University Of Georgia News

Bryceon Sumner has joined Foss Maritime as chief financial officer, hired to oversee all aspects of the organization's financial function and performance. Sumner brings to the role years of experience gained at a number of organizations ranging from education technology and real estate, to architecture and financial services. Prior to joining Foss, Sumner served as COO and CFO for public and private companies, family offices and as a senior financial officer of a $60 billion government banking insurance fund.

The number of people who could be displaced in U.S. coastal regions due to rising sea levels this century as a result of climate change is much higher than previously thought, with more than 13 million Americans at risk with a 6-foot (1.8 meters) rise including 6 million in Florida, scientists said on Monday. The researchers assessed sea level change scenarios by 2100 from the U.S. Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for coastal states along with population growth trends and projections in high-risk areas. With a sea level rise of 3 feet, locations forecast to house 4.2 million people would be at risk of inundation while a doubling of the rise would bring the number to 13.1 million.

A NOAA study finds that ocean acidification is accelerated in nutrient-rich areas putting marine resources, coastal economies, at risk. Carbon dioxide released from decaying algal blooms, combined with ongoing increases in atmospheric carbon emissions, leads to increased levels of ocean acidification, and places additional stress on marine resources and the coastal economies that depend on them, according to a new study published by NOAA. Ocean acidification occurs when the ocean absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or from the breakdown of organic matter…

University of Georgia marine scientist Samantha Joye, who is the Athletic Association Professor in Arts and Sciences, and UGA colleagues Patricia Medeiros and Christof Meile have received a $1.3 million grant from the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative that will enable UGA researchers and scientists from 13 other institutions to understand more thoroughly the ecosystem impacts of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The three-year grant, awarded through a competitive merit-review process by a board comprised of researchers from academic institutions, will allow scientists and emergency responders to better predict and respond to future spills, should they occur.

Rear Admiral Wendi B. Carpenter is the daughter of an Air Force veteran of WWII, Korea and Vietnam. Raised throughout the United States, she graduated from the University of Georgia in 1976 with a bachelor of science degree in psychology. Carpenter was commissioned in 1978 through Aviation Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Fla. and in July 1979 was designated a Naval Aviator. Graduating at the top of her class, she was assigned as the Navy’s first Selectively Retained Graduate Instructor Pilot (SERGRAD) in the T-44 aircraft at VT-31, NAS Corpus Christi, Texas.

Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) Executive Director Curtis J. Foltz announced that Colonel’s Island Terminal marked its highest tonnage volume ever at the State of the Port address. He also outlined actions required to achieve continued growth and prepare the Port of Brunswick for future prosperity. “The Port of Brunswick experienced a remarkable recovery in FY 2010 (July 1, 2009 – June 30, 2010),” said Foltz. In FY2010, GPA posted its best year ever for agri-bulk exporting more than one million tons, which was a 37-percent increase compared with FY2009. Soybeans nearly doubled with a 93-percent increase compared with FY2009, as a strong export to Asia. Other commodities included soybean meal, barley malt and wheat.

The Subcommittee on Energy and Environment of the House Committee on Science and Technology conducted a hearing on Research and Technology Needs for Oil Recovery and Effective Cleanup of Oil Spills. Committee Chair Bart Gordon (D-) made an opening statement. Subcommittee Chair Brian Baird (D-) made an opening statement. Mr. Douglas Helton, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), testified that NOAA is providing scientific information regarding oil spill trajectory and conducting natural resource damage assessments. Captain Anthony Lloyd, US Coast Guard, testified concerning the National Incident Command’s efforts to respond to the ongoing oil spill. Ms.

Under the direction of National Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen, the Flow Rate Technical Group (FRTG), which is led by United States Geological Survey Director Dr. Marcia McNutt, and a scientific team led by Energy Secretary Steven Chu are analyzing new data and bringing together several scientific methodologies to develop an updated estimate of how much oil is flowing from BP’s leaking oil well in the Gulf of Mexico. The updated estimate, which will bring together the ongoing work of scientists and engineers from the federal government, universities, and research institutions, will be of how much oil has been flowing since the riser was cut on June 3.

Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) Executive Director Curtis J. Foltz announced the results of a study that confirms Georgia’s deepwater ports continue to be one of the state’s strongest economic engines, fostering the development of virtually every industry. “I am pleased to report that the Ports of Savannah and Brunswick have maintained and created jobs for Georgia, despite the recent economic downturn,” GPA’s Executive Director Curtis J. Foltz. The study entitled, “The Economic Impact of Georgia’s Deepwater Ports on Georgia’s Economy in FY2009” reveals, that even during one of the worst recessions since the Great Depression, Georgia’s ports sustained jobs and increased its economic impact for the state.

The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) announced that a program dedicated to the training of future naval systems engineers will soon be realized. A $3.2m contract awarded May 6 from the Naval Sea Systems Command, which includes five additional years of optional extensions that could add up to $49.9m, will establish a Naval Engineering Education Center (NEEC) Consortium in partnership with fifteen leading US colleges and universities, SNAME and the American Society of Naval Engineers (ASNE). For over a century SNAME has been the international society for practitioners of the maritime arts and sciences. The Society has long supported educational opportunities to advance the state-of-the-art in naval architecture…

The Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI) of New York & New Jersey and the Charleston School of Law announced an agreement to work together to provide educational opportunities on seafarers’ rights for students and local lawyers in South Carolina. The new partnership includes several educational programs, such as an annual roundtable discussion, an annual lecture on seafarers’ rights, a yearly continuing education seminar for Charleston-area lawyers and a New York-based student externship program. A highlight of the new partnership is an annual May externship for a Charleston School of Law student. The recipient, picked in a highly competitive process, will spend a month at the Seamen’s Church Institute headquarters in New York.