Mar 28, 2024  
2008-2009 Graduate Catalog 
    
2008-2009 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]


Marine Policy



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School of Marine Sciences

The University of Maine’s School of Marine Sciences (SMS) is one of the nation’s largest marine research and education programs. SMS offers both graduate and undergraduate degrees; its faculty and students conduct basic and applied research on a wide variety of topics, and perform public service related to scientific policy for marine resource and coastal zone management. More than 50 faculty are affiliated with SMS, including full-time, part-time, and cooperating appointments. By its very nature, SMS is an interdisciplinary unit. Areas of expertise and research include physical, biological and chemical oceanography; aquaculture; marine biology; marine geology; marine resource development and policy; seafloor ecology; fish biology; fish pathology; fisheries science; seaweed biology; maritime studies; population genetics; molecular biology and toxicology; marine optics and acoustics and ocean engineering.

SMS faculty provide leadership in research programs that encompass all the world’s oceans, with emphasis on the Gulf of Maine. Faculty are headquartered at the Orono campus of UM and its coastal marine laboratory, the Ira C. Darling Marine Center (see Research Resources), and the Gulf of Maine Research Institute.  Further information on SMS is on the web at: www.umaine.edu/marine.  Further information on the Darling Marine Center is on the web at http://server.dmc.maine.edu.

The School of Marine Sciences offers the following graduate degrees:

  • M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Oceanography;
  • M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Marine Biology;
  • M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Marine Bio-Resources (administered jointly with Food Science and Human Nutrition);
  • M.S. degree in Marine Policy; and
  • Dual M.S. degree in Marine Policy and either Oceanography or Marine Biology.

The School of Marine Sciences offers core and advanced courses in all degree areas. Specialized courses of study in the subdisciplines of marine science are also provided by various associated departments.  Financial support for graduate students is primarily in the form of research assistantships. Some teaching assistantships are available.

 

 

 

Master of Science in Marine Policy

The Master of Science degree in Marine Policy in the School of Marine Sciences is designed to take advantage of the strong interdisciplinary nature of the School. All students in the program will receive training in the social science aspects of marine resource management, in oceanography, in marine biology, and other marine sciences, in marine law, and in empirical methods. In addition, students will be expected to gain expertise in either living natural resources or coastal zone management.  Each student will have an advisory committee of three faculty members. (Students in the marine policy program may also be enrolled in the dual degree program. (See below). These students will have an advisory committee of four faculty, two in the natural sciences and two in the social sciences.

The program offers both a thesis and non-thesis option. Students selecting the thesis option will write a master’s thesis that combines theoretical work and practical experience applied to pressing problems. A student’s advisory committee must approve a thesis plan in the second semester of the student’s enrollment in the program.

Students selecting the non-thesis option will undertake an internship with a government agency, a non-governmental organization in the marine area or a private firm directly concerned with management of marine natural resources. An internship involves working for the equivalent of three months full time with the organization. Students in internships write a final paper linking their internship experience with the theoretical and practical literature on institutional management of marine resources. A student’s advisory committee must approve internship plans prior to beginning the internship.

Degree Requirements

A total of 30 hours of course credit will be required for the M.S. in Marine Policy. The program is designed to give students as much flexibility as possible so that they can take advantage of the various faculty specialties available to them within the School of Marine Sciences and elsewhere in the University. The student and his or her committee will design a program of study. The following courses must be included in each program:

 

Required Courses


Program of Study


A total of 30 hours of course credit will be required for the M.S. in Marine Policy. The program is designed to give students as much flexibility as possible so that they can take advantage of the various faculty specialties available to them within the School of Marine Sciences and elsewhere in the University. The student and his or her committee will design a program of study. The following courses must be included in each program.

Dual Master Degree in Marine Sciences and Policy


The School of Marine Sciences offers a unique, strongly interdisciplinary program in marine policy and science. The dual degree program is supported in part with a generous grant from the Kendall Foundation. It is intended for students interested in the application of science and policy in government agencies, NGOs or industry. The program is intended as a terminal degree but does not rule out continuation to a Ph.D. The course of study is three years. It leads to two master’s degrees: one in marine science (specializing in oceanography, aquaculture or marine biology) and one in marine policy.

The marine science and policy program is based on the idea that good conservation requires:

  1. a sophisticated understanding of the role and limits of science in the policy process,
  2. an equally sophisticated understanding of the institutional processes necessary to resolve communal dilemmas, and
  3. the wide dissemination of this knowledge among resource users and others concerned with the management of marine resources.

Students are required to complete the requirements for a master’s degree in one of the marine sciences (biology, aquaculture or oceanography) as well as the requirements for a marine policy degree. Six hours of each degree can be counted as electives for the other; as a result a total of only 48 hours is required to complete both degrees (rather than the 2 X 30=60 usually required for two masters). The course requirements for the science degrees are listed above. The marine policy portion of the dual degree requires 18 hours of social science courses including the core requirements listed above the marine policy degree. (Note that these requirements differ from the requirements for the stand alone degree in marine policy.) The dual degree offers three thesis/internship possibilities: a single thesis combining a joint science and policy topic, two independent theses or a thesis and an internship. Generally, all students admitted to the program will be required to participate in either a science or social science research project and will be asked to associate with a local group or agency working on marine conservation. For more information, visit the School of Marine Sciences website at www.marine.maine.edu.

Internship or Thesis Research


Students must complete either an internship or a thesis. Normally, theses and internships will be done in the student’s chosen area of specialization. The Maine Department of Marine Resources, the Island Institute, and the State Planning Office are typical sites for internships and applied theses. Students will take at least six hours of the following courses to complete this requirement.

Graduate Faculty


David W. Townsend, Ph.D. (Maine, 1981), Professor. Area: Biological Oceanography of Shelf Seas. (Oceanography, Marine Biology)

James Acheson, Ph.D. (Rochester, 1970), Professor. Area: Cultural Anthropology. (Marine Policy)

Emmanuel Boss, Ph.D. (Washington, 1996), Associate Professor. Area: Particle Dynamics, Optical Oceanography. (Oceanography)

Susan Brawley, Ph.D. (California, 1978), Professor. Area: Algal Physiology, Development and Ecology. (Marine Biology, Oceanography)

Ian Bricknell, Ph.D. (Lancaster, 1990), Professor. Area: Marine Aquaculture, finfish culture, parasitology, fish immunology and vaccinology and fish health. (Aquaculture)

Deidre Byrne, Ph.D. (Columbia University, 2000), Research Assistant Professor. Area: Physical Oceanography. (Oceanography)

Fei Chai, Ph.D. (Duke University, 1995), Professor. Area: Ecosystem Modeling; Tropical Oceanography. (Oceanography)

Yong Chen, Ph.D. (Toronto, 1995), Professor. Area: Fisheries Population Dynamics and fisheries stock assessment and management. (Marine Biology, Marine Policy)

Laurie Connell, Ph.D. (North Carolina, 1988), Associate Research Professor. Area: Molecular Ecology. (Marine Biology)

Christopher M. Duncombe-Rae, Ph.D. (University of Cape Town, 1994), Research Assistant Professor. Area: Physical Oceanography.

Kevin Eckelbarger, Ph.D. (Northeastern, 1974), Director and Professor, Darling Marine Center. Area: Invertebrate Biology. (Marine Biology)

William Ellis, Ph.D. (Univ. of Rhode Island, 1992), Assistant Director and Associate Professor. Area: Marine and Atmospheric Chemistry. (Oceanography)

Peter A. Jumars, Ph.D. (Scripps Institution of Oceanography, 1974), Professor. Area: Benthic Biological Oceanography, Organism-Environment Interactions at the Level of Individuals, Deposit Feeding. (Oceanography, Marine Biology)

Lee Karp-Boss, Ph.D. (Washington, 1998), Research Assistant Professor. Area: Biological Oceanography. (Oceanography)

Joseph Kelley, Ph.D. (Lehigh, 1980), Professor. Area: Coastal Geology, Coastal Zone Management. (Oceanography, Marine Policy)

Linda J. Kling, Ph.D. (Maryland, 1980), Associate Professor. Area: Fish Aquaculture, Fish Nutrition and Feeding. (Aquaculture)

Irv Kornfield, Ph.D. (Stony Brook, 1974), Professor. Area: Population Biology, Ecology and Systematics. (Marine Biology, Oceanography, Aquaculture)

Sara Lindsay, Ph.D. (South Carolina, 1994), Assistant Research Professor. Area: Sensory Biology and Ecology of Marine Invertebrates, Benthic Ecology. (Marine Biology, Oceanography)

Lawrence M. Mayer, Ph.D. (Dartmouth, 1976), Professor. Area: Marine Biogeochemistry. (Oceanography)

James D. McCleave, Ph.D. (Montana State, 1967), Emeritus Professor. Area: Migratory and Transport Mechanisms of Fishes, Fisheries Oceanography, Eel Biology. Associate Director, School of Marine Sciences. (Oceanography, Marine Biology)

Henry Perkins, Ph.D. (MIT and WHOI, 1970), Research Professor. Area: Physical Oceanography.

Mary Jane Perry, Ph.D. (Scripps Institution of Oceanography/California, San Diego, 1974), Professor. Area: Phytoplankton Physiology and Ecology, Primary Productivity, Bio-optics. (Oceanography, Marine Biology)

Andrew J. Pershing, Ph.D. (Cornell Univ., 2001), Assistant Research Professor. Area: Ecology and Environmental Biology.

Neal R. Pettigrew, Ph.D. (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution/M.I.T., 1981), Professor. Area: Near-shore, Estuarine and Continental Shelf Circulation. (Ocean-ography)

Paul Rawson, Ph.D. (South Carolina, 1996), Associate Professor. Area: Quantitative Genetics, Evolutionary Biology. (Marine Biology, Aquaculture)

Warren Riess, Ph.D. (New Hampshire, 1987), Associate Research Professor. Area: History; Underwater Archeology. (Marine Policy)

John Riley, Ph.D. (Cornell Univ., 1971), Professor. Area: Aquacultural Engineering.

Jeffrey A. Runge, Ph.D. (Univ. of Washington, 1981), Research Professor. Area: Biological and Fisheries Oceanography.

Malcolm Shick, Ph.D. (Texas, 1974), Professor. Area: Marine Invertebrate Physiology. (Marine Biology)

Bruce Sidell, Ph.D. (Illinois, 1975), Professor. Area: Biochemistry and Physiology of Fishes. (Marine Biology, Aquaculture)

Robert S. Steneck, Ph.D. (Johns Hopkins, 1982), Professor. Area: Benthic Marine Ecology, Lobsters, and Plant-Herbivore Interactions. (Oceanography, Marine Policy, and Marine Biology)

Andrew Thomas, Ph.D. (British Columbia, 1988), Associate Professor. Area: Plankton Biology, Biological/Physical Interactions, Satellite Oceanography. (Oceanography, Marine Biology)

Robert L. Vadas, Ph.D. (Washington, 1968), Professor. Area: Marine Ecology, Algal Ecology. (Marine Biology, Aquaculture)

Rebecca Van Beneden, Ph.D. (Johns Hopkins, 1983), Professor and Associate Director School of Marine Sciences. Area: Marine Molecular Biology and Environmental Toxicology. (Marine Biology)

Les Watling, Ph.D. (Delaware, 1974), Emeritus Professor. Area: Benthic Ecology. (Oceanography, Marine Biology, Aquaculture)

Mark Wells, Ph.D. (Maine, 1989), Professor. Area: Metal-Plankton Interactions, ocean optics, and harmful algal blooms. (Oceanography)

James Wilson, Ph.D. (Wisconsin, 1971), Professor. Area: Economics and Fisheries Management. (Marine Policy, Aquaculture)

Huijie Xue, Ph.D. (Princeton University, 1991), Professor. Area: Numerical Modeling of Coastal and Oceanic Circulation. (Oceanography)

Gayle Zydlewski, Ph.D. (Univ. of Maine, 1996), Research Assistant Professor. Area: Fish Physiology, Behavior, and Population Dynamics

Cooperating Faculty

Daniel F. Belknap, Ph.D. (Delaware, 1979), Professor. Area: Marine Geology, Sedimentology. Chair, Department of Earth Sciences. (Oceanography)

Nick Brown, Ph.D. (Aquaculture Univ., Stirling, UK, 1998), Assistant Professor. Area: Aquaculture Technology

Adria Elskus, Ph.D. (Boston University, 1992), Associate Professor. Area: Molecular Environmental Toxicology.

James Gilbert, Ph.D. (Idaho, 1974), Professor. Area: Large Mammal Population Dynamics, Assessment and Modeling. (Marine Biology)

Carol Kim, Ph.D. (Cornell, 1992), Associate Professor. Area: Zebrafish as a Model for Disease and Immune Function. (Marine Biology)

Michael Kinnison, Ph.D. (University of Washington, 1999), Associate Professor. Area: Ecology and Environmental (Marine Biology)

Greg Mayer, Ph.D. (University of Kentucky, 2001), Assistant Professor.  Area: Molecular Toxicology. (Marine Biology)

Paul Mayewski, Ph.D. (Ohio University, 1973), Professor. Area: Change in Climate and Chemistry of the Atmosphere. (Oceanography)

Laurie Osher, Ph.D. (University of California, Berkeley, 1997), Assistant Professor. Area: Biogeochemistry (Marine Biology)

Bryan Pearce, Ph.D. (Univ. of Florida, 1972), Professor. Area: Physical Oceanography, Numerical Modeling (Oceanography)

Michael Peterson, Ph.D. (Northwestern Univ., 1994), Professor. Area: Ultrasound, Instrumentation and Biomimetic Design. (Oceanography)

Mary Rumpho, Ph.D. (Washington State, 1982), Professor. Area: Mollusc/Algal Chloroplast Symbioses. (Marine Biology)

John Singer, Ph.D. (Georgia, 1983), Professor. Area: Marine Microbiology. Chair, Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Molecular Biology. (Aquaculture, Marine Biology)

Seth Tyler, Ph.D. (North Carolina, 1975), Professor. Area: Invertebrate Biology. (Marine Biology)


Adjunct Faculty

Brian Beal, Ph.D. (University of Maine, 1994), Assistant Professor. Benthic Ecology, Marine Biology. University of Maine at Machias

Christopher Davis, Ph.D. (Univ. of Maine, 2000), Assistant Professor. Molluscan Biology and Aquaculture.

Lawrence Jacobson, Ph.D. (University of Minnesota, 1986), Associate Professor. Fisheries Population Dynamics, Assessment Modeling and Management. National Marine Fisheries Service, Woods, Hole, Massachusetts

Richard Langton, Ph.D. (University of Wales, 1975), Associate Professor. Fish Relationships and Fishing Effects on Habitat, Stock Enhancement. Buccoo Reef Trust

 

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