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Outreach & Events

Coastal & Marine Science Events

The Planet Ocean Seminar Series is free and open to the public. Seminars are currently run as both in-person and virtual events, so registration is required. Once you register to attend virtually, you will receive the link to join the webinar. For further information, please call the UNCW Center for Marine Science at 910.962.2408.


2024-25 Series

Feb. 11, 2025
Robots and AI:
Seafloor Mapping for Next Generation Ocean Planning,
Ecosystem Management and Restoration
with Dr. J. Christopher Taylor

Maps of seabed habitats are a fundamental decision support tool for marine spatial planning and ocean ecosystem management. Decision-makers and stakeholders are requiring maps at broader extent, finer resolution, and richer detail. We have reached the capacity to characterize and groundtruth the seabed using point samples such as drop cameras and even remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and human annotations. This seminar will showcase how NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science is using autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) to rapidly fill gaps in remote sensing and direct observations of the seabed. Sensors recently made available from military and industry are providing unprecedented resolution in imagery and the ability to characterize seabed geoforms and biological communities at broad spatial extents. But these sensors have increased the velocity in data acquisition, creating new bottlenecks. Cloud computing and artificial intelligence will ensure timely delivery of decision-ready maps for the next generation ocean planning, ecosystem management and restoration.

Dr. Chris Taylor is a senior principal investigator with the Seascape Ecology and Analytics Branch in NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science. He leads seafloor mapping and marine ecological research from the polar to tropical ecosystems and conducts research and development in underwater acoustics and optics in uncrewed maritime systems. He came to NOAA 2008 after a short stint as research faculty at UNC Chapel Hill Institute of Marine Science and research associate with NC State University. He received his master’s and doctorate degrees from NC State University. Taylor lives in Morehead City and enjoys the outdoors, fishing and cooking and spends his free time with his wife Dr. Larisa Avens, two sons, one dog and several box turtles.

Register to attend in person

Register to attend via zoom


Nov. 12, 2024
The Surface Water and Ocean Topography Mission:
NASA's New Eye in the Sky for Earth's Water

with Dr. Tamlin Pavelsky

After almost two decades of development, NASA launched the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) Mission in December 2022. SWOT is designed to provide the most complete measurements ever of Earth’s surface water, including rivers, lakes, and oceans. It uses radar technology to track detailed variations in water levels that can help us understand water storage in millions of lakes, the flow of water through rivers, and ocean currents. In this talk, we will explore this exciting new mission and get a first look at some of the data and results that are beginning to come out from it.

Dr. Tamlin Pavelsky is a professor of global hydrology in the Department of Earth, Marine and Environmental Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He earned his doctorate in geography from UCLA in 2008. His research has focused on understanding the global distribution of water in rivers, lakes, and mountain snowpack using satellite imagery, field measurements, and regional climate models. Since 2013, Dr. Pavelsky has served as the hydrology science lead for the NASA Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite mission. For his work leading the surface water community towards solutions for measuring river flow from space, Dr. Pavelsky was awarded a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest award given by the U.S. government to early career researchers. He grew up in central Alaska in cabins without electricity or running water.

watch recorded seminar



Sept. 10, 2024
The Long-Lost Nile Branch May Help Solve the Riddle
Surrounding the Placement of the Largest Egyptian Pyramids Field
with Dr. Eman Ghoneim

Scientists have long hypothesized that the Nile River may have previously been closer to the narrow desert stretch that is home to Egypt's largest pyramids field than it is today. This assumption, however, remains speculative, since no waterway has been found near the pyramids, while the Nile River lies several kilometers away. Radar satellite imagery, in conjunction with geophysical data and deep soil coring enabled us to confirm the presence of a buried major Nile branch passing closer to the Old and Middle Kingdom pyramids. This long-lost branch served as a crucial water conduit for the movement of laborers, large stones and building material to the pyramid sites, which might explain why the Ancient Egyptians chose this location for the construction of their pyramids.

Eman Ghoneim received her Ph.D. in 2002 in physical geography from the University of Southampton, UK. She held a research assistant professor position at the Center for Remote Sensing, Boston University from 2003-2009. In 2010 she joined the Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences and become the Director of the Space and Drone Remote Sensing Laboratory (SDRS).

watch recorded webinar 


2023-24 Series

Apr. 9, 2024
Emerging Challenges for Coastal Birds:
Sea Level Rise, Heat, and Disturbance
with Dr. Ray Danner

watch recorded webinar


Feb. 13, 2024
Robotic Oceanography:
Expanding the Impact from Science to Decision-Making
with Dr. Catherine Edwards

watch recorded webinar


Nov. 14, 2023
Sensory Systems to Self-Driving Cars:
Science at the Intersection of Mechanism, Theory, and Opportunity
with Dr. Lorian Schweikert

Dr. Schweikert's Lab


Sep. 12, 2023
An Overview of Marine Mammal Research at UNCW 
with Dr. Michael Tift

watch recorded seminar

2022-2023 Series

April 18, 2023
Conservation in a Changing Climate: Impacts on Seagrass Resiliency and Restoration
with Drs. Jessie Jarvis and Stephanie Kamel

Watch recorded seminar


Feb. 7, 2023
The Climate Crisis: Where We Are, What We Can Do
with Dr. Maureen Raymo


Nov. 15, 2022
Ten Things I Learned from Studying the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill for a Decade
with Dr. Steven A. Murawski

WATCH RECORDED SEMINAR


Sept. 13, 2022
A Tale of Two Brothers: Art Meets Science in the Open Sea
with Dr. Sönke Johnsen

WATCH RECORDED SEMINAR


VIEW PREVIOUS PLANET OCEAN TOPICS

 

Center for Marine Science Open House

The Center for Marine Science (CMS) invites the general public to tour campus each fall at our Open House, typically held on one of the first couple of weekends in October – weather permitting. Thank you to everyone who attending our 2024 open house!

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marine science outreach

The Coastal Ocean Research and Monitoring Program provides an interdisciplinary science-based framework that supports sound public policy leading to wise coastal use, sustainable fisheries and improved coastal ocean ecosystem health.

ACCESS NEAR-REAL TIME CORMP OBSERVATIONS

MarineQuest provides K-12 marine and environmental education in coastal North Carolina.

CMS-based MarineQuest Staff

Harris Muhlstein: MarineQuest School Program Coordinator
Morgan O'Connell: Research and Volunteer Coordinator

LEARN MORE ABOUT MARINEQUEST

The North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve (NCNERR) promotes informed management and stewardship of North Carolina’s estuarine and coastal habitats through research, education and example.

LEARN MORE ABOUT NCNERR

North Carolina Sea Grant provides research, education and outreach opportunities relating to current issues affecting the North Carolina coast and its communities.

LEARN MORE ABOUT NC SEA GRANT

UNCW Awarded $1.5M for Coastal Research

UNCW has received $1.5 million in grant funding to lead the TEAL-SHIPS Transect Expedition, a groundbreaking project aimed at studying coastal land-to-sea habitats.

Research Team Headed to Antarctica to Study Sea Urchins

Jake Warner, an assistant professor in UNC Wilmington's Department of Biology and Marine Biology, is leading a research expedition to McMurdo Station in Antarctica to study the genomic adaptation of sea urchins to the Antarctic environment.

UNCW Doctoral Student Receives NOSAMS Funding

UNCW applied coastal and ocean sciences doctoral student, Chris Blanco, has been awarded over $10,000 in radiocarbon analyses by the National Ocean Sciences Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (NOSAMS) facility at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) to advance his research.

Two UNCW Students Appointed to Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship

UNC Wilmington graduate students Maylyn Hinson ’24M and Delaney McBride have been named to one of the nation’s most prestigious marine science fellowships.

McLean Lab Receives NSF EMBRACE Grant for North Sea Research

UNCW Assistant Professor of Biology and Marine Biology Matthew McLean and doctoral student Adrian Gonzalez-Ortiz have received a $400,000 NSF EMBRACE (EMpowering BRoader Academic Capacity and Education) grant. 

UNCW Honors Excellence in Research and Innovation

The achievements, scholarly productivity and creative works of UNCW’s research leaders were formally applauded at the annual research celebration on Sept. 26.

UNCW Alumni Receive Pharmaceutical Chemistry Fellowships

Three UNCW alumni have been awarded fellowships in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry’s Pharmaceutical Chemistry doctoral program. Caitlyn Agee, Sarah Barr and Jared Wood are the first cohort of doctoral fellows for Pharmaceutical Chemistry.

UNCW Announces Major Addition to Research Vessel Fleet

The Center for Marine Science at the University of North Carolina Wilmington is acquiring a cutting-edge 73-foot research vessel for its fleet. This vessel will greatly enhance the center's marine research capabilities, supporting a variety of scientific missions and community outreach programs.

Living with Water at Battleship North Carolina

Three UNCW labs are among those collaborating on physical and biological monitoring in support of a floodwater-mitigation project at Battleship North Carolina called Living with Water.

New Parasite Found in N.C. Scallops

A team of UNCW researchers has identified a previously undescribed species of trematode parasite infecting native bay scallops in North Carolina.

Contact CMS

Center for Marine Science

Phone: (910) 962-2408
Fax: (910) 962-2410

Monday-Friday
8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

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