Presenting her recent research developments on wood-concrete composites and computational modeling, Peggi Clouston will be part of an international roster of renowned scientists and engineers speaking at MIT’s Spring Conference on Wood in the 21st Century: Design and Preservation of Contemporary and Historic Architecture.

See the list of topics and speaker line-up for the intensive two-day conference/training program:

WOOD IN THE 21st CENTURY: Design and Preservation of Contemporary & Historic Architecture

Saturday, March 24 – Sunday, March 25, 2012

Building Integrated Aquaculture: can holistic design increase system efficiencies and make indoor recirculating aquaculture more successful?

Two faculty members and a post-doctoral scholar at the University of Massachusetts, Dept. of Environmental Conservation introduce the concept of Building Integrated Aquaculture (BIAq), where aquaculture processes and building systems are treated holistically as a means to harness potential synergies that maximize energy efficiency and optimize operations. The research is a collaboration between fish ecologists and building engineers, who view sustainable indoor aquaculture production as a viable solution to ensuring food security, and to the overharvesting and degradation of aquatic habitats that are threatening wild fisheries.

Feature technical article by Simi Hoque (BCT), James Webb (FEC post-doctoral fellow), Andy Danylchuk (FEC).

ASHRAE Journal, Vol. 54, No. 2. Feb. 2012. Pp. 16-24.

Ruby Code Editor plugin by Alexander Schreyer

A plugin for the popular 3D CAD software Google SketchUp, which was written by Alexander Schreyer (Assistant Program Director and Lecturer in BCT) was recently featured in one of Google’s case-studies on their official blog. As can be seen in the image above, his Ruby Code Editor plugin, which allows a user to write and execute code in SketchUp’s 3D environment has been used extensively by Turner Construction. Some of the case-study examples include Turner’s construction of the WTC Transit Hub in New York City.

The case-study can be found here:

Official Google SketchUp Blog: Pro Case Study: Turner Construction and the WTC, Part 2

The plugin for SketchUp can be downloaded for free here:

Ruby Code Editor

The Large Pelagics Research Center
Presents:

2012 Fish and Fisheries Public Seminar Series

Please join us Thursdays at 7pm at Maritime Gloucester.

Captain Scott Drabinowicz & Dr. Lisa Natanson · February 16th
Captain of the Longliner F/V  Eagle Eye II, star of the Discovery Channel’s Swords: Life on the Line
Northeast Fisheries Science Center, NMFS
Collaboration at Sea: Partnerships between Fishermen and Scientists

Dr. Tim Lam · February 23rd

Large Pelagics Research Center, UMass Amherst, Hodgkins Cove Marine Station
Dancing with the Stars: A Tale of Vertical Migrations by Striped Marlins and White Sharks in the Pacific Ocean

Dr. Tom Weber · March 1st

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping, University of New Hampshire
Finding Fish:Multibeam Echosounder Applications to Fisheries Science

Kara Dodge · March 8th

Large Pelagics Research Center and University of New Hampshire
The Secret Lives of Leatherbacks: Satellite Tracking the World’s Largest Sea Turtle

All lectures are free and open to the public. Space is limited.
Maritime Gloucester is located at 23 Harbor Loop, Gloucester.
For more information, contact us at LPRCtunalabLPRCtunalab(at)gmail.com or 978-283-0368

AMHERST, Mass. – University of Massachusetts Amherst fish biologists have published one of the first studies of deep-sea fish sounds in more than 50 years, collected from the sea floor about 2,237 feet (682 meters) below the North Atlantic. With recording technology now more affordable, Rodney Rountree, Francis Juanes and colleagues are exploring the idea that many fish make sounds to communicate with each other, especially those that live in the perpetual dark of the deep ocean.

Though little is known at present about the significance of sounds made by deep-sea fishes, Rountree and Juanes say that if, as their pilot study suggests, these tend to be low-amplitude, then man-made noise in the oceans may turn out to be a particular problem for some important species.

Their paper appears in the new book, “Effects of Noise on Aquatic Life,” from Springer Science+Business Media in its “Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology” series. It compiles papers from an international workshop in Ireland in 2010.

Using hydrophones deployed by fishermen during normal fishing operations, Rountree, Juanes and colleagues obtained a 24-hour recording in Welkers Canyon south of Georges Bank that yielded “a wealth of biological sounds” including sounds of fin, humpback and pilot whales, dolphins and examples of at least 12 other unique and unidentified sounds they attribute to other whales or fish.

Their new paper includes graphics showing the number of these grunts, drumming and duck-like calls recorded per minute by time of day, plus peak volume and frequencies of various noises. Some of the sounds exhibited strong temporal patterns, for example fin whale and dolphin sounds dominated the recording and peaked at night.

Rountree, who makes a collection of fish sounds available on his popular website to engage and educate the public, explains, “We think work to describe underwater sounds is extremely valuable. The importance of sound in the ecology of both freshwater and marine systems is poorly understood. At this point, in fact, most of our work consists of making careful observations, which of course is the first step in the scientific process.”

He adds, “If sound is important to these deep sea fishes, it’s a whole area of ecology we need to know about. One reason is that fishermen are exploring deeper and deeper water to make their catch, and we need to know such things as the baseline populations of food fish, their requirements for spawning, their essential habitat and other key aspects of their lives. We believe passive acoustic monitoring is an important tool in this study. And, it doesn’t harm the fish or their habitat.”

Unlike active acoustic studies that bounce sound waves out and back, passive acoustic studies involve just listening. Rountree and Juanes have been promoting underwater passive acoustic studies for more than a decade. They hope to create a census of sounds and behavior observed concomitant with sounds from many different aquatic and marine habitats.

Juanes says some fish use special “sonic muscles” to produce some sounds, and different sounds have different meanings or functions. Many are believed to be related to reproductive behavior. Some fish use a “sound map” for orientation in their immediate environment and may even use sound waves returning from distant beaches to help them navigate over longer distances. “There is a fascinating acoustic soundscape out there just waiting to be explored.”

Rountree adds, “It’s not only that some fish make sounds, but we think the overall soundscape is interesting and important.” This study was supported by MIT Sea Grant.

In addition to their deep-sea recording project, the researchers are conducting pioneering passive acoustic surveys of sound in many different habitats, such as freshwater ponds, rivers and streams and coastal estuaries of New England, as well as on the commercial fishing grounds in the Gulf of Maine.

- – - – - -

For more news releases please see links below:

Biodiversity Science:
http://www.biodiversityscience.com/2012/01/31/fish-sounds-in-the-amazon/

NewScientist:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21406-first-recording-of-deepwater-fish-chat.html

LiveScience story with video:
http://www.livescience.com/18157-deep-sea-fish-sounds.html

Fox News:

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/01/30/first-recording-deep-sea-fish-reveals-grunts-quacks

Science News:
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2012/01/26/Study-records-deep-sea-fish-sounds/UPI-21301327617996/

Maritime Reporter:
http://www.marinelink.com/news/research-deepdea-umass342255.aspx

Science Daily:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126142908.htm

EurekAlert – Marine Science Portal:
http://www.eurekalert.org/marinescience

Polish web page:
http://www.pap.pl/palio/html.run?_Instance=cms_www.pap.pl&_PageID=1&s=infopakiet&dz=nauka&idNewsComp=&filename=&idnews=37956&data=infopakiet&_CheckSum=730742036

French website:
http://www.futura-sciences.com/fr/news/t/oceanographie-1/d/ocean-ecoutez-des-sons-enregistres-a-642-metres-de-profondeur_36355/

Trending Now:
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/trending-now/scientists-capture-sounds-deep-sea-fish-first-time-170507841.html

Provided by In the Loop

A new documentary, “Fish Meat: Choose Your Farm Wisely,” by eco-filmmaker Ted Caplow and featuring fish ecologist Andy Danylchuk of the Environmental Conservation Department, debuts this week at the Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema near Palm Springs, Calif.

The film exposes some pitfalls of modern aquaculture and the plight of the world’s wild fish stocks, to help consumers think more holistically about where their seafood comes from.

Half of the seafood on the market today comes from fish farms, which range from huge industrial operations to small family-run concerns, says Danylchuk. Media messages about the environmental sustainability of various aquaculture practices are inconsistent and often not helpful.

In “Fish Meat,” he and his friend Caplow, an environmental engineer and producer at Fish Navy Films of Coconut Grove, Fla., tell the story of how they sailed to Turkey’s ancient seas to explore successful modern fish farming on a local scale. They examine existing models of large- vs. small-scale aquaculture and go on a quest to ask, “What does sustainable aquaculture look like?”

“Fish are an important protein and vitamin source, and our government is encouraging everyone to eat more, but wild fish stocks can’t support our demand,” says Danylchuk. “We’ve underestimated our impact in salt- and freshwater systems not just from fishing but from industry and habitat degradation.”

“Our film gives consumers a place to start when deciding whether to eat wild fish,” he adds. “We hope viewers also become more aware that all fish are not created equal. Some of the species we like best, such as salmon and tuna, don’t do a very good job of converting the food they eat into fish meat for us. They require more fish protein in their diet than they supply to us, which is not only inefficient but is rapidly depleting the world’s wild fish stocks.”

“Fish Meat” doesn’t spoon-feed viewers the solutions, Danylchuk says, “but we try to lead people to ask the right questions. I don’t want to give away the punch line, but globalized fish farming may not be the best way to go. The rule of thumb for buying and eating locally, within 100 miles of home, applies not only to fruits and vegetables but to seafood for all the same reasons: Lower transportation costs, more local jobs, less energy in production, less industrial equipment and lower capital needed.”

The 30-minute documentary’s voyage begins at a bluefin tuna “ranch.” Danylchuk and Caplow swim with the giant, fast-moving fish, some weighing as much as 1,300 lbs. (600 kg), before watching them get rounded up for harvest. These giant predators, in danger of extinction, are among the most coveted fish on the international market, they note.

The trip continues along Turkey’s sparkling coast, where fish are raised in hatcheries before being grown to maturity in pens at sea. “Fish Meat” explores operations from the coast to remote mountaintops, surveying techniques common throughout the world. Local fishermen describe the rapid depletion of wild fish stocks they have witnessed.

High in the mountains, Danylchuk and Caplow at last discover an innovative local family-run trout farm, its terraced design efficiently sharing a mountain stream that doesn’t damage the environment. The scientists complete their journey at a carp farm where simple methods are used to raise a fish that is low on the food chain and delicious.

“We hope that after viewing the film, a consumer at the fish counter will make a more informed decision on what to buy, based on the environmental impact of fish species,” Danylchuk says. “To the fish connoisseur, tilapia is not often the fish of choice. However, eating fish like tilapia makes sense because they are more efficient at converting their food into fish meat. Essentially, we should be eating lower on the food chain to help the environment.”

The producers say “Fish Meat” will soon be available for academic purchase and they hope it will also be picked up by a national media or cable network for presentation to general audiences.

Ecologists call for screening to prevent a new wave of invasive plant species
Just when you thought you might have heard the worst of global warming propects, add this to the list: invasive plants . . . invasions that make kudzu Oriental bittersweet and purple loosestrife look like . . . well . . . kudzu, Oriental bittersweet (right) and purple loosestrife. Only worse.

An analysis led by Bethany Bradley of the Environmental Conservation Department suggests that climate change predicted for the United States will boost demand for imported drought- and heat-tolerant landscaping plants from Africa and the Middle East. This greatly increases the risk that a new wave of invasives will overrun native ecosystems in the way kudzu, Oriental bittersweet and purple loosestrife have in the past, members of the international team say.

The kudzu invasion of the past few decades saw whole forests overgrown in the Southeast, along with hedgerows, power lines and even houses. In wetlands across the nation, purple loosestrife is crowding out native marsh plants, and Oriental bittersweet, if left unchecked, shades and chokes out native trees, bushes and shrubs along streams, forest and field edges.

Bradley and colleagues recommend that U.S. authorities adopt proactive management practices, in particular pre-emptive screening of nursery stock before new plants are imported, to prevent such an explosion of new invasives. Their conclusions appear in an early online edition of the Feb. 1 issue of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment.

As the ecologist and lead author explains, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has proposed the Not Authorized Pending Pest Risk Analysis (NAPPRA) rule to regulate the industry. The rule would require importers to notify the USDA of proposed imports. USDA scientists would then conduct a timely risk assessment and issue a recommendation to allow or curtail the import.

“Our study identifies climate change as a risk, which combined with other factors is likely to increase demand for imported heat- and drought-tolerant plants, but this emerging threat is one that policy can effectively address,” Bradley says. “The USDA has tools to reduce import risk and we advocate that now is the time put them in place. Pre-import screening has been tested in Australia for about 10 years now and it’s not foolproof, but it seems to have done a good job of separating the really bad import ideas from more benign introductions.”

Not all imported plants become invasive, but those that do can become a significant threat to native plants and we should not be complacent about the current situation, she says. About 60 percent of plants now considered invasive were introduced deliberately through the plant trade. The other 40 percent are human-related accidental introductions such as seeds stuck in cargo or shipping containers. Only a tiny fraction of non-native introductions are from natural causes such as blowing in with a hurricane, Bradley says.

She and colleagues point out that rising average temperatures in certain regions of the U.S. are already shifting plant hardiness zones northward and the trend is expected to continue globally. Their study suggests that with the earlier onset of spring, warmer winters, economic globalization and increased trade with emerging economies in Asia and Africa, we may face a significant new wave of invasive plant introductions.

For this analysis of the intersection of global trade and climate change, the ecologists used import values from 1989 to 2010 to identify emerging trade partners, because earlier studies had established a clear link between increased trade and the number of invasive species. They found 42 emerging trade partners poised to supply new nursery plant varieties including Thailand, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Ecuador, Argentina and several in equatorial Africa.

The rate of introduction is steepest in the early stages of new trade relationships, the authors say. “Unfortunately, increasing the variety and availability of non-native, drought-tolerant species could also increase the probability of introducing species capable of invading dryland regions.” Bradley adds, “In the desert Southwest this has already been happening with xeriscaping, which is becoming more and more popular.” Xeriscaping refers to gardening with low or no need for watering.

Bradley and colleagues’ work focuses on introduction, the first of three stages of invasion, because “stopping invasions before they start is the most effective way of preventing widespread ecological and economic impacts,” she says. “Globalization has accelerated the rate of introduction from a few species at the first colonization of North America to now, when we probably see thousands of new species each year. All we need is another kudzu to have a big impact.”

More Information

Global change, global trade, and the next wave of plant invasions

Spring 2012 semester [SPIRE #  55476 ]

Tuesday/Thursday, 4:00 – 5:15 pm, 105 Holdsworth Hall

http://blogs.umass.edu/nrc597c-dbk/

Instructor: David Kittredge. 327 Holdsworth Hall. 545-2943; dbkdbk(at)nrc.umass.edu

Background:     Landscapes dominated by private ownerships have pressing conservation needs. Stakes are high in many places as conservation options are lost due to land conversion and development. Massachusetts Audubon estimates that in the recent past the Commonwealth has lost as much as 40 acres of open space to development on a daily basis. One strategy is for the state or federal government to buy land in fee, and this has been done successfully, resulting in the creation of the White Mountain National Forest, various wildlife refuges, national seashores, and state and national parks. Alternatively, there are many examples of conservation and land protection in a parcelized or fragmented landscape dominated by private ownership which are not the result of federal or state fee simple acquisition. In many cases, towns, non-governmental organizations, partnerships, and individuals respond to need and act at a smaller spatial and financial scale but with significant conservation results. Indeed, these groups and individuals can often act with greater speed and local credibility than larger public entities.

This course will review real-world actual case studies in conservation and land protection, with a focus on locally initiated, small-scale success stories, described by outside speakers. The course is intended for the dual audiences of:

• Currently enrolled graduate and undergraduate students in natural resource disciplines (e.g., fisheries, wildlife, forestry) and other relevant areas (e.g., resource economics, geosciences, regional planning). These future resource managers and stewards need to have an understanding of tools and tactics that can be applied in different circumstances to conserve land;  and

• Practicing natural resource managers in private and public sectors, as well as locally-based conservation volunteers who are active in land trusts, Conservation Commissions, and other groups. These people are currently involved at the front lines of conservation, often at the local level, and would benefit from knowing what has been successful in other places.

Requirements:

Visitor summaries.   A 1-2-page summary of presentations made by guests is required. A minimum of 10 summaries  is the baseline  expectation.  Please see the additional  1-page description of this assignment for more information on format, deadlines, and overall expectation. Summaries are due 2 weeks following the presentation, but may be submitted later and suffer a 7-point deduction. No Summary may be submitted after Tuesday, 8 May, 5:00 pm.

Professional Practicum Experience. This is designed to provide the student with an opportunity to acquire professionally relevant experience in land protection and conservation by working with people in land trusts, agencies, and other conservation organizations. The expectation is that students will spend a minimum of eight hours  with conservation professionals, and prepare a final summary describing your activities and what you learned. Important: The student is responsible for designing the Professional Practicum Experience (i.e., select the organization and people; contact and make arrangements; travel to and participate in the organization and its activities; prepare a synthesis summary of the activities). This is an opportunity to design an experience that meets the needs and interests of individual students.  The synthesis summary (4-5 pages describing the Professional Practicum Experience and lessons learned)  is due Tuesday, 8 May, 5:00 pm. Please see the 1-page description of this course requirement for a more thorough explanation of the assignment and deliverable. Note: No grade of INC will be issued due to a failure to complete the Professional Practicum Experience or any other required elements of the course on time.

Take-home mid-term examination. This is an open-book, take-home exam. It will be distributed in class on Tuesday, 6 March, and due one week later on Tuesday, 13 March. You may consult any written materials (hard copy of online), but not other students. This must be your own, original and independent work.

Basis for grading:

Visitor summaries (minimum of 10)      40%

Mid-term take-home exam (distributed March 6;  Due March 13, 5:00 pm):    25%

Professional Practicum Experience (final summary is due Tuesday, 8 May, 5:00 pm):   35%

Incomplete:  No grade of INC will be issued due to a failure to complete the Professional Practicum Experience or any other required elements of the course on time.

1-credit option: as an alternative to taking the course for three credits and meeting all requirements,  students may enroll for 1 credit of independent study (e.g., NRC 596), and meet the requirements of:

0-credit option: The Tuesday afternoon seminars are free and open to the public. Just come and learn about conservation organizations, practices, and success stories.

Prerequisites:  Ability and willingness to travel on your own [or with one other student] to actually visit the site of your Professional practicum experience (one or possibly more times, as needed).

Waiver:

Students will be required to make independent trips to visit the site of a case study, and hereby release and agree to hold blameless the University, Department, and Instructor from any and all liability or loss resulting from acts of omissions.

ACADEMIC HONESTY: Academic dishonesty is a violation of the spirit and regulations of the University, and will not be tolerated. Examples of academic dishonesty include cheating, plagiarism, and fabrication. Any student found to be in violation of University Academic Honesty regulations will automatically receive a failing grade for the course. For further information on academic honesty regulations, please consult:

http://www.umass.edu/dean_students/codeofconduct/

Attendance:  A major portion of the learning from this class will come from the presentations made by guests who visit with us on Tuesdays.  Summaries of their presentations represent 40% of the final grade. It will not be acceptable to submit a summary of a presentation for which a student was not present. You must be present for the presentation in order to prepare and submit a summary.  Attendance will be taken on Tuesdays. Please make every effort to attend the presentations made by our visiting guests. They give up their time and drive in some cases considerable distance to make an investment in your education. I am unable to compensate them for their time, effort, or transportation. Their “payoff” or return on investment is a room with an engaged, inquisitive audience that actively participates and asks questions.

Course schedule:   The class meets every Tuesday and Thursday, from 4 – 5:15 pm in 105 Holdsworth Hall. Seminar presentations of cases by outside speakers will be each Tuesday, and class discussion will be on Thursdays.  See the schedule below for a list of speakers and topics.

By Alexandra Rice