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IOCS is searching for a talented, forward-thinking candidate to join our team as a Research Scientist or Senior Postdoc. We are looking for someone with sharp and versitile quantitative skills to lead our eDNA and fisheries survey work in Shinnecock Bay, NY. It is a great opportunity to dig into rich datasets, publish in peer-reviewed journals, and be part of a prestigious team of scientists at ShiRP and SoMAS! Apply here. The Institute for Ocean Conservation Science (IOCS) at Stony Brook University is seeking to hire a Senior Postdoctoral Associate to participate in the execution and analysis of innovative ecosystem assessments in and beyond Shinnecock Bay, NY in the context of a long running (12+ year) time series of assessment and restoration efforts. Data collected previously and over the course of the next several years will provide a comprehensive understanding of the biodiversity, composition, abundance, and spatial distribution of species throughout the bay and both inside and outside restoration areas.  Prior research has employed eDNA assessment (4 years) and a trawl survey (11 years). Over the next several years we will expand our eDNA research and incorporate the use of un-crewed maritime systems (UMSs) equipped with a variety of sensors to enable more comprehensive and automated ecosystem assessment including biodiversity, abundance, habitat type and extent, water quality and other environmental data. The incumbent will join a multidisciplinary team of researchers who have been studying the bay together for more than a decade, and whose work has resulted in major restoration of Shinnecock Bay. The success of the restoration was a major factor in Shinnecock Bay’s designation as a globally recognized Hope Spot by the organization Mission Blue led by Dr. Sylvia Earle. The candidate will join a team with a strong track record of producing groundbreaking publications that have high citation rates and real world impact. This position represents a unique opportunity for an early career scientist to learn, contribute, manage, network, build a publication record. The position is housed within Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) and is funded through the Research Foundation of SUNY. The candidate must be proficient and comfortable preparing for and leading six trawls per summer including a small crew of graduate students and volunteers. The candidate must also be proficient and comfortable leading eDNA water sample collection via a small vessel, managing filtration and extraction in the laboratory, conducting bioinformatic analysis, and producing graphic and written results. The successful incumbent will have excellent organizational skills, ability to work independently with minimal supervision at times, foresight and good judgment, working well within a team and as a leader, and an ability to troubleshoot issues in the field and during analysis. The candidate must be able to work effectively in a fast-paced work environment during certain times of the year when deadlines are imminent. The candidate is expected to contribute as a thought leader, work well with other researchers associated with the Shinnecock Bay Restoration Program, and be willing to participate in broader efforts that support Shinnecock Bay as a globally recognized Hope Spot.

On Monday, November 6, 2023, Stony Brook University held an Investiture Ceremony in the Wang Center to celebrate faculty members who earned the distinction of becoming an Endowed Professor. Dean Paul Shepson of the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences recognized Ellen's scholarship and impact on behalf of the University. Read more about the ceremony and the distinguished faculty here.

Every four years, delegates from around the world meet to exchange ideas and perspectives about new research, emerging issues, scientific breakthroughs, and governance related to fisheries science, industry, conservation, and management. Dr. Pikitch has been accepted to give an oral presentation entitled "Feasibility of Replacing Bottom Trawl Surveys with eDNA Survey Methods" Learn more about the congress here.

IOCS's Dr. Ellen Pikitch speaks at the United Nations on the successful restoration of Shinnecock Bay, the importance of eDNA, and commemoration of the Shinnecock Bay Hope Spot on its first anniversary. Photo credit: John Griffin/Stony Brook University

The Southampton Press featured the daylong June 9th celebration at Stony Brook Southampton on the cover of its Western Edition. A press event in the morning was emceed by IOCS's Dr. Ellen Pikitch, the Shinnecock Bay Hope Spot Champion, and featured remarks by: Dr. Paul Shepson, Dean of SoMAS, Stony Brook University Richard Garriot, President of The Explorers Club (Co-Nominating organization for the Hope Spot) Dr. Sylvia Earle, President of Mission Blue and world renowned scientist and explorer Dr. Chris Gobler, of SoMAS and co-PI of the Shinnecock Bay Restoration Prorgram Erika Heine Montague, Chief Technologist with Schmidt Marine Technology Partners Dr. Kelsey Leonard, Professor at University of Waterloo and member of the Shinnecock Indian Nation Ed Warner, Southampton Town Trustee and longtime bayman Photo credits and Southampton Press story written by Kitty Merrill

IOCS is thrilled to welcome renowned marine scientist and "Her Deepness" Dr. Sylvia Earle to our Stony Brook University Southampton campus to headline an event celebrating the Shinnecock Bay Hope Spot. The event will also feature members of the Shinnecock Indian Nation, scientists from Stony Brook University, tech entrepreneurs, and Schmidt Marine Technology Partners who will moderate a panel discussion of how underwater robotics have advanced and can become more affordable. The event will run from 4-5:30 PM, with doors opening at 3PM to view technology and cultural displays and enjoy light refreshments. This is a ticketed event ($30), and tickets can be purchased on The Explorers Club website. .

IOCS scientists Dr. Karine Kleinhaus, Dr. Ellen Pikitch, and Dr. John Bohorquez discuss the importance of Egypt's coral reefs in a letter published in the journal Science this week, at the same time global leaders are meeting in Egypt at COP27 to discuss climate change. These corals are among the most heat tolerant in the world but are threatened by local human impacts. The letter in Science requires a subscription, but all relevant information is also contained in a Stony Brook News article: https://news.stonybrook.edu/newsroom/saving-egypts-coral-reefs-is-necessary-to-preserve-oceans-ecosystems/ Learn more about Red Sea corals at Red Sea Reef Foundation, an organization founded by Dr. Kleinhaus in 2020.

This Thursday, 10/27/22 at 4 pm EST, IOCS's Executive Director Dr. Ellen Pikitch will be participating in a panel discussion on Indigenous Art and Environmental Issues, in person at the Paul Zuccaire Gallery at Stony Brook University and streaming online here: https://youtu.be/lh7qaf0ZYlM. This panel is part of the series Connecting the Drops: The Power of Water. Connecting the Drops artists Courtney M. Leonard (Shinnecock) and Erin Genia (Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate) discuss their work as it relates to the environment and indigenous issues, in dialogue with Shavonne F. Smith, Environmental Director Shinnecock Nation and Dr. Ellen Pikitch, Endowed Professor of Ocean Conservation Science and Executive Director, Institute for Ocean Conservation Science at Stony Brook University. Moderated by Dr. Abena Ampofoa Asare, Associate Professor of Modern African Affairs & History at Stony Brook University. What are new ways we can connect science and art at Stony Brook University? Whose stories are being left out, and what topics should we be exploring? The Zuccaire Gallery’s upcoming panel focuses on the work of Indigenous Peoples in addressing issues of climate change, pollution, and environmental conservation. The panel will explore the connections between art and science, touching on the Shinnecock Hope Spot, climate activism through art, Indigenous Science, and the environmental work that scientists and activists are doing on Long Island. The panel features artists and environmental activists, Courtney M Leonard and Erin Genia in dialogue with environmental leader Shavonne F. Smith and renowned scientist Dr. Ellen Pikitch. Moderated by Dr. Abena Ampofoa Asare.

https://www.newsday.com/long-island/environment/shinnecock-bay-restoration-hope-spot-ocean-jtkktrjv

Shinnecock Bay is being named a new “Hope Spot” by Mission Blue, an international organization that supports the protection of oceans worldwide. The distinction is the result of a decade of restorative and scientific work co-led by Ellen Pikitch, Christopher Gobler and Bradley Peterson in Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS). Photo credit: Christopher Paparo/Fish Guy Photos SoMAS Fieldwork Leads to Global “Hope Spot” Designation for Shinnecock Bay June 7, 2022. 4 min read Shinnecock Bay has been named a global Hope Spot after successful restoration efforts over the past decade. Shinnecock Bay is being named a new “Hope Spot” by Mission Blue, an international organization that supports the protection of oceans worldwide. The distinction is the result of a decade of restorative and scientific work co-led by Ellen Pikitch, Christopher Gobler and Bradley Peterson in Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS). Hope Spots are iconic ocean regions that stand out as some of the most pristine on the globe. This places Shinnecock Bay, located on the East End of Long Island, in a league with internationally recognized locations such as the Galapagos Islands, the Sargasso Sea and the Ross Sea in Antarctica. The bay is the first Hope Spot in New York State, the only one near a major metropolitan region and one of only three others on the U.S. Eastern Seaboard. Sylvia Earle, founder of Mission Blue, said, “What a concept, in the shadow of one of the most densely populated parts of the planet — New York City! While New York conjures up visions of skyscrapers and crowded streets, it is a great ocean state with a significant coastline, a rich maritime heritage and growing opportunities to view ocean wildlife from the shores and in the water.” Mission Blue and its founder, the internationally renowned marine biologist Sylvia Earle, officially named Shinnecock Bay as a Hope Spot on June 6 in an event at The Explorers Club in New York City. Pikitch, on behalf of the Institute for Ocean Conservation Science, nominated the bay for this global recognition, and Ted Janulis, on behalf of The Explorers Club, served as second nominator. The Explorers Club acknowledged the work of Pikitch and her colleagues at SoMAS, where a team of scientists, educators and students have worked together to revive the health, biodiversity and aquaculture potential of Shinnecock Bay. “The Hope Spot distinction for this unique bay on Long Island is the result of meticulous work and proof that the Shinnecock Bay Restoration Program has succeeded in bringing the bay back to the healthier state it was in many decades ago,” said Pikitch, endowed professor of ocean conservation science and director of the Institute for Ocean Conservation Science. “Shinnecock Bay is arguably the healthiest bay in New York State, and our work demonstrates that people can reverse the damage done through nature-based, scientifically guided restoration,” Pikitch continued. “We hope and expect that designation of Shinnecock Bay as a Hope Spot will inspire others to take action to restore other places to their original beauty, biodiversity and health.” Shinnecock Bay is a highly productive estuary that is approximately 122 kilometers from New York City. The bay is a hidden gem of biodiversity that covers an area of 40 square kilometers and consists of 9,000 acres of open water, salt marshes, intertidal flats and seagrass beds. These habitats serve as important nursery, feeding and breeding grounds for many species. Additionally, the Shinnecock Bay area and surrounding lands has a long history to the Shinnecock Nation, whose reservation is located on the far eastern part of the bay. Leaders of the Shinnecock Nation have endorsed the designation of Shinnecock Bay as a Hope Spot. The creation of “hard clam sanctuaries” in western Shinnecock Bay is a pivotal part of the restoration effort of the SoMAS Stony Brook University team. As a result of this work, the dangerous brown and red tides that had been occurring annually have not been observed for several years. Landings of hard clams outside the sanctuaries have increased dramatically and are at a level not seen since the mid-1980s. And, numbers of fish in the bay, most notably forage fishes such as bay anchovy and menhaden, have escalated.

IOCS, along with The Explorer's Club, nominated Shinnecock Bay to receive this prestigious designation! Learn more in our new video: Read more in the Stony Brook University press release here: https://news.stonybrook.edu/university/shinnecock-bay-recognized-as-a-new-global-hope-spot/