Around the Pier Archives: 2008

December/January 2008

A New Set of Wheels

San Diego streets are a bit fishier these days.That’s because Birch Aquarium at Scripps educators are behind the wheel of a new colorful outreach van that brings the magic of the ocean to children all over the county – and beyond. (more...)

In the Navy

When Jonathan Francis left his land-locked Kansas hometown to join the U.S. Navy, he had no idea he'd also fall in love with the ocean. Nine years later, Francis reaffirmed his oath of enlistment at a place with personal significance: Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego. (more...)

Bringing Out the Scientist in Students

Surrounded by centrifuges, micro-pipettes, and other scientific instruments, three high school students argued and joked."I’m sweeter,” said Kheane Quezon, 17. "I’m sweet, too," said Jurelle Santonia, also 17. (more...)

November 2008

Seaside Sculpture Unveiled in La Jolla Shores

A piece of land next to the children's playground at Kellogg Park just south of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego campus used to be an unsightly muddy lot. Today, the spot has been transformed into a glittering sea sculpture with a strong message about conservation. (more...)

Sea Babies

It's a good thing baby seahorses don't require diapers. Can you imagine shopping for 640 of them? (more...)

Sharing Secrets with Children

A seabird, a whale, and a penguin are separated by thousands of miles of Pacific Ocean. Yet the three animals are connected. What's the link? (more...)

October 2008

$100,000 Bequest from Robert Buzzelli Endows Graduate Student Fellowship

Robert Anthony Buzzelli, who died at the age of 45 in fall 2007, was passionate about helping people who were struggling. Because of this, Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego is establishing an endowed student fellowship in Buzzelli's name. (more...)

Do You Sea What I Sea?

Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego marine biologist Jeff Graham recently paid honor to Richard Rosenblatt, his mentor, curator emeritus of the Marine Vertebrate Collection at Scripps, by painting his portrait. (more...)

Surfing to Academic Success

It was a sunny Saturday morning in La Jolla and a UC San Diego student was getting ready to wade in the waves with his surfboard. But the undergraduate wasn't there to just have fun. He also was trying to measure the physical forces at work when he surfed. Two devices were snugly duct-taped to the front and the back of his board. (more...)

September 2008

DALEET ME

Xavier Mayali, a recent graduate of Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, has been selected as the winner of the 2008 Edward A. Frieman Prize, an annual recognition by Scripps of excellence in graduate student research. Mayali was honored at an award ceremony held July 25 on the Scripps campus. (more...)

Peering Into the Depths

The 70,000-gallon kelp forest habitat at Birch Aquarium at Scripps was the setting for a wet 'n' wild photo shoot when acclaimed photographer Wayne Martin Belger took the plunge in July to capture unique images of life under the sea. (more...)

Scripps Honors Recent Grad for Algal Bloom Study

Xavier Mayali, a recent graduate of Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, has been selected as the winner of the 2008 Edward A. Frieman Prize, an annual recognition by Scripps of excellence in graduate student research. Mayali was honored at an award ceremony held July 25 on the Scripps campus. (more...)

Robotic Invasion

Underwater robots used clawed arms, infrared eyes, and temperature probes to overrun the UC San Diego campus in June. (more...)

What is...A Night in the Spotlight?

The Keeling Curve, Birch Aquarium at Scripps, Scripps coral research and even its ice core samples got their moments in the sun Thursday when the game show "Jeopardy!" tested contestants's knowledge of Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. (more...)

July/August 2008

A Gift from the Heart

"It was calling to me," said Jeff Goodhartz about an article he read in the San Diego Union-Tribune on April 6. The article detailed Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego's latest response to severe budget cuts to the Scripps Oceanographic Collections — inviting the public to name a few newly discovered marine species acquired by the institution in return for a donation. (more...)

A Bridge to Business

With a declaration from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego Director Tony Haymet that Scripps is "open for business," a new Scripps initiative that establishes relationships between business and science hosted its inaugural event. (more...)

Welcome Home!

Scripps Day, a celebration of achievement and a family reunion all in one, drew some 500 visitors in its debut on June 20. (more...)

June 2008

An Educational Playground

It's Thursday at 11 a.m. and the head of Scripps Institution of Oceanography is hard at work. There's just so much to do: a business plan to implement, a budget to iron out, and scientists who need research projects. But the person in charge is not Scripps' real director, Tony Haymet (more...)

Renowned Physicist and Inventor of Wetsuit Dies at 92

Hugh Bradner, renowned physicist and professor emeritus at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, died May 5, 2008, in San Diego, Calif. after a prolonged illness. He was 92 years old. Bradner incorporated science and ocean exploration to design many notable ocean technologies. He had been affiliated with Scripps since 1961 and was professor emeritus at the Cecil H. and Ida M. Green Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics (IGPP). (more...)

A Marriage of Science and Art

Millions of tourists pass through the San Diego International Airport each year. Few know much about the ocean they'll likely visit during their stay or about the world-class oceanic research centers that call the city home. (more...)

May 2008

Scripps Oceanography's Geophysics and Seismology Program Receives High Marks

The magazine issued its 2009 ratings of university programs on March 27. The rankings are based on expert opinion about program quality and statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school's faculty, research, and students. (more...)

A Learning Experience

An expedition to the Indian Ocean made the first detailed measurements of a key oceanographic phenomenon, an outcome that might not have been possible without an innovative University of California funding program to support ship-based research. (more...)

Grunion Fun

An adventurous crowd of kids and adults stayed up well past their bed times April 7 in hopes of witnessing a late-night ocean wonder: the mysterious grunion run. (more...)

April 2008

Scripps Loses an Ocean Science Legend

Some of the world's brightest minds in ocean and earth science walk the halls and inhabit the labs at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego. Every now and then an extraordinary researcher with a spark in his eye - and a lusty sense of humor - comes along and brightens the world just a little bit more. Scripps marine chemist Ed Goldberg was one such soul. (more...)

La Jolla High surfs to victory at ocean competition hosted by Scripps Oceanography

This one-day regional ocean science competition, part of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB), tested students' knowledge of marine sciences during mind-bending challenges. (more...)

Birch Aquarium Teams up with Sally Ride Science to Educate Teachers About Climate Change

A group of teachers huddled Saturday in the Birch Aquarium's climate change exhibit, trying to decide what they would do to curb global warming. Should they build more nuclear power plants? Should they require higher fuel efficiency standards for cars? Should they increase the use of solar power? (more...)

March 2008

Keeping Diversity Afloat

Two scientists and two students from Scripps Institution of Oceanography were recently recognized with UC San Diego 2007 Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action and Diversity Awards. (more...)

Looking Down on the Seas

Satellite measurement techniques and recent scientific findings that have advanced our knowledge of the role of the oceans in Earth's climate system will be the topic of a free public lecture at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. (more...)

Marriage Proposal Under the Sea

There was no question in Cullen Hendrix's mind when deciding how to pop the big question to his girlfriend, a Scripps Institution of Oceanography graduate student. (more...)

A Hole in One for Ocean Education

It's not every day that an octopus or gray whale joins you on the green, but that's all par for the course at Pelly's Mini Golf in Del Mar, Calif. (more...)

February 2008

Seeking Fish Foster Parents

More than 400,000 visitors a year experience the wonders of the ocean at Birch Aquarium at Scripps. To keep its fishes and invertebrates thriving, the aquarium has introduced a new Adopt-a-Fish program that invites participants to become part of the family. (more...)

Alexandrov Awarded Ritter Fellowship

The history of Russian oceanography during the Cold War will be the topic of a public presentation on the campus of Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. (more...)

Whale Watching Tours Make a Splash

Sabine Bradshaw has spent a quarter-century living in San Diego, but this winter she embarked for the first time on one of the city's greatest excursions: whale watching. (more...)