CMAST News

Dec 10, 2014

Making a Difference in Food Safety Training

Members of a project team, led by Dr. David Green (CMAST, Seafood Laboratory), are making their mark nationally in an effort to establish an integrated food safety system for the US Food and Drug Administration. The Seafood Laboratory is part of the NC State Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences (FBNS). In 2011, FBNS was…

Dec 10, 2014

Can Fish Shape Predict Optimal Mesh Size in Traps

Minimum fish size limits have increased several times over the history of the commercial trap fishery for black sea bass in ocean waters off the US South Atlantic states. However, minimum trap mesh size limits have not always increased at the same time. This has led to the use of trap meshes smaller than required…

Dec 10, 2014

AAAS Finds CMAST Occupies Unique Niche

(DEC 10, 2014) The American Association for the Advancement of Science Research Competitiveness Program (AAAS) recently found that CMAST, along with other UNC System marine science programs, occupied a unique niche and served a distinct group of stakeholders in North Carolina. At the conclusion of the study, the AAAS presented their assessments to UNC President…

Dec 10, 2014

The Science House @ CMAST: Outreach Takes a Leap Forward!

Education outreach is alive, well, and moving forward at CMAST this year. CMAST now houses an outreach office of NC State’s College of Sciences, The Science House @ CMAST, headed up by Dr. Pat Curley. Their mission is to work in partnership with K-12 teachers and students to promote the use and impact of hands-on, inquiry-based…

Dec 10, 2014

CMAST’s Magnetic Resonance Imaging Facility: Our Newest Attraction

CMAST’s new Marine Magnetic Resonance Facility (MMRF) went online in July 2014, allowing marine scientists to study marine life on a whole new level. According to the project director, Dr. Michael Stoskopf, “The applications for the magnet are limited only by our imagination and the size of the animal we can fit inside the machine.”…

Dec 8, 2014

CMAST Explores the Deepest of the Deep

Scientists plunged more than 6,500 feet in the submarine Alvin to investigate the underwater communities that thrive among methane gas bubbles and seeping hydrogen sulfide in the Gulf of Mexico. Activated floodlights revealed the mysterious creatures living in one of the most extreme environments on Earth-cold seeps. As scientists peered through a tiny porthole to…

Dec 4, 2014

Stranding Team Responds to Bottlenose Dolphin Stranding on Ocracoke

The DMF/CMAST stranding team responded to the stranding of a bottlenose dolphin early Monday morning. The team, led by Dr. Vicky Thayer of NC DMF/CMAST, took the 7 am ferry to Ocracoke to meet Cape Hatteras National Park Service biologists Paul Doshkov, James Yrigoyen, and William Thompson at the stranding site. Dr. Thayer was accompanied…

Dec 1, 2014

Boat Donation Increases the Fleet

The CMAST facility and its programs are very grateful to Dr. Rick Weisler of Raleigh, NC for the donation of a 26-ft. Regulator center console boat. This boat will facilitate CMAST research programs offshore, such as scuba-diving support for research (including instrument deployment and retrieval), tag-recapture of mobile animals, and behavioral observations of animals.

Nov 21, 2014

Dr. Pat Curley, Director of The Science House @ CMAST, named Outstanding Veteran of the Year

Each year, the city of Jacksonville North Carolina seeks nominations from local veterans groups to recognize the area’s “outstanding veteran of the year.” Those nominated, and selected, receive a Veteran of the Year certificate and an “outstanding citizen” pin from the Jacksonville city council. This year, one of those recognized was Dr. Pat Curley, Program…

Nov 21, 2014

The Science House @ CMAST Kicks off a Fabulous Winter

The Science House @ CMAST is rounding out 2014 with activities and plans for the coming year. Science House Director Dr. Pat Curley has been elected as the Eastern Section Chair for the Environmental Educators of North Carolina, the State’s professional organization for formal and informal educators. As the Eastern Section Chair, he will represent the…