[SEMCO] Thursday's Research at the Reserve: Community Coffee House Series- Waquoit Bay Reserve

[Muller, Joan (DCR)]

For Immediate Release:
Contact: Joan Muller, 508-457-0495 x107 joan.muller at state.ma.us<mailto:joan.muller at state.ma.us>  or
Laurie Tompkins, 508-457-0495 x108 laurie.tompkins at state.ma.us<mailto:laurie.tompkins at state.ma.us>
Next Research at the Reserve talk : "Nitrous Oxide: It's No Laughing Matter".
On Thursday, November 17, at 7 pm, Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve concludes the series, "Community Coffee House Series: Research at the Reserve" with "Nitrous oxide: It's No Laughing Matter". While nitrous oxide is more commonly known as laughing gas- it's really no laughing matter. This gas causes ozone depletion and has a heat trapping potential over 300 times that of carbon dioxide. Robinson "Wally" Fulweiler, Associate Director of the Boston University Marine Program, will highlight what she's finding out from the coring samples she's extracting from the bottom of Waquoit Bay. In addition to an illustrated talk, she'll bring samples of the equipment she uses and share some of the back stories of doing research on the bay.

Dr. Fulweiler framed her research in Waquoit Bay this way, "Most people  are familiar with the science that shows the rise of atmospheric carbon dioxide since the Industrial Revolution. However, many people are not aware that humans have drastically altered the abundance and cycling of another element - nitrogen. This has lead to a series of negative consequences- think harmful algal blooms, fish kills, and loss of biodiversity. But there are other changes excess nitrogen causes, changes we can't see with our naked eye. Those are the changes I am focusing on in my research that I'll talk about in this program."

Robinson W. Fulweiler, studies how climate change may influence the nitrogen cycle in coastal systems and how human impacts alter coastal nutrient cycles.   Dr. Fulweiler, finished her Ph.D. at the Graduate School of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island in 2007 and went on to do a postdoc at Louisiana State University where she studied the wetland ecology of the Gulf Coast. She's worked in a variety of systems, throughout New England, Louisiana, Mexico, and the Antarctic. She enjoys explaining her research to nonscientists and has done several podcasts on a range of topics from wetlands to the Gulf Oil Spill. (http://www.thenakedscientists.com/)  She's also a nitrogen news expert - ready to communicate interesting nitrogen info to the world http://www.nitrogennews.com/contact_a_nitrogen_expert/


The Community Coffee House Series: Research at the Reserve" features scientists discussing their research at the Waquoit Bay Reserve. This interactive coffee house format is designed so people feel equally comfortable asking questions and joining in discussion or just sitting back and listening to the scientists' stories of their work.

Doors open at 6:45 with a chance to view the exhibits in the visitor center and sample some homemade sweets and coffee and tea. Participants are encouraged to bring their own mug.
Registration is preferred but not required at www.waquoitbayreserve.org<http://www.waquoitbayreserve.org> . The program is free and open to all. For more information, call 508-457-0495 x 107 or 108. Waquoit Bay Reserve is located at 149 Waquoit Highway, Waquoit, Massachusetts. For more information and a downloadable flyer, go to www.waquoitbayreserve.org<http://www.waquoitbayreserve.org>






Education Coordinator
Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
149 Waquoit Hwy.
Box 3092
Waquoit, MA 02536
508-457-0495 x107
www.waquoitbayreserve.org


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.whoi.edu/pipermail/semco/attachments/20111114/42081ffc/attachment.htm