Marine and Environmental Sciences News

Stokes Gift $2 Million to Marine and Environmental Sciences
March 3, 2023

The USA Board of Trustees passes a resolution renaming the School the Angelia and Steven Stokes School of Marine and Environmental Sciences. ...

Sunset, glass artwork by Matthew Patterson from his Catalysts series

Wanted: Gulf Scholars
December 13, 2022

A new research program at South will select students from diverse academic disciplines for community and environmental projects. ...

Laia Munoz works in USA Marine Sciences fisheries lab complex

South Cuts Ribbon on New Fisheries Lab Complex
November 15, 2022

South students and faculty now have access to state-of-the-art equipment and processing technology to monitor local fish populations. ...

Matthew Hodanbosi, a marine sciences Ph.D. student at the University of South Alabama has been selected as one of 86 John A. Marine Policy Fellows. He will begin his fellowship in February working in Washington D.C. with government officials.

South Ph.D. Student Receives Marine Policy Fellowship
August 4, 2022

Matthew Hodanbosi has been named one of just 86 recipients of the 2023 John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship program. ...

Professor of marine sciences Dr. John Lehrter, on a vessel off the Alabama coast in 2021, is leading a study to arrive at a baseline for water quality along the Alabama Gulf Coast. “At a really fundamental level, this project is about going out, very frequently, and trying to get the pulse of state water quality. Where are the places we have to worry about, and what are the places that have good quality?”

Marine Sciences Professor Wins $3.1 Million Water Quality Grant
July 11, 2022

Dr. John Lehrter and the University of South Alabama School of Marine and Environmental Sciences will lead the three-year study of water and sediment quality along Alabama' s Gulf Coast. ...

Captain Brett Falterman of Fish Research Support displays a conventionally-tagged greater amberjack before releasing the fish off the coast of Louisiana. Photo insert: Each of the small, colorful conventional tags will display a unique five-digit number and a telephone number to call to claim a $250 reward. (Photos courtesy of Dr. Michael Dance, Louisiana State University and Dr. Marcus Drymon, Mississippi State University.)

Greater Amberjack Count
June 28, 2022

USA professor is leading a federally funded project that could have significant implications for commercial and recreational fishing. ...

Dr. Sean Powers, right, professor and director of the School of Marine and Environmental Sciences, walks the halls of the school's renovated 20,000-square-foot campus facility at its dedication last year.

Majors Added in Marine Sciences, Environmental and Sustainability Sciences
March 25, 2022

The two new undergraduate degrees in the School of Marine and Environmental Sciences complement the school's existing programs in research and graduate education. ...

Dr. Sean Powers, professor and director of the School of Marine and Environmental Sciences, walks the halls of the school's renovated 20,000-square-foot facility. “We have an international reputation. We want to bring new students to South,” he said.

School of Marine and Environmental Sciences Dedicated
December 2, 2021

New academic and research programs are expected to follow as South increases opportunities for students and faculty. ...

Dr. Brandi Kiel Reese has been named an early-career fellow by the Gulf Research Program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. The fellowship comes with a $76,000 award that Kiel Reese plans to use to support graduate students and provide paid internships for undergraduates.

USA Associate Professor Named Gulf Research Program Fellow
November 17, 2021

Dr. Brandi Kiel Reese becomes the second South faculty member honored by the Gulf Research Program in as many years. ...

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey announces at an October 15, 2021 press conference that $41 million dollars from Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 will fund 17 separate projects around the State. South’s project, the Healthy Ocean Initiative, will receive $2,018,880 of that total.

School of Marine and Environmental Sciences Receives $2 Million Grant
October 25, 2021

Governor Kay Ivey's office and the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources distributes the federal funding. ...

An underwater camera on a remote operated vehicle in the Gulf of Mexico captured this school of greater amberjack near a pyramid deployed by the State of Alabama to provide fish habitat.

Tracking Amberjack
August 25, 2021

South leads a 'Dream Team' of Gulf Coast researchers in an $11.7 million greater amberjack study that could have significant implications for commercial and recreational fishing. ...

Dr. John Lehrter, associate professor of marine science, pilots a boat through Mobile Bay, where he and graduate Chris Mikolaitis took water samples to measure the health of its marine ecosystem.

Bay Watch
July 29, 2021

South marine scientists monitor environmental trends throughout Mobile Bay in a multi-year program that seeks to prevent decline of oysters, blue crabs and spotted sea trout. ...

Merritt McCall's duties with the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources include building, seeding and monitoring oyster beds in state waters. she recently earned her master's degree in marine science from the University of South Alabama.

The World Is Her Oyster
July 1, 2021

Marine scientist Merritt McCall turns her experience at South and the Dauphin Island Sea Lab into a fisheries job with the state of Mississippi. #MyFirstJob ...

Cory Quint, 2020 President of the Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo and Crystal Hightower, senior research lab manager at the University of South Alabama School of Marine and Environmental Sciences.

Supporting the School of Marine and Environmental Sciences
March 25, 2021

The Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo and the Coastal Conservation Association Alabama each donate to the newly-established school. ...

A recent economic impact analysis conducted by the University for South Alabama Center for Real Estate and Economic Development determined that DISL generates an overall annual economic impact of $56 million for the state of Alabama, and $54 million to the lower Alabama region.

DISL Delivers $56 Million Economic Impact to Alabama
March 16, 2021

A recent study conducted by the University of South Alabama finds the Dauphin Island Sea Lab to be an economic powerhouse. ...

Plans for South's School of Marine and Environmental Sciences call for additional faculty, renovated classroom space and new academic programs. “The school capitalizes on our strategic location on the Gulf Coast, and allows us to expand opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students,” said Dr. Andi Kent, interim provost and senior vice president.

South Launches School of Marine and Environmental Sciences
March 15, 2021

Plans call for new undergraduate and graduate programs to complement the existing degrees that have been offered by the department of marine sciences. ...

Dr. Ronnie Baker, an assistant professor of marine science at the University of South Alabama, holds a grouper off San Cristobal Island in the Galapagos. When he returns for research, Baker plans aims to identify coastal nursery habitats for fisheries species.

South Dives Into Galapagos Research
January 5, 2021

USA's collaboration with partners in Ecuador and on the volcanic archipelago grows with a focus on research and global engagement. ...

Dr. Ronald Baker, assistant professor in the department of marine sciences co-authored a paper on salt marshes that was published in Science magazine's November 6, 2020 issue.

DISL Researcher's Work Published in Science Magazine
November 24, 2020

A November 2019 meeting at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab led to a report on salt marshes published in esteemed scientific journal. ...

Dr. Kelly Dorgan, an associate professor of marine science at the University of South Alabama, studies worms and their impact on marine sediment.

The 'Important, Poorly Understood' Worm
November 18, 2020

Dr. Kelly Dorgan studies worms and marine sediment, creatively piecing together what she calls the 'puzzle of science.' ...

University of South Alabama Arts and Sciences faculty members were recognized for their achievements at the 39th Annual Dean’s Lecture and Faculty Awards Ceremony, including, clockwise from top left, Dr. Joseph Currier, Dr. Krista Mehari, Dr. Amy Sprinkle, Dr. Robert Holm, Joel Borden, Mischa Armstrong, Kristy Britt, Dr. David Durant and Dr. Alexandra Stenson.

College of Arts and Sciences Recognizes Outstanding Faculty
November 10, 2020

Nine faculty members are recognized for their achievements during the 39th Annual Dean's Lecture and Faculty Awards. ...

USA associate professor Dr. Brian Dzwonkowski and his team at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab explore how multiple severe weather events affect storm intensification near landfall.

Following Hurricanes, Gulf in Hot Water
October 5, 2020

A USA oceanographer says severe weather events can fuel marine heatwaves, impacting the intensity of subsequent tropical storms. ...

Dr. Brandi Reese will serve as an associate professor in the department of marine sciences and as senior marine scientist at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab.

Deep Beneath the Deep Blue Sea
September 8, 2020

Department of Marine Sciences newest faculty member Dr. Brandi Reese's cutting edge research explores life below the ocean floor. ...

Internal Grants Awarded for Galapagos Research
December 9, 2019

Seven faculty were awarded $3,000 travel grants to establish collaborations and do preliminary work on their projects. ...

Dr. John Lehrter, associate professor of marine sciences, and Ph.D. student Mai Fung will take part in a study to determine how oyster, blue crab and speckled trout respond to changes in their environment. “We’re looking at how do we manage the ecosystem both from the bottom up – water quality and habitat quality – and top down – fisheries management,” Lehrter said.

Assessing the Health of Mobile Bay
October 22, 2019

USA receives $2.9 million to study how oysters, blue crab and speckled trout provide answers to environmental questions. ...

Galapagos sea lions resting in Galapagos National Park.

South Signs Galapagos Agreement
August 29, 2019

An affiliation with the Galapagos Science Center will create faculty and student research opportunities on the archipelago. ...

Marine Sciences News Archive

Stokes Gift $2 Million to Marine and Environmental Sciences March 3, 2023

Wanted: Gulf Scholars December 13, 2022

South Cuts Ribbon on New Fisheries Lab Complex November 15, 2022

South Ph.D. Student Receives Marine Policy Fellowship August 4, 2022

Marine Sciences Professor Wins $3.1 Million Water Quality Grant July 11, 2022

Greater Amberjack Count June 28, 2022

Majors Added in Marine Sciences, Environmental and Sustainability Sciences March 25, 2022

School of Marine and Environmental Sciences Dedicated December 2, 2021

USA Associate Professor Named Gulf Research Program Fellow November 17, 2021

School of Marine and Environmental Sciences Receives $2 Million Grant October 25, 2021

Tracking Amberjack August 25, 2021

Bay Watch July 29, 2021

The World Is Her Oyster July 1, 2021

Supporting the School of Marine and Environmental Sciences March 25, 2021

DISL Delivers $56 Million Economic Impact to Alabama March 16, 2021

South Launches School of Marine and Environmental Sciences March 15, 2021

South Dives Into Galapagos Research January 5, 2021

DISL Researcher's Work Published in Science Magazine November 24, 2020

The 'Important, Poorly Understood' Worm November 18, 2020

College of Arts and Sciences Recognizes Outstanding Faculty November 10, 2020

Following Hurricanes, Gulf in Hot Water October 5, 2020

Deep Beneath the Deep Blue Sea September 8, 2020

Internal Grants Awarded for Galapagos Research December 9, 2019

Assessing the Health of Mobile Bay October 22, 2019

South Signs Galapagos Agreement August 29, 2019