e-SML February 2008
It is February, which means that we are focused on processing applications for SML Summer 2008 courses. This year promises excellent enrollments for the 28 courses slated to run during our 13-week operating season. Many of these courses are new, 17 of the 28 have been added in the last two years, which allows SML to attract and serve a broader array of undergraduates. For example, among this summer's many exciting new offerings are Animal Social Behavior, taught by SML pioneer and Cornell honeybee expert Tom Seeley and The Sea Around Us, taught by Warren Allmon, director of the Paleontological Research Institute. Check out www.sml.cornell.edu for a complete list of courses on our website .Other factors helping build our enrollment include our new online application system, better and more targeted advertising, and an earlier financial aid deadline. Last year at this time, we had a total of 75 course applications. This year, we have 233, including 64 from Cornell and 23 from UNH. Early enrollment enhances our academic momentum, builds excitement among staff and faculty, and facilitates planning. Much credit for this success goes to the extraordinary efforts of our Shoals recruitment team, led by Robin Hadlock Seeley, Jane Paige, and Christine Bogdanowicz. Track our progress with our Weekly Admissions Report online.
We have also seen robust student interest in our internship programs, now managed entirely by SML and thus free of strictures of outside funding agencies. A special thank you to all of you who made this possible by designating gifts over the years in support of financial aid and internships.
In Portsmouth, Captain Tom Davis has been busy with the boats. Repairs to the Heiser's jet drive will improve performance and fuel efficiency. A new hold cover for the Kingsbury should reduce leaks into the hold (think: fewer wet boxes of groceries). On Appledore, AIRMAP‚s instruments, powered by the wind turbine, solar panels, and battery bank installed this past summer have collected data throughout the winter.
Meanwhile, full operation on Appledore is just around the corner. Staff based at Creek Farm visited the island twice in February and are wrapping up many projects for the busy season ahead. Hiring for seasonal positions is ahead of last year, and we expect the entire island staff to gather for our training weekend at Creek Farm in late April. We invite you to visit the island for Spring Volunteer Weekend May 2-5, when we‚ll be joined by students from Cornell engineering professor Jim Bisogni's on-campus introduction to Sustainable Design for Appledore Island. If you plan to join us in May, then please be in touch with SML coastal coordinator pmb79@cornell.edu (subject=Inquiry about SML Spring Volunteer Weekend, May 2-5 2008) or call Pam Boutilier (603-430-5220).
These are exciting times at SML and I am glad that you are part of the action.
Sincerely,
Willy Bemis, Kingsbury Director of Shoals Marine Laboratory Back to the Top
