NSF Coral Reef Time Series, Virgin Islands

Does coral size matter?

Hannah Ake — Thu, 01 Apr 2021 21:46:30 +0000

Nina Bean is a current Master’s student at California Sate University, Northridge in Dr. Peter Edmunds’ Polyp Lab. She is studying how coral traits and competitive outcomes scale with coral size at various life stages. Read her guest post on Oceanbites here.

Will dead corals help reefs recover from disturbances?

Hannah Ake — Thu, 01 Apr 2021 21:32:54 +0000

Kelly Wong is a current Master’s student at California Sate University, Northridge in Dr. Peter Edmunds’ Polyp Lab. Her research focuses on the role of dead coral rubble in modulating coral populations and reef community dynamics. Read her guest post on Oceanbites here.

Coral Research in the Marine Science Classroom

Hannah Ake — Sun, 16 Aug 2020 21:04:07 +0000

California State University, Northridge (CSUN) professor Dr. Peter Edmunds has been doing field research in the shallow reefs off the coast of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands for close to 30 years. The data collected by Dr. Edmunds and his team has enabled him to construct something like a time-lapse animation of coral recruitment and growth for many species including Porites astreoides (mustard hill coral) in the relatively pristine Great Lameshur Bay of Virgin Islands National Park. Professor Edmunds wants to understand long-term ecological trends and potential environmental effects on the coral communities, and the mustard hill coral is one example of an important coral whose population can be studied in detail. After his extensive yearly field work concludes, Professor Edmunds returns to CSUN where the data analysis begins. For more than a decade, Professor Edmunds has been funded through the National Science Foundation (NSF) to conduct the basic research, but these funds extend to important outreach activities conducted with high schools in the Los Angeles area. Working in close partnership with teachers, the objective is to provide opportunities for meaningful student involvement in ongoing field research. Currently these outreach activities are supported through an additional award from NSF — Research Experience for Teachers (RET) — that created new and exciting opportunities at Campbell Hall.

Recent Viewpoint Alumnus Conducts Coral Research in St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands

wpengine — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 03:35:06 +0000

In 2014, Viewpoint’s Science Department Chair Mr. Craig Didden and Viewpoint alum Brad Martin ’13 had an opportunity to work with Dr. Peter Edmunds, a marine ecologist from California State University, Northridge doing research on the island of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. Mr. Didden has been working with Dr. Edmunds for the past 10 years, and has worked on projects both in the Caribbean and French Polynesia with Dr. Edmunds and his lab.

Brad, who just completed his freshman year at the Rosentiel School of Marine Atmospheric Science at the University of Miami, worked with Dr. Edmunds for four weeks this summer. Brad focused on the long-term changes in the coral reefs surrounding St. John. Brad also assisted with all aspects of field work, including extensive scuba diving, and conducted research focused on the interactions between soft corals and fire corals. Part of Brad’s work was designing a research project that required him to test a specific hypothesis. Brad commented that this experience allowed him to participate in the gritty, real science that is otherwise only seen in a condensed and colorless methods section of a scientific paper. Brad was involved in all aspects of the research, from scrubbing settlement tiles clean to laying out a transect line for his personal research to maintaining the research vessel’s engine; all of these tacks helped to broadened his skill set both in and out of the water.

This is the second time that a Viewpoint student has been chosen by Dr. Edmunds to be a research assistant down in St. John. In 2012, Amanda Arnold’ 11 was awarded a Research Experience for Undergraduates, REU, from The National Science Foundation and assisted Dr. Edmunds and his graduate students.

Read more about the trip here.

A Unique Summer Opportunity: Viewpoint’s Marine Science Students Conduct Field Research in St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands

wpengine — Wed, 09 Dec 2015 00:59:02 +0000

On June 18, 2013 twelve Viewpoint Upper School students traveled to St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, for an eight-day scientific opportunity of a lifetime.

Led by Craig Didden, Chair of Viewpoint’s Science Department, and Assistant Head of Upper School Katrina Fuller, the students will be actively involved in researching coral reefs, deploying scientific equipment, and collecting data as part of an ongoing 25-year research project on the island of St. John. The program is a collaboration between Viewpoint School, California State University, Northridge, and the United States National Science Foundation (Research Experience for Teachers—RET).

“This is an incredible opportunity for students to engage in research sponsored by the U.S. National Science Foundation, and to apply what they have learned in the classroom to natural processes,” said Mr. Didden. “The experience is targeted at students with a serious interest in biological careers, which will involve extensive coursework at the university level, and a commitment to science.”

Our students are excited to see firsthand how coral reefs of the Caribbean have changed over the past 25 years, and what scientists are doing to better understand their biology. “Long-term monitoring of the coral reefs in St. John is extremely important to develop an accurate picture of the health of the reef,” explained Mr. Didden. “Such activities are now underway on most coral reef systems in the world, and it is a rare opportunity for our students to have the chance to be a part of this research.”

The students are staying at the Virgin Island Environmental Resource Station “VIERS,” which is located in Lameshur Bay on St. John. “This is a rustic field station nestled behind the mangrove swamps of the bay, and it provides unrivalled access to a fully natural and pristine environment,” said Mr. Didden. “The absence of air conditioning, street lamps, TV and the normal distractions of urban life make this a location where transformative educational experiences occur.”

Head to the full website to enjoy these journal postings from the students and check back often for more updates.