At the MMRL we monitor the organic and inorganic carbon contribution of Halimeda and Penicillus along a salinity and nutrient gradient, as part of the Florida Everglades Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program. We have been working with the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve and Miami-Dade County following the Anadyomene green macroalgal bloom in Biscayne Bay, as well as other environmental issues in the bay.
At the MMRL we also are on the forefront of conducting a monitoring program and addressing the impact of the pelagic Sargassum species on South Florida and the Caribbean. At the MMRL we are committed to work with local and regional communities the Citizen Science monitoring network of Sargassum landings in South Florida and the Caribbean and an international network of experts working on Sargassum are examples of research efforts linked to community service.
We are a lab with strong international links, our research and student’s participation include and invite students from other countries. We are convinced of the importance of the internationalization of education. We conducted Collaborative International Learning (COIL) courses in collaboration with Mexico. Our lab is within the Institute of the Environment and Department of Biology.
A couple awesome members of the Marine Macroalgae Research Lab at FIU doing outreach to educate visitors of Deering Estate seafood festival.
We had three presenters from the MMRL presenting their research at the 42nd Southeast Phycology Colloquium (SEPC) held online via Zoom.. Pictured is Ph.D student Danielle Hatt’s 15-minute presentation on nutrient and metal content in landed pelagic Sargassum. We are very proud to have our lab members show up with cunning research presentations!
Another successful year showcasing different aspects of marine macroalgae at the Deering Estate Seafood Festival 2019.???
Congratulations to the “Citizen/Community Science Team” on their E-Poster submitted to the 73rd Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute (GCFI) held virtually! The E-poster is now accessible via scanning the QR code leading to the Learning Toolbox App. “The influxes of pelagic Sargassum across Florida and the Caribbean presents a regional problem that requires collaborations to monitor and manage. This ePoster presents preliminary data collected from the “Sargassum Watch” Community Science Initiative, with help from the collaborative groups in Florida and Grand Cayman.”
We’re confident that the new undergraduate volunteers we’re training will carry on the legacy of the many lab projects we’re currently conducting.