The Fall semester is complete and it seems appropriate to reflect and mention a few notable happenings in the lab.
Austin spent a week in Portland, OR, at the biennial Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation (CERF) conference and presented some of the lab's research on environmental impacts of oyster aquaculture and restoration in Rhode Island. The conference was a good opportunity to share the new lab's ongoing work, connect with old colleagues and friends, as well as meet new folks doing interesting and cool research. Oh yeah, and enjoy Portland's food and beer scene!
Around the URI campus, Lauren wrapped up her first semester and completed all of the course requirements for her degree as well as got a good grip on her thesis objectives. Caroline Gottshalk Druske will serve on Lauren's committee and bring her expertise in studying the human dimensions of natural resources management through rhetoric and communication. We are stoked to be collaborating with Caroline in this capacity!
Austin finished teaching his first semester at URI, which included Fisheries Science (AFS 415), a course for fourth year undergraduates as well as graduate students. He was also busy giving seminars in URI's College of the Environment and Life Sciences' Colloquium Series, the Coastal Resources Center's Seminar Series, as well as developing new courses in Ecosystem Science and Sustainability (BES 551) and Food from the Sea (AFS 105). As well as writing a few proposals!
The lab is psyched to have Evans Arizi and Diky Suganda join the team, both of which are doing vital research to improve fisheries management in their home countries of Ghana and Indonesia, respectively.
During the winter break from classes, Austin will be spending most of January in Indonesia, meeting with colleagues about upcoming research and scoping for a potential study abroad course on small-scale coral reef fisheries. Look for a post about this trip at the end of January!
