All of these ecological questions are fine and dandy but how do I begin to investigate them? The answer is through MODELING…Ecological modeling is a practical tool that facilitates investigations of complex systems like coral reefs because it allows the simultaneously exploration of a suite of interactions and how they change in a simulated reef system.

In mid April, Stuart came into my office and asked if I got seasick (no) and if I had counted fish before (yes). And so, after a mad dash to finish my work for the quarter almost a month early, I set out to go where no one from the Sandin or Smith labs had [...]

Last night, sitting on the deck of the ship, I smelled fire. Not a fire that would cause the captain of the Hanse Explorer to sound the alarm, but fire from the island off our starboard side. The people of Tabuaeran — which is also known as Fanning Island — were stoking the flames to cook fish that they had caught from the surrounding coral reefs earlier in the day. This was the first time I had smelled smoke during this expedition.

We are pleased to welcome two new members to the Sandin lab – Dr. Gareth Williams and Rachel Morrison.