{"id":184793,"date":"2024-06-14T09:39:27","date_gmt":"2024-06-14T13:39:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/?p=184793"},"modified":"2024-06-14T09:39:27","modified_gmt":"2024-06-14T13:39:27","slug":"charting-new-courses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/publications\/aboard-gso\/charting-new-courses\/","title":{"rendered":"Charting New Courses"},"content":{"rendered":"

Charting New Courses<\/h1>

GSO Alums Make Waves at Maritime Academies<\/p><\/div><\/div>

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Apply site-wide<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n

By Veronica M. Berounsky, Ph.D. \u201990<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In the realm of higher education, the nation\u2019s maritime academies stand as unique institutions. These seven academies weave the pursuit of a college degree with the practical skills and at-sea training essential to forge commissioned officers with U.S. Coast Guard licenses. Endeavor, the research vessel operated by the Graduate School of Oceanography, has been captained by graduates of either Maine Maritime Academy in Castine, Maine or Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Buzzards Bay, Mass. for decades. Since 1991, seven GSO alums have been on the faculty or administration of these two maritime academies, and this longstanding relationship is shaping the future of marine science education. So how did GSO become so connected to maritime academies?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kerry Whittaker with her students on Penobscot Bay.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ships, Seawater and Motivated Students<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

GSO alums drawn by the prospect of teaching at a primarily undergraduate institution with an opportunity for marine research often gravitate towards maritime academies. \u201cThat it would be at a maritime academy\u2014with a research vessel, waterfront location, and running seawater in the lab\u2014was exciting,\u201d says Joceline Boucher, Ph.D.\u201991.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Joceline Boucher<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

She was hired in 1991 for the marine science faculty at the new Corning School of Ocean Studies at Maine Maritime Academy, where she helped build this program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy had its challenges, though, since female enrollment was less than 1% in 1991, and there were some faculty who didn\u2019t think women belonged on ships. Boucher spent much time serving on committees to try to improve the campus climate. Progress was slow but helped pave the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of those who benefitted from her work is Carey Friedman, Ph.D.\u201910, who joined Boucher at the Corning School in 2015. Friedman notes that the gender gap has narrowed over the last 30 years, and now the female enrollment is about 15% academy-wide, while in the Corning School women are predominant in both student enrollment (85%) and the faculty (seven of nine).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both Friedman and James H. McKenna, Ph.D.\u201996, agree with Boucher on the importance of teaching in conjunction with, as Friedman said, \u201cgetting the marine science students comfortable with being on the water from day one.\u201d In 2000, McKenna joined Boucher on the faculty of the Corning School, left in 2010 to become the coordinator for Maine Sea Grant and in 2020 was hired as the dean of undergraduate studies by Massachusetts Maritime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kerry Whittaker, Ph.D. \u201914, whose previous work has taken her around the globe with Sea Education Association, particularly appreciates the proximity to Penobscot Bay and how easy it is to take students out on ships. She applied for a visiting position in the pandemic year of 2020, and developed a new program\u2014 the coastal and marine environmental science major\u2014within the Corning School where she is now an assistant professor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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David Avery<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Living and working in Maine was also an important consideration for Friedman and David Avery, M.S. \u201993, Ph.D. \u201900, who was hired in 2011 and is an associate professor of mathematics and chair of the department of arts and sciences. \u201cAs a native Mainer, I am really excited to be a part of science education taking place in Maine,\u201d Friedman says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further south at Massachusetts Maritime Academy, the balance of teaching and research is equally important. Heather Schrum Burton, Ph.D.\u201909, who joined the faculty in 2012, said \u201cToday I spent my morning on our 35-foot research vessel with my marine science students. In my mind, it doesn\u2019t get much better than that.\u201d In addition to teaching, in 2022, she became chair of the Marine Science, Safety and Environmental Protection Department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Heather Schrum Burton<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Haley McMurray, M.S. \u201908, also became a faculty member in 2012, going to full-time in 2022. She\u2019s now working toward her Ed.D. from Northeastern University. Both Burton and McMurray describe their students as \u201chardworking,\u201d \u201cvery respectful,\u201d \u201cmotivated\u201d and \u201cserious.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prepared for Maritime Academies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

GSO alums have unique graduate school experiences that specifically prepared them for teaching and marine research. Boucher worked with her major professor, Michael Pilson, to plan chemical oceanography \u201cJiffy Cruises\u201d in Narragansett Bay. \u201cWhat I learned making station plans, planning way points, ensuring we had the necessary equipment on board, and writing cruise reports enabled me to then lead effective teaching cruises and to create cruise-based courses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whittaker\u2019s major professor, Tatiana \u00adRynear\u00adson, and others helped her go on research cruises around the world including the Gulf of Mexico, Hawaii Ocean Time Series, Antarctica and off the coast of Alaska. She notes her work \u201cguided my love for seagoing field work and the desire to share marine research experiences with my students.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cResearch cruises to the Equatorial Pacific, South Pacific Gyre, and Bering Sea were enormously helpful in preparing me for a career at a maritime academy,\u201d says Burton, who thanks her major professor, Art Spivak, and also professor Steve D\u2019Hondt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile at GSO I worked at the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System [UNOLS] and went out on several cruises,\u201d says Avery, who now concentrates on teaching math and computer programming. \u201cThis knowledge of ships and life at sea makes me able to understand what our students are learning in the rest of their studies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Photo<\/figure>
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R\/V <\/em>Endeavor continues to be crewed by many maritime academy graduates:<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
<\/strong>Daniel Alexander, Port Engineer
Steven Beuth, Relief Captain
Tom Glennon, Asst. Port Engineer
Olivia Harris, Asst. Engineer
SUNY Maritime Academy
<\/strong>Valmont Reichl, AB\/Mate
Maine Maritime Academy
<\/strong>Christopher Baker, Relief Chief Engineer
Rhett McMunn, Captain (1982-2020)
Massachusetts Maritime Academy
<\/strong>Christopher Armanetti, Master (2020-present)
Brendan Thornton, Port Captain
Robert Queisser, Chief Engineer<\/p>\n\n<\/article><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n

GSO alums teach a variety of science courses at the maritime academies, ranging from general chemistry and oceanography to marine pollution and global environmental change\u2014topics academy graduates need whether they go into careers in marine science or as crew on a ship. Some courses cover practical material such as the chemistry of avoiding oxidation of metals, how batteries work, and diagnosing and fixing boiler-water quality issues. Whittaker points out that it\u2019s important to help students acquire skills in practical problem solving while also encouraging them to \u201cthink outside the box to develop solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The graduates working at maritime academies agree that the GSO experience goes beyond formal education, instilling values of networking, leadership and camaraderie. \u201cI think the true gem of GSO is that the people there\u2014faculty, students and staff alike\u2014nurture curiosity, encourage inquiry, and give students the experience they need to go off and do whatever they want to do, knowing they can be successful,\u201d Friedman says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Veronica M. Berounsky, Ph.D. \u201990 In the realm of higher education, the nation\u2019s maritime academies stand as unique institutions. These seven academies weave the pursuit of a college degree with the practical skills and at-sea training essential to forge commissioned officers with U.S. Coast Guard licenses. Endeavor, the research vessel operated by the Graduate […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2120,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[7,1987],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-184793","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-aboard-gso","category-publications"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184793","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2120"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=184793"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184793\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":184805,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184793\/revisions\/184805"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=184793"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=184793"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=184793"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}