RSMAS Beats

The Yamaha Contender Miami Billfish Tournament hosted its annual Marine Conservation Night event in the F.G. Walton Smith Commons at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. It took place last Wednesday from 6 to 9 p.m.
The event was part of ongoing efforts by the tournament to educate the public on marine conservation issues and promote conservation awareness.
Captain Dan Kipnis, director of the Florida Wildlife Federation and a member of South Florida Climate Change, was this year’s guest speaker. He spoke about the impact of global warming on the oceans. 
The event was free and open to the public with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar available.
The Yamaha Contender Miami Billfish Tournament, the first fishing tournament in the United States to go to an all-circle hook format, has awarded more than $560,000 to marine enhancement and education programs throughout South Florida. 
The tournament takes place every April, but continues its conservation efforts throughout the year.

Dr. Jody Deming, a professor of oceanography at the University of Washington, was featured in the Harding B. Michel Biological Oceanography Lectureship last Thursday at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science.
The lecture, entitled “Of Ice and Microbes: A Brief Journey Through the Icy Worlds of Our Solar System,” was held in the Rosenstiel School auditorium from 6 to 9 p.m. Deming played an active role in the creation of the nation’s first graduate training program in astrobiology.
Recently, the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science worked out an arrangement with Parking and Transportation Services to provide additional shuttle services during weekday mornings. Starting Nov. 10, the gap between 9:45 a.m. and noon will be filled with multiple shuttle trips. The revised shuttle schedule will be posted on the RSMAS website shortly. The afternoon schedule will remain the same since it corresponds with the MSC 111 discussion sections.

After the release of two juvenile loggerhead sea turtles last Thursday by conservationist Dr. Kirt Rusenko and the staff from Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton, Dr. Kate Mansfield of the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science will be tracking the two shelled creatures by satellite.
After being raised in captivity, Milton and FeeBee will give scientists a unique opportunity to see if these turtles behave differently than wild turtles. It will also allow the general public to follow their journey in the Atlantic Ocean through the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center’s Web site, www.gumbolimbo.org.