Diving into Uncharted Waters

Marine Lab Director Cindy Van Dover Literally Wrote the Book on Hydrothermal Vents p.4

Using the same expertise and enthusiasm she’s brought to deep sea exploration for more than 20 years, Van Dover is now charting a new course for the Marine Lab that builds on the lab’s strong foundation in marine biology and conservation, and expands its expertise in molecular biology and marine policy.

“I would like to see a modest faculty increase and new research facilities here on Pivers Island to accommodate modern molecular sciences,” she says. “The nation’s marine science and policy priorities are already moving in this direction, and it’s important that we stay at the front of the wave.”

She also aims to expand undergraduate opportunities to study marine sciences at the lab’s campus in Beaufort and on the Duke campus in Durham. Working with faculty, she’s developing a five-year plan to add more classes in marine biology for freshmen and sophomores on Duke’s main campus. She also sees “great value” in increasing the emphasis on hands-on learning and field research provided through courses like the Beaufort Signature Courses, which feature field trips for small groups of students to accompany a faculty expert on research trips to Trinidad, Hawaii, Singapore, Panama and elsewhere.

“The best way to learn is to be in the field, looking at animals in their natural habitat,” Van Dover says. “By increasing our students’ abilities to do that, and by increasing our faculty’s ability to do cutting-edge research, we are positioning the Marine Lab to remain at the forefront of policy, teaching and science for decades to come. The danger, I think, is in resting on our laurels. We have to find the edge and make sure we’re on it.”

Tim Lucas is the national media relations and marketing specialist for the Nicholas School and the Nicholas Institute.

Traveling with Cindy Van Dover in France

As part of the Marine Lab’s new Beaufort Signature Course series, Cindy Van Dover will take students in Biology 207FL, Human-Coast Interactions in Brittany, to the coast of Brittany during fall break 2007. In this intensive field experience they will have a chance to learn about French maritime cultural heritage, regional and national coastal reserves (Le Parc naturel régional d’Armorique; Presqu’île de Crozon), shellfish aquaculture (La Tremblade), seaweed harvest (Lanildut), and tidal energy (La Rance). For more on the Signature Courses, go to www.nicholas.duke.edu/marinelab/ programs.

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