UVI MMES

Master of Marine and Environmental Science Graduate Program at the University of the Virgin Islands

[Ocean and Coastal Observing- Virgin Islands @OCO_VI]

Additionally, OCOVI will have an ROV on display. Bring your ocean questions and learn about what OCOVI is doing for you this hurricane season! This beach cleanup is a part of a GLOBAL effort to pick up 30 tonnes of trash! Be sure to use the hashtag #STTWOD21!

[Ocean and Coastal Observing- Virgin Islands @OCO_VI]

This Sunday, June 13th from 8 am-12 pm come join @OCO_VI, Cleanup St. Thomas, @SOAlliance, @WomeninOceanSci, and @OceanMimic in a #WorldOceanDay Cleanup at Brewers Beach! We are handing out reusable water bottles to the first round of participants courtesy of @uvimmes!

[Madyson Miller @whaleslovemady]

I am hosting a beach clean-up on June 13th from 8-12pm at Brewer's Bay Beach, St. Thomas in an international collaboration with @WomeninOceanSci, @OceanMimic, @OCO_VI, Clean Up St. Thomas, and the USVI youth chapter of @SOAlliance! Bring your own water bottle and sunscreen!!

[Madyson Miller @whaleslovemady]

So incredibly proud of my cohort for publishing our @uvimmes capstone research project! We have officially been accepted! Finally a published scientific co-author! #sctld

[Ocean and Coastal Observing- Virgin Islands @OCO_VI]

As the 2021 hurricane season approaches, OCOVI is ready for our glider season. Since OCOVI works closely with @UVI_edu, we thought we’d reach out to @uvimmes student @Souza101Matt, who spends a significant time researching past and present hurricane patterns and predictions.

[Ocean and Coastal Observing- Virgin Islands @OCO_VI]

They collect temp, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH and turbidity. They also test for Enterococci sp., Total Nitrogen, Total Phosphorus, and Total Suspended Solids. You can see all this data at https://t.co/q6Z8LTvKDS.

Photos by Amber Packard

[Ocean and Coastal Observing- Virgin Islands @OCO_VI]

Amber is the Environmental Analysis Lab Manager at UVI. Her main project is the Basic Ambient Water Quality Monitoring Project. They monitor water quality in bays on St. Thomas & St. John.

[Ocean and Coastal Observing- Virgin Islands @OCO_VI]

A gnathiid is a parasitic crustacean that infects marine reef fishes like damselfish. In her experiment she learned that settlement stage damselfish would rather settle on the side of a reef with plankton that contain parasites than the side with no plankton!

[Ocean and Coastal Observing- Virgin Islands @OCO_VI]

Everyone meet Amber Packard! Amber graduated from the UVI Masters of Marine and Environmental Science program back in 2020. Let’s hear more about her work!
Amber’s thesis was on the “Effects of micropredatory gnathiid isopods on recent post-settlement coral reefs.”

[Ocean and Coastal Observing- Virgin Islands @OCO_VI]

She washes the seaweed onto filters, hand picks the microplastics off and counts them under a microscope. She hopes to understand the impacts microplastics have on the unique ecosystem that Sargassum creates for many organisms including crabs and birds.

Photos: @OliviaDiana_07

[Ocean and Coastal Observing- Virgin Islands @OCO_VI]

Microplastics are very small pieces of plastic debris found in the environment. They are often consumed by ocean life and are a result of improper disposal of waste. For her research she uses a washing method to dislodge microplastics from the seaweed’s surface.

[Ocean and Coastal Observing- Virgin Islands @OCO_VI]

One graduate student in the @uvimmes program, Olivia Diana, is looking at algae as accumulators of microplastics. To do this she is studying both pelagic and benthic Sargassum from various beaches around St. Thomas, USVI.

[Ocean and Coastal Observing- Virgin Islands @OCO_VI]

Tune in to our photographer Dan's Thesis Defense at 12 PM EST/AST today to learn more about: "A Comparison of Propagation Techniques with Acropora palmata Micro-fragments". DM for the zoom link. @uvimmes @UVI_edu

[US Youth Advisory Council for the UN Ocean Decade @usyacunod]

"As someone who is not from the USVI, my main priority is getting local youth involved on the important decisions being made for THEIR oceans and that will impact THEIR livelihoods."
- Madyson

[Madyson Miller @whaleslovemady]

Hey everyone should go follow @usyacunod! We are a youth advocacy organization (13-25 yrs) that are dedicated to creating positive change this ocean decade!

[UVI MMES @uvimmes]

Congratulations to Sonora Meiling! We are so proud of all your accomplishments and all the work you have done to make waves of change in our coral ecosystems!

[Wave Of Change @waveofchange]

The work to continue caring for our reefs continues!

Meet the winners of our reef restoration scholarships with
@FundIberostar. Congratulations to all 👏, stay tuned to get to know more about them! https://t.co/qSjTRO50B6

[Ocean and Coastal Observing- Virgin Islands @OCO_VI]

I graduated with my Master’s in 2020 and currently, I am the Marine Disease Specialist at the University of the Virgin Islands researching ways to help corals fight SCTLD and restore populations devastated by the outbreak.”

Photo by: Dan Mele

[Ocean and Coastal Observing- Virgin Islands @OCO_VI]

"I monitored the outbreak of stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) shortly after it arrived in the USVI. Using 3D models, I tracked diseased corals throughout a bleaching event. I established monitoring stations to evaluate the impact of SCTLD on reef communities.

[Ocean and Coastal Observing- Virgin Islands @OCO_VI]

Congratulations to one of our Vembu-Subramanian Scholars, Sonora Meiling, who was just awarded the @waveofchange Reef Restoration Scholarship!

[Madyson Miller @whaleslovemady]

Happy #InternationalDayOfWomenInScience 🌊Inspiring the next generation of girls one invert at a time 🦀