolated population could University of North Carolina UNCW, said he hopes the scien- potentially be the next mammal to become extinct. Wilmington has partnered with tists working on CISME will soon McLellan was sought out by the World Wildlife Fund to the federal government to develop be able to make the probe smaller, review historic stranding cases of the Cambodian Irrawaddy new technologies and procedures faster and more sensitive. Future river dolphin based on his experience with strandings in North to explore and study the ocean CISME prototypes may be able to America. McLellan and Pabst coordinate the Marine Mammal off the Eastern Seaboard. fully function as remotely operated Stranding Program within the UNCW’s Department of Biology The Cooperative Institute for vehicles (ROVs) or even as small and Marine Biology. This program consists of students and Ocean Exploration, Research and robots fully capable of searching researchers who respond to and investigate strandings Technology (CIOERT) is a program for corals themselves. along the North Carolina coast. that allows the National Oceanic These robots, equipped with “These strandings provide a window of opportunity and Atmospheric Administration CISME probes, would be able to to help understand how these mammals make a living. If the (NOAA) to partner with research roam ocean floors and coral reefs marine mammal is found dead, we aim to figure out the institutions, including UNCW. to collect data without any outside cause of death,” said Pabst. Led by Harbor Branch Oceano- help. If made affordably, they would Along with undergraduates and graduate students graphic Institute at Florida Atlantic be able to collect enough expansive from UNCW, Pabst and McLellan attended the International University and based in Fort Pierce, data to make up a comprehen- Marine Mammal Conference in November 2011. McLellan Fla., CIOERT is in its third year of a sive and 3-D map of coral health, attended a meeting concerning the current status of the five-year funding plan from NOAA. making it easier for researchers to Irrawaddy river dolphin where the working group decided Along with basic and applied pinpoint where coral are located it would be beneficial to travel to Cambodia during the middle science, research and drug discovery, and what the effects of their of January 2012. They saw the trip as an opportunity to analyze CIOERT is working on several environment are. long-term stranding data to look for trends and offer large and long-term projects, CISME is an answer to a suggestions for future field techniques. including marine biology’s Alina problem coral researchers have “The Cambodia trip helped gather people with different Szmant’s Coral in Situ Metabolism been facing for a long time. In order levels of expertise to collaborate over this issue,” explained and Energetics (CISME). CISME to garner information about corals Pabst. While on the trip, they found that fishing nets in the is a device used to retrieve and and their metabolic rates as well as Mekong River were entangling the adult dolphins. McLellan record coral metabolic rates without oxygen, carbon dioxide and ocean added, "Fishing net entanglements are a common occurrence harming the organism. One of the acidification levels, researchers found during the stranding work.” goals of the program is to develop without a CISME device must At the 2012 conference, government agencies signed noninvasive research techniques break off a piece of the organism a declaration for commitment in conserving the species. that allow scientists to study organ- to take to the lab. The Mekong River is a major trading route that links several isms without damaging them. With two years of funding countries and provides a majority of the public its main source The CIOERT research led to from NOAA remaining, CIOERT of protein. The Cambodians have agreed to help prevent the creation of a probe, attached to and UNCW expect to make strides extinction of species by opening themselves to new bungee cords, which during a dive in research, technology and science innovative ways of fishing. can gather information about corals and to share these innovations with “The declaration laid out the future of science by help of a similar to the way a blood pressure companies which can produce and broad international community. We saw this as an opportunity cuff does about humans. The device market them as new tools used in in trying to save the species before extinction,” said McLellan.  can then transmit this information labs, fields and classrooms.  uncw re:search page 7 { research and learning } iNTEGrATivE ACTioNS oF THE NErvoUS SySTEM x by Kim Proukou ’06M o f e aN J The box jellyfish looks like a lovely glass bell, o / t but the transparent hollow of this “sea wasp” ho P is not known for its beauty, but rather its sting. richard Satterlie, UNCW’s Frank oUT oF THE CLASSrooM: Hawkins Kenan Distinguished Professor of Biological Sciences, studies the physiology, SCHooL oF NUrSiNG CULTUrAL iMMErSioN the functioning systems and organs, of ADvANCES THirD-WorLD HEALTH box jellyfish. In research circles, box jellyfish have by Jesse McCarl ’12 been gaining attention for their elaborate, well-functioning “camera-like eyes,” accord- For the past several years, professor Jane A. The UNCW Cultural Immersion program ing to Satterlie, but its intricate and varied Fox has led nursing students into El Salvador that sponsors the trips began two years ago. behavioral responses and physiology are not to provide health care for residents who In 2011 and 2012, the program received a fully understood and may offer surprising otherwise would not be able to see a health $15,000 grant from the Mary Lynn Richard- applications. professional of any kind. son Fund. The money was used “to purchase Satterlie wants to know if the successful, In 2011, for 10 days during their spring equipment, vitamins, anti-inflammatory adaptive behavioral control that these jellyfish break, eight handpicked nursing students drugs and other medications that made this exhibit “can tell us something important traveled to La Libertad, El Salvador, to operate the most successful trip yet. We were also able about the evolutional development of the a small clinic with a pharmacy treating every- to provide food for the elderly in the villages.” nervous system.” thing from rashes, flu, headaches, ear pains, The program also is expanding due to a If so, this new knowledge would be parasites and beyond for five of the poorest supply drive held by UNCW School of Nurs- significant. Better understanding of the communities. In 2012, Fox will return to the ing. In 2011, donations provided 45 boxes nervous systems of all animals, including region with six students. of clothing, medications, toiletries and other humans, could lead to a means to preserve These are communities with no electricity supplies that were shipped and distributed and possibly regenerate brain function. While or running water. Health care is rare, and during the visit. more research is needed, such outcomes word of the opportunity travels fast. Commu- The core purpose of these trips is to could advance disciplines from physiology nity leaders are contacted ahead of time provide health care for those who are not able to psychology and provide important data to prepare facilities for the clinics and spread to receive it elsewhere. However, Fox and her for new, emerging fields such as cognitive the news of the upcoming visit. students also collect data for research on long- neuroscience and restorative neurology. The line to be treated forms early in term development of these areas. The goal “There is a definite need to better the morning and is consistently long all day. is not to create dependency, but provide the understand wider aspects of cubomedusan During the March 2011 trip, the group served opportunity to establish long-term change. nervous organization and behavior,” Satterlie more than 800 patients. For most of the locals, The trips are a demonstration of how health said. “With such a fragile body form, how this is likely the only health care they will care can work efficiently, even when resources did these animals answer challenges to receive all year. are limited. Additionally, data are gathered on their survival and successfully evolve both “The people are very appreciative and how such short-term programs change stu- as individuals and as a group? In the contest patient. It’s different from how the ER oper- dent’s perceptions of the world and about oth- for survival, how did they gain a competitive ates here. Here people would get frustrated ers who are very different from themselves. advantage?” with the waits or the language barrier,” said “Students get to think outside the box A National Science Foundation grant Maria Weeg ’12. in terms of providing care,” said Fox. “We award of $400,081 supports this investigation. Fox has always had a heart for the people learn better efficiency which we can apply to The grant will fund educational support and of El Salvador; she has been making these systems back home. We have limited resources training for two graduate students and one trips since 2000, sometimes multiple times a and must figure out other options to meet undergraduate. An additional four to five year. In 2004, she received a Fulbright grant identified needs. It’s innovation that we often undergraduates are involved through the to develop a master’s program to educate don’t need with all the resources available in Honors College and directed individual study.  and train advanced practice nurses there. our more established health care system.”  page 8 uncw re:search