E-SLATE
American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS)
EDITOR’S NOTE – February 2008
Welcome to the February issue of the E-Slate, the official
monthly news publication of AAUS. The month of February is
an exciting one for the scientific dive community. The AAUS
Diving Symposium and DSO Orientation are approaching
quickly. AAUS presents the 2007 Scientific Diving Lifetime
Achievement Award and Our World Underwater prepares for
their 2008 February Show. The Divers Alert Network Annual
Diving Report and the Proceedings of the 25th American
Academy of Underwater Sciences Symposium join our list of
new publications.
Our goal is to keep the scientific diver and AAUS Member
informed and up to date. We are always looking for new
publications to share with the scientific dive community and
appreciate your input to make this a better resource. Please
submit news, announcements, or images with captions of
underwater work in progress to aaus@disl.org. You can visit
www.aaus.org to access current and past issues of the E-Slate.
NEWS/ANNOUNCEMENTS
AAUS Diving for Science Symposium 2008
The 27th AAUS Annual Symposium will be held March 11-15,
2008 at the University of California-San Diego Scripps
Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, CA. A block of rooms
were reserved at the Sheraton La Jolla (1-800-325-3535) for
the AAUS at a special rate of $165. Presentations may address
the use of diving technologies, diving medicine, physiology,
theory,
techniques,
training
or
standards.
Visit
http://www.aaus.org or contact Christian McDonald
(cmcdonald@ucsd.edu
or
858-534-2002) for more
information.
AAUS OM and IM Fees Due
The AAUS Organizational Member (OM) and Individual
Member (IM) fees are due for 2008. To pay member fees
login to www.aaus.org and enter your username and password.
Then go to My Profile and click on the Please Pay your Dues
button. All members are also encouraged to update their
profile information.
AAUS Welcomes New OM
AAUS is pleased to welcome a new OM: Council on
International Educational Exchange (CIEE) Research Station
Bonaire.
3rd Annual DSO Orientation
The 3rd Annual Diving Safety Officer (DSO) Orientation is
scheduled for March 12, 2008, running in conjunction with the
27th AAUS Symposium at Scripps Institution of
Oceanography in La Jolla, CA. This program is designed to
provide an orientation for new DSOs and to update existing
DSOs who would like more information on particulars of
running a model AAUS Diving Safety Program at their
respective institutions or organizations. The workshop will
provide essential training for anyone considering accepting or
assuming the role of the DSO and planning on operating a
Scientific Diving Program. Topics will include; Introduction
& History of AAUS, Dive Program Development &
Standards, the AAUS Office & the Member Clicks virtual
office, BOD structure and Individual Membership, Member
Participation, Statistics Reporting & Program Compliance.
The cost for the workshop is $50. For more information
contact Doug Kesling – Coordinator @ Keslingd@uncw.edu.
Scientific Diving Lifetime Achievement Award - 2007
The AAUS is pleased to present the Annual Scientific
Lifetime Achievement Award 2007 to Eugenie Clark, Ph.D.
Dr. Clark was a woman pioneer in marine science when most
scientists were male and a pioneer in diving science when
most scientific divers were macho men.
Dr. Clark is a worldrenowned ichthyologist and
authority on sharks that is
popularly known as the
SHARK LADY. She is a
Senior Research Scientist
and Professor Emeritus in
the Department of Biology
at the University of
Maryland at College Park,
where she joined the faculty
in 1968. She taught her last
and final "distance learning
course" on Sea Monsters
and Deep Sea Sharks from
Mote Marine Laboratory
fdafd as a Mote Eminent
where she continues her research
Scientist.
She was a research assistant at Scripps Institution of
Oceanography, the New York Zoological Society and the
American Museum of Natural History in New York. The
founding director (1955 to 1967) of the Cape Haze Marine
2008, volume 2, issue 2, page 1
E-SLATE
American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS)
Laboratory in Sarasota, FL., she is still affiliated with this
leading center for shark research now called the Mote Marine
Laboratory.
Dr. Clark is the recipient of three
honorary D.Sc. degrees and awards
from the National Geographic Society,
the Explorers Club, the Underwater
Society of America, the American
Littoral Society, the Gold Medal
Award of the Society of Women
Geographers, and the President's Medal
of the University of Maryland. She has
authored three books and over 160
scientific and popular articles.
She has conducted 71 deep submersible dives. Her latest
research projects concern the behavior of tropical sand fishes
and deep-sea sharks. These studies have been featured in 12
articles she has written for National Geographic magazine.
She is frequently mentioned in educational materials as a
pioneering woman scientist.
Dr. Clark’s first underwater dive was with a helmet in 1946 at
Scripps Institute of Oceanography in southern California. Her
first SCUBA dive was in 1950 in the Red Sea. She has four
children; all are divers and frequently accompany her on
scientific diving investigations.
The AAUS Scientific Diving Lifetime Achievement Award is
presented annually to an individual from the scientific diving
community who has made a significant contribution in
advancing underwater science and technology. The Award is
open to anyone in the scientific diving community nominated
by AAUS General Membership and voted and approved by
the past Presidents of AAUS and past Award recipients.
Past Recipients:
Andreas B. (Andy) Rechnitzer, Ph.D. - 2006 (In Memoriam)
John (Jack) E. Randall, Ph.D. - 2005
Sylvia A. Earle, Ph.D. - 2004
Mark and Diane Littler, Ph.D. - 2003 Co-Recipients
Paul K. Dayton, Ph.D. - 2002
Wheeler J. North, Ph.D. - 2001 (In Memoriam)
J. Morgan Wells, Ph.D. - 2000
Turner-Wakulla Springs Dive a Success
On December 15, 2007 Jarrod Jablonski and Casey Mckinlay
from the Global Underwater Explorers’ Woodville Karst Plain
Project (WKPP) team successfully completed a dive that
proved the connection between Wakulla Springs and Leon
Sinks. As a result of the connection the two caves have
become one system formally known as the Wakulla-Leon
Sinks Cave system. This cave is the longest cave in the United
States and the fourth largest cave in the world. In order to
prove the connection the divers traveled a distance of nearly
seven miles (36,000 ft), spending 22 hours in the water and
seven hours in transit at depths to 300 ft and 15 hours for
decompression. The SCUBA dive set two world records
including the longest cave dive between two entrances and the
longest traverse in a deep cave. For more information visit:
http://www.gue.com/Expeditions/WKPP/Updates/wakullatraverse.html.
Bubble Imaging Laser Development
Kirill Larin, assistant professor of biomedical engineering and
mechanical engineering, is using a $400,000 grant from the
U.S. Navy to develop an optical non-invasive tool to observe
decompression-induced bubbles. Developed with Dr. Bruce
Butler of the UT Health Science Center in Houston, TX
Larin’s device can locate the presence of nitrogen gas – or
microbubbles – in shallow tissues using light waves in the
form of lasers that bounce back when they encounter change
in resistance to produce a high-resolution image. For more
information visit:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071112163613
.htm.
2008 UHMS Scientific Meeting - Call for Abstracts
The
2008
Undersea
and
Hyperbaric Medical Society
(UHMS) Annual Meeting will
take place June 26-28, 2008 in
Salt Lake City, UT. The deadline
for abstract submission is
February 15, 2008. For more
information visit:
http://old.uhms.org/.
2008, volume 2, issue 2, page 2
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American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS)
FROM THE PRESIDENT
AAUS has a Past Presidents Plaque that many of the members
may not be aware of. Traditionally, the current president has
possession of the plaque until the end of his or her term of
office when another name is added. The plaque is then passed
to the next president. I do not know who started this tradition
but it is a good one. I have hung the plaque in front of my desk
where it serves as a reminder of the many people who have
donated unselfishly their time and skills in support of the
AAUS mission, most of whose names will never end up on a
plaque.
AAUS had a very successful 2007. The strategic planning
process was completed and the plan posted to the AAUS
Website. Most of the board members who worked on the
strategic plan will be serving on the board in 2008. This
continuity will help as we work to enact parts of the plan
during my tenure. The two new members of the AAUS Board
of Directors (BOD) that I would like to welcome are Dr.
Phillip Lobel from Boston University and Dr. Brenda Konar
from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
By now most will have noticed that the "From the President"
column which was traditionally in the Slate is now in the ESlate. The E-Slate was started as an experiment in 2007 to see
if a monthly E-newsletter was a viable way of communicating
with our membership. The combination of lower cost and
more frequent communications was a powerful draw.
The BOD gave considerable thought to the communication
needs of the Academy as part of the strategic planning
process. Bolstered by positive comments from the
membership, the unanimous decision was made at the Fall
2007 BOD meeting that the monthly E-Slate would replace the
quarterly print ready Slate.
Llyn French has done an amazing job over the years at
producing the Slate as a professional publication. I thank her
for her efforts on behalf of the Academy. Walt Jaap has agreed
to continue serving on the ad hoc Symposia, Publications and
Workshop Committee and we are happy to retain his
expertise.
We will integrate features of the Slate into the E-Slate over
time but as with the Slate, the E-slate is your newsletter and
we need your articles, links and suggestions to make it
valuable. Please send announcements, articles, or other items
of interest to aaus@disl.org. Current and past issues of the ESlate are available at www.aaus.org.
I look forward to serving the Academy for the next two years.
I hope that all your dives are safe and productive and that you
bring your voice to the table.
Jeff Godfrey
AAUS President
FUNDING/SCHOLARSHIPS
Mel Fisher Maritime Museum Award
The Mel Fisher Maritime Museum will once again give an
award in honor of Dolores E. Fisher to a young woman 35 and
under who has a passion for the oceans and has strong, refined
ocean-related career goals. The deadline is March 15, 2008.
The award honorarium is $1000 for first place. The individual
does not need to be a U.S. Citizen. For more information visit:
www.melfisher.org/deoaward.htm.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Our World Underwater Show 2008
The 38th annual Our World Underwater Show is scheduled for
February 15-17, 2008 at the Donald E. Stevens Convention
Center in Rosemont, IL. The show will feature hundreds of
booths on dive travel, equipment, environmental agencies,
training, and retailers. A variety of workshops will be held
during the show. For more information visit:
http://www.ourworldunderwater.com/.
Boston Sea Rovers Clinic and Film Festival
The Boston Sea Rovers will host the 54th Annual Underwater
Clinic March 7-9, 2008 at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel,
St. James Avenue, Boston, MA. Features include a wide array
of clinics and seminars, a world class film festival, and more
than 60 booths. The Sea Rovers are a not-for-profit, volunteer
organization dedicated to increasing the awareness and
appreciation of the marine environment. A portion of the
proceeds benefits scholarships, and SeaMark, an organization
dedicated to helping children with disabilities. For tickets and
information, contact 617-424-9899, or visit
http://www.bostonsearovers.com.
2008, volume 2, issue 2, page 3
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American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS)
37th Annual Benthic Ecology Meeting
th
The 100 Annual National Shellfisheries Association (NSA)
and 37th Annual Benthic Ecology (BE) meetings are being
held back-to-back at the Westin Providence Hotel in
Providence, RI, April 9-13, 2008. AAUS has been invited to
host a session on scientific diving for the Benthic Ecology
Meeting on Thursday afternoon, April 10, 2008. For further
information, contact Ted Maney at tmaney@salemstate.edu.
General NSA and BE meeting information may be obtained
from Dr. Sandra Shumway at sandra.shumway@uconn.edu or
phone 860-405-9282.
UHMS Medical Assessment Fitness to Dive Course
The next Medical Assessment Fitness course is set for April
29-May 2, 2008 at the Westin New Orleans at Canal Place
hotel. New candidates can be certified and those who attended
the course three or more years ago can be recertified as an
“Approved Medical Examiner of Divers” by the Undersea
Hyperbaric and Medical Society (UHMS) for three years
beginning with the conclusion of the course. While this course
is taught by physicians for physicians, UHMS has invited both
Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners, whose practice
includes giving diving physical examinations, to attend the
course. For more information visit: http://old.uhms.org/.
SPUMS Annual Scientific Meeting 2008
The South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society (SPUMS)
Annual Scientific Meeting will be held May 24-31, 2008 at the
Liamo Resort, Kimbe West New Britain, Papua New Guinea.
Themes include treatment tables, tropical medicine update and
resuscitation update. The resuscitation update will include use
of automated external defibrillator airway devices in field
settings. Contact Dr. Chris Acott at cacott@optusnet.com.au
or visit http://www.spums.org.au/annual_scientific_meeting
for more information.
NEW PUBLICATIONS
Godfrey JM, Pollock NW, eds. Diving for Science 2006.
Proceedings of the 25th American Academy of Underwater
Sciences Symposium. ISBN #978-0-9800423-0-6. Dauphin
Island, AL: AAUS; 2007; 104 pp.
Pollock NW. Aerobic fitness and underwater diving. Diving
Hyperb Med. 2007; 37(3): 118-24.
Pollock NW. Scientific diving in Antarctica : history and
current practice. Diving Hyperb Med. 2007; 37(4): 204-211.
Pollock NW, ed. Annual Diving Report - 2007 Edition.
Durham , NC: Divers Alert Network, 2007; 118 pp.
Note: PDF versions of DAN Annual Diving Reports
and special topics proceedings are now available for
download at no cost to both members and nonmembers. A link to the current report can be found on
the DAN homepage:
http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/
The mission of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences is to
facilitate the development of safe and productive scientific divers
through education, research, advocacy, and the advancement of
standards for scientific diving practices, certifications, and
operations.
American Academy of Underwater Sciences
101 Bienville Boulevard, Dauphin Island, AL 36528
Tel 251-861-7504 Fax 251-861-7540
aaus@disl.org
www.aaus.org
Editor: Roxanne Robertson - aaus@disl.org
Editorial Board: Michael Dardeau, Walter Jaap, Neal Pollock,
Alma Wagner
AAUS BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President
President-Elect /Symposium Chair
Secretary / Membership Co-Chair
Treasurer/Statistics Co-Chair
Meetings & Publications Chair
Meetings & Publications Co-Chair
Scholarship Chair
Scholarship Co-Chair
Standards Co-Chair
Standards Co-Chair
Statistics Co-Chair
Membership Co-Chair
Jeff Godfrey
Christian McDonald
Nathan Schwarck
Michael Dardeau
Neal Pollock
Christian McDonald
Bob Hicks
Brenda Konar
Casey Coy
Liz Kintzing
Philip Lobel
Christopher Rigaud
2008, volume 2, issue 2, page 4