An Ocean Garden: The Secret Life of Seaweed<\/em><\/a>, takes species found along the California and Maine coastlines and showcases their beauty and diversity. Her work is described in promotional material for the event:<\/p>\n\u201cProduced on a flatbed scanner, Iselin\u2019s vibrant portraits of ocean flora reveal the exquisite color and extraordinary forms of more than 200 specimens gathered from tidal pools along the California and Maine coasts, bringing the traditional pressed seaweed specimen \u2014 invaluable to scientists and beloved by collectors \u2014 into a contemporary format. Her engaging text takes the reader into the world of seaweed, observing its habits and describing its natural history.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Brian Wysor, RWU Associate Professor, Biology, secured support for Iselin\u2019s presentation, sponsored by the RWU Division of Marine &\u00a0Natural Sciences, from Rhode Island NSF Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), Rhode Island Science and Technology Advisory Council (STAC), and the National Science Foundation (NSF).<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople generally have a very negative connotation of what algae are,\u201d said Dr. Wysor, who teaches Marine Phycology, the study of algae. \u201cHer book highlights the diversity and forms of algae in ways that even marine biologists aren\u2019t used to seeing.\u201d<\/p>\n
And therein lies another aspect of Iselin\u2019s artwork, which weaves together the aesthetics and the science of seaweed.<\/p>\n
Dr. Wysor said one of the questions Rhode Island NSF EPSCoR research asks is: How is global climate change going to affect Narragansett Bay?<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>really<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>answer that<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>question<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>until we<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>elucidate<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>the diversity of the habitat-structuring elements,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>after which we can monitor for changes in marine floristic diversity as it relates to increases in water temperature or other manifestations of global climate change<\/span>,\u201d he said.<\/p>\nIn Iselin\u2019s images, what the eye sees as slimy globs in the water gives way to the specimens\u2019 intricate designs and delicate shapes, flat or feathered, bulb-like or with long, outstretched tendrils, in an array of colors unnoticed by the casual beachgoer.<\/p>\n
Prior to her talk, Iselin will give Dr. Wysor\u2019s students a demonstration of her techniques and how she creates\u00a0the images she presents in her book. He said he hoped this experience would underscore another lesson he tries to impart to his class.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not good enough that you learn; that only serves yourself,\u201d Dr. Wysor said, explaining what he tells his phycology students. \u201cYou have an obligation to share what you learn. There is value in studying and in basic research, but understanding how to communicate that information is important as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
By Amy Dunkle<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For most, if not all, beachgoers, algae holds little appeal. The dark globs feel slimy to the touch and cloud the water for recreational use. But, artist Josie Iselin will offer a completely new perspective on these typically maligned and misunderstood organisms in a Tuesday, Sept. 2 talk at Roger Williams University. The event will […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5851","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5851","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5851"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5851\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5851"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5851"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5851"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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For most, if not all, beachgoers, algae holds little appeal. The dark globs feel slimy to the touch and cloud the water for recreational use.<\/p>\n