The University of Georgia Marine Institute (UGAMI) is a nearshore

ecological Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...

and

geological Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Eart ...

research station located on

Sapelo Island Sapelo Island is a state-protected barrier island located in McIntosh County, Georgia. The island is accessible only by aircraft or boat; the primary ferry comes from the Sapelo Island Visitors Center in McIntosh County, Georgia, a seven-mil ...

off the coast of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. This island lies between the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

and a pristine salt marsh. A ferry takes passengers from

Meridian Meridian or a meridian line (from Latin ''meridies'' via Old French ''meridiane'', meaning “midday”) may refer to Science * Meridian (astronomy), imaginary circle in a plane perpendicular to the planes of the celestial equator and horizon * ...

(between Darien and

Crescent A crescent shape (, ) is a symbol or emblem used to represent the lunar phase in the first quarter (the "sickle moon"), or by extension a symbol representing the Moon itself. In Hinduism, Lord Shiva is often shown wearing a crescent moon on his ...

) to Sapelo Island. The Island has fewer than 100 full-time residents. The Institute was created in 1953 and is currently a unit of the University of Georgia's Office of Research. The Institute is 280 miles southeast of the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

's main campus in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

. UGAMI is world-renowned for its research on coastal marine and estuarine ecosystems.

Education

UGAMI offers life-changing experiences for undergraduate and graduate students. Approximately 600-700 university students train there each year. Students experience complete immersion in field-based academic studies, close mentorship by faculty who are experts in their fields of study, and engagement in a supportive community of scholars. UGAMI does not have any stand-alone degree programs. However, it provides many training and research opportunities. UGAMI offers undergraduate classes, provides research experiences for graduate and undergraduate students, and is a field trip destination for university classes from all over the country. Classes visiting UGAMI on field trips usually stay for two to five days, but some stay longer. UGA offers full-credit courses that take place entirely at the Marine Institute. As many of these classes take place during the summer, they attract students from many colleges and universities. Undergraduates in UGAMI's residential courses live and work alongside the institute's faculty and graduate student researchers, while taking courses in topics such as marine sciences, ecology, and coastal geography. Graduate students from many different institutions conduct thesis research at UGAMI for periods ranging from a few days to a few years.

Research

The field of saltmarsh ecology, and many of the foundational concepts in ecosystem ecology, were created at UGAMI by scientists such as

Eugene Odum Eugene Pleasants Odum (September 17, 1913 – August 10, 2002) was an American biologist at the University of Georgia known for his pioneering work on ecosystem ecology. He and his brother Howard T. Odum wrote the popular ecology textbook, ''Funda ...

and John Teal. Today, UGAMI is still at the forefront of coastal and estuarine research. The flagship research project at UGAMI is the Georgia Coastal Ecosystems-Long-Term Ecological Research Program (GCE LTER). The GCE LTER is part of the

National Science Foundation's National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

Long Term Ecological Research Network, which consists of 28 research sites around North America and Antarctica. The GCE LTER was established by the National Science Foundation in 2000, and is the largest ecological research project on the Southeast Coast. The Georgia coast will experience many changes in the coming decades because of sea level rise, climate change, and human modification. GCE LTER is studying the estuary ecosystem to learn how it responds to these perturbations, and to better predict future changes to the coast. UGAMI is used for both long-term and short-term research projects, conducted by scientists from many institutions. The field research conducted at UGAMI results in the publication of approximately 50 peer-reviewed scientific papers each year. Long-term researchers generally maintain semi-permanent housing, offices, and laboratories, and have students and technicians stationed at the Marine Institute for months at a time. Short-term researchers generally stay in the Marine Institute's apartments and dormitory, and use the visitor labs. Although most of the visiting scientists come from the U.S., UGAMI also hosts international researchers. The greatest assets that UGAMI offers visiting scientists are: * Access – UGAMI offers access to protected barrier island habitats, including some of the most expansive and relatively undisturbed salt marshes along the U.S. eastern seaboard. * Data – Researchers can build on long-term monitoring data, together with the results from numerous directed studies. * Community – UGAMI serves as a focal point that fosters connections among scholars from multiple institutions and fields of study.

References

External links

*
50th Anniversary of the UGA Marine Institute
{{authority control Marine Institute, University of Georgia Marine Institute, University of Georgia Education in McIntosh County, Georgia Buildings and structures in McIntosh County, Georgia