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It is no
accident that the Marine
Biological Laboratory
(MBL)
is located in Woods Hole on Cape Cod. To the north
of the Cape, cold Gulf of Maine waters support
fauna characteristic of the Boreal biogeographical
province, while south of the Cape, warm Gulf Stream
waters sustain fauna typical of the Virginian
province. Situated at the boundary between these
two biogeographic provinces, a great diversity of
marine organisms are within easy access of the lab.
Little wonder Woods Hole has become a mecca for
marine and environmental sciences. In addition to
the MBL,
the National
Marine Fisheries Service
(NOAA/NMFS),
the Woods
Hole Oceanographic Institution
(WHOI),
the Sea
Education Association
(SEA),
the U.S.
Geological Survey
and the Woods
Hole Research
Center
all carry on active research programs in the
Village of Woods Hole. Woods Hole is truly a world
center for research on the environment and the
world's oceans. The MBL
has a long tradition of teaching and education.
Currently, the laboratory offers more than 15
advanced courses for graduate and post-doctoral
students covering topics ranging from Analytical
and Quantitative Light Microscopy to Workshops on
Molecular Evolution. In conjunction with the
Ecosystems Center, the largest year round program
at the MBL, the lab added the Semester in
Environmental Science to its roster of educational
activities in 1997. Offered during the fall
semester, the SES program is dedicated to providing
undergraduates with an opportunity to learn about
ecosystems and conduct environmental research with
some of the top scientists in the
field. The
Center's scientific staff of 12 principal
investigators and about 40 post-doctoral and
technical support personnel have complementary
skills in biogeochemistry, plant ecology, soils,
environmental chemistry, animal ecology, marine
biology, and oceanography that facilitate
collaboration on a broad range of research. For
example, research at the center presently includes
studies on the effects of soil warming on forest
ecology and mineral cycling, the ecological impacts
of acid deposition, the long term dynamics of
tundra, lake and stream ecosystems on the north
slope of Alaska, the consequences of changing land
use in watersheds of estuaries on organic matter
export to the coastal zone, and the effects of
deforestation in the Amazon Basin. Virtually all
the principal investigators and many of the support
staff participate in the SES program. |
Welcome to the Semester in Environmental Science (SES). The program is offered each fall by The Ecosystems Center, Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL), located in Woods Hole, MA. SES is a 15-week program in environmental science offered to students enrolled in colleges participating in the MBL Consortium in Environmental Science. More than sixty colleges and universities have approved the SES for credit. Students from non-affiliated colleges and universities may receive credit for the semester through Brown University.
The
MBL is the oldest private marine laboratory in
North America, and has served as a home to
researchers and students studying both basic
biology and the environment for over 110 years. The
noted author and scientist, Lewis Thomas, called
the MBL "the National Biological Laboratory."
Little wonder - since its founding in 1888, more
than 49 Nobel Laureates have conducted research at
the MBL. Today about 250 scientists, technicians,
and support staff occupy the lab year round. In the
summer, the lab swells to over a 1000 as students
and investigators from over 400 educational and
research institutions representing over 70
countries come to MBL for the summer
season.
The
Ecosystems Center was founded at the MBL in
1975. It has grown to become the largest research
group at the laboratory. The Center's mission is to
investigate the structure and functioning of
ecological systems, to study the response of these
systems to changing environmental conditions, and
to apply the resulting knowledge to help preserve
and manage natural resources. The research
interests and expertise of center scientists are
not confined to studies of marine systems, but are
divided about equally between fresh water
environments, terrestrial environments and salt
water ecosystems.