More ODU birding news

Eric Walters' bird work makes the news as part of migration tracking study being conducted in the area. Andrew Arnold is a MS student working with Dr Walters on this study. Check out the story in the pilot...Tracking migratory birds

Ocean acidificiation affects clams

Biology faculty member Dr Lisa Horth and her graduate student Rebecca Walawender examine the effects of ocean acidification as part of a wider study led by Professor R. Zimmerman from the Department of Ocean, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at ODU. Check it out.....Eelgrasses, Clams, and Ocean Acidification.

Dr. Walters featured in new documentary film

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Blackfish, an award winning documentary about the captive killer whale industry hit theaters nationwide on July 26th. The films focuses on Tilikum, the world's largest captive killer whale, who has taken the lives of 3 humans during his 30 years of captivity. Tilikum is currently housed at Sea World Orlando and was involved in the death of a Sea World trainer in 2010. Dr. Walters, an assistant professor in our department, is featured in the film. He worked with Tilikum as a whale trainer from 1987 to 1989 and so the film makers wanted his perspective on Tilikum's early years in captivity. Because of Dr. Walters' experience working with Tilikum, combined with many years conducting research on wild killer whales in his native British Columbia, he was called as an expert witness in 1991after Tilikum was implicated in the death of a whale trainer, the first human death ever attributed to a killer whale.

Read more about this at News@ODU

Tick Robot

What is the first thing you thought about with the title ... a robotic tick?  Well think again, this is a robot that may help us eliminate the pesky ticks that inhabit our playgrounds, be it the home back yard or a public park area. Check out what ODU faculty, Dr Holly Gaff  and Emeritus Professor Dan Sonenshine have been up to with a team of engineers from VMI.....

Tick killing robot
ABC News
Check out the video

Edible Plants

Lytton Musselman, Eminent Professor and the Mary Payne Hogan Professor of Botany,has a new book out on edible plants (The Quick Guide to Wild Edible Plants) in which the authors discuss wild produce that is reasonably easy to prepare and tastes good. So if you are looking for something different or new, may be go for a hike and pick up dinner while you are doing so. For more check out this article in News@ODU.

Clean City Heroes

On 06/14/13, the Norfolk Environmental Commission held it's annual "Clean City Cookout" to honor Norfolk's Clean City Heroes. Receiving the "Rivers and Watershed Protection Award" were Todd Egerton, Matthew Muller, and Matthew Semcheski, representing the phytoplankton lab, for their continuing efforts and participation in local wetland restoration projects. 

Matthew Muller, and Matthew Semcheski (not pictured: Todd Egerton)



Larval Lobster Tracking

Check out the latest research of Mark Butler, Professor and Eminent Scholar of Biological Sciences

In his words:


Larval Lobster (From Butler website)

The article describes a very sophisticated biophysical modeling project in which, for the first time, we were able to predict the origins and destinations of spiny lobster larvae throughout the Caribbean.  This is important because the Caribbean spiny lobster is THE most important fishery in the Caribbean and its larvae disburse for many months in the plankton, thus moving among the 30+ countries of the region.  With this publication, we can now begin working with fishery managers around the Caribbean on a Caribbean-wide cooperative management of this important resource.

Butler spiny lobster 

Tiny transparent lobsters stick close to home

For the science behind the press check out the PLoS one article: http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0064970