Skidaway Institute of Oceanography

UGA Skidaway Institute of Oceanography faculty member Clifton Buck’s research on trace elements has taken him and his lab members all over the world, from the coast of Hawaii to the frigid waters of the North and South Poles. They travel to some of the ocean’s most remote locations, collecting samples from the water and atmosphere to analyze trace element concentrations.

Learn more: https://www.skio.uga.edu/2026/07/29/tracking-the-trace-elements-that-feed-our-ocean/

What a summer it's been! ☀️🔬

We had a blast listening to our intern presentations yesterday. From assisting with glider deployments to using drones to monitor Tybee's shoreline (and so much more), our Summer 2026 interns learned a lot and made significant contributions to the Skidaway Institute.

Pixel Stretch: Skidaway Institute Style 🌊⛴️🤖🔬☀️

Congratulations to Claire Garfield, a doctoral student in the UGA Department of Marine Sciences, on being named the 2026 recipient of the Lawrence and Janet Pomeroy Memorial Award!

Garfield, who studies bacterial processing of organic carbon in the surface ocean, will use the award to support travel to the 2027 NOMAD DOM Summer School in Montreal.

Read more about Claire's research and this well-deserved recognition: https://www.skio.uga.edu/2026/07/09/claire-garfield-named-2026-pomeroy-memorial-award-recipient/

Interested in learning about our glider work? 🌊🤖

Catch Dr. Catherine Edwards during Evening at Skidaway on Tuesday, July 21. Dr. Edwards will explain how her team uses these underwater robots to collect data that improve our hurricane forecasts in near-real time, strengthen storm prediction models, and inform emergency management and the general public.

RSVP to this FREE event: https://forms.gle/nN7oUuQ5hvW4vofT6

Congratulations to Dr. Patrick Duffy on successfully defending his dissertation, “Characterizing the Fine-Scale Ecology of Gelatinous Zooplankton on a Continental Shelf: Ontogenetic Oceanographic Association, Habitat Use, and Trophic Interactions.” 🎓⛴️

Advised by Dr. Adam Greer and a member of the Zero-C Lab, Duffy spent an impressive 90 days at sea aboard the R/V Savannah while earning his doctorate. He's also a rare Double SkIO Dawg, having completed his master's degree at the Skidaway Institute in 2021.

Congratulations, Dr. Duffy! 👏

Congratulations to Dr. Emily Gipson on successfully defending her dissertation, "Flexible Feeding and a Vast Gene Pool: Trophic Dynamics and Population Genomics of a Bloom-Forming Pelagic Tunicate on the South Atlantic Bight Continental Shelf" 🎓🥼

During her time at SkIO, Gipson worked with SkIO faculty members Dr. Marc Frischer, Dr. Jay Brandes and Dr. Adam Greer. Her research at SkIO focused on understanding the trophic dynamics of zooplankton in the pelagic food web.

Congratulations, Dr. Gipson! 👏

Last week, two of our summer interns gained great experience while helping to deploy a hurricane glider off the coast of Georgia. 🌊

Dori Cook (left) and Jiya Porwal (right) were led by SkIO faculty member Dr. Catherine Edwards and escorted in style 🛥️ by Kevin Hunnicut from Latitude 31 Dive Company.

The SECOORA-funded gliders travel up and down through the ocean collecting critical data on temperature, salinity, and conditions that can fuel intensification of tropical cyclones.

Interested in learning more? Catch Dr. Catherine Edwards during Evening at Skidaway event on Tuesday, July 21. Dr. Edwards will explain how her team uses these underwater robots to collect data that improve our hurricane forecasts in near-real time, strengthen storm prediction models, and inform the emergency management and the general public.

RSVP: https://www.skio.uga.edu/event/evening-at-skidaway-robots-below-the-surface-how-underwater-gliders-help-hurricane-forecasts-and-you/

We had a great time taking this year’s Savannah State University REU students out for a two-day cruise on the RV Savannah.

While at sea, students learned to operate advanced oceanographic instruments and collected samples as they traveled 75 miles out to the Gulf Stream and back.

This SSU program is part of the broader U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) initiative. While most NSF REU programs are geared toward juniors and seniors, the eight-week SSU Bridge program focuses on underclassmen, offering foundational knowledge and skills to jump-start careers in marine science research.

Since the program’s inception in 2009, more than 160 students have participated, with 40 of them working with faculty at the UGA Skidaway Institute.