Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science

09/16/2026

Join us for the Florida premiere of The Coral Rescuers on October 16th at the Rosenstiel School! 🪸

The short documentary follows the scientists and reef guardians working to save Florida’s corals as a rapidly changing climate threatens their survival.

Following the screening, hear directly from the film’s director and featured participants during a live Q&A.

🎟️ RSVP through the Eventbrite link in bio.

Please note: This event is in person only and will not be streamed.

09/13/2026

September 14-25, technical divers will explore the mesophotic coral ecosystems off the western coast of Puerto Rico to better understand these ecosystems and how they are used as habitat by their associated fish communities. They will conduct complementary stereo-video and visual surveys to document fish occurrence, size, and abundance as well as evidence of marine debris, bleaching, disease, and other threats. They’ll also collect samples of select uncommon, rare, and unknown species for further study and water samples for eDNA analysis.

Learn more: https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/expedition-2026-expeditions/

NOAA Ocean Exploration provided funding for this project via its Ocean Exploration Fiscal Year 2024 Funding Opportunity.

Image courtesy of Richard Pyle.

Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, Isla Mar, Sea Grant Puerto Rico

09/09/2026

Meet Theresia Phoa, a second-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the Rosenstiel School 🌤️

Her path from MPS student to doctoral researcher reflects something central to the Rosenstiel experience: the opportunity to explore evolving research interests, work across disciplines, and connect climate science with challenges that matter to communities.

09/07/2026

Congratulations to Claire Paris, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Ocean Sciences on setting a new CMAS world record in Constant Weight Freediving.

Her accomplishment reflects the same curiosity, discipline, and connection to the ocean that she brings to her work as a scientist and educator at Rosenstiel.

We’re proud to celebrate this milestone with her!

09/05/2026

Take a look inside the Toadfish Lab and meet one of the remarkably resilient species helping scientists uncover connections between marine biology and human health.

Led by Danielle McDonald, Professor and Director of the Glassell Family Center for Marine Biomedicine, the lab explores how marine organisms respond to stress, adapt to challenging environments, and reveal biological mechanisms that may have relevance far beyond the ocean.

09/04/2026

to last week’s Community Fair Back-to-School Bash! 🌴

A fun evening bringing together student organizations, research groups, community partners, and members of the Rosenstiel community to kick off the fall semester.

A huge thank you to all of the groups who joined us:

Coral Reef Futures Lab
Fun Force
Graduate Student Association (GSA)
MakersLab
Miami Waterkeeper
National Aplysia Resource
RISE Committee
Rosenstiel Birding Club
Rosenstiel School Office of Communications and Public Relations
Rosenstiel Run Club
Student Led Evaluations & Development (SLED)
Students 4 Students
University of Miami Shark Research and Conservation (SRC)
UM CIMAS – NOAA AOML Coral Program
UM Marine Mammal Rescue Team (MMRT)
Water Advocates and Visionaries for the Environment and Sea (WAVES)

The night was a great reminder of just how many ways there are to get involved and connect across Rosenstiel.

Thanks to everyone who helped make it such a great start to the semester 🙌

09/01/2026

Why do male and female bonnethead sharks develop such different head shapes? Researchers are getting closer to understanding the biology behind this distinctive trait.

Read more in our newsroom.

08/30/2026

A visit to Rosenstiel’s aquaculture feed lab with Tracy Fanara, Ph.D., aka Inspector Planet, pictured alongside postdoctoral associate Julio Camperio.

08/30/2026

08/28/2026

FRIDAY! A warm welcome to the Rosenstiel Class of 2030 and their families! 🙌

More than 200 guests joined us for Parents Brunch 2026, where they connected with Dean Kirtman and explored the Rosenstiel campus through tours of the SUSTAIN Lab, library, and R/V F.G. Walton Smith.

We’re excited to welcome our newest ’Canes to the Rosenstiel community!

08/27/2026

Climate resilience is becoming a critical part of the conversation around the future of U.S. seafood.

New research led by Juan Carlos Villaseñor Derbez, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy at the Rosenstiel School, examines what it will take to keep fisheries productive and competitive as environmental pressures increase, with lessons from the Gulf Coast that can inform fisheries nationwide.

08/25/2026

Millions of tons of sargassum travel across the Atlantic each year and scientists are developing a new way to track where it goes next.

Researchers are testing high-tech drifters designed to stay embedded within sargassum mats and continuously track their movement at sea. Equipped with GPS, cameras, and color detection sensors, the devices could help researchers better understand how currents, winds, and waves influence the seaweed’s path.

“Drifters… can provide something satellites cannot: a continuous record of the motion of an individual sargassum mat over weeks and even months.” — Francisco Beron-Vera, research professor at the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science

Read more: https://bit.ly/4hKJlPC

08/25/2026

Congratulations to Dave Nolan on receiving the American Meteorological Society’s 2027 Joanne Simpson Tropical Meteorology Research Award.

From advancing hurricane dynamics research to strengthening forecasting operations, Nolan’s work continues to make an important impact across tropical meteorology.

08/10/2026

Rosenstiel researchers partnered with Altametry to develop low-cost, expendable drifters that track sargassum mats and their movement in real time.

Equipped with environmental sensors and a camera, the drifters offer a closer look at the ocean conditions and organisms surrounding these floating ecosystems.