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Highlights

 
Teachers on the Estuary Workshop

Teachers on the Estuary Workshop

The Mission-Aransas Reserve will be hosting a FREE Teachers On The Estuary (TOTE) Workshop this summer for middle and high school teachers in the Coastal Bend Region: “Marine Plastic Pollution: current research and community environmental movements” on July 26-28, 2021 at...
New Nurdle Patrol App

New Nurdle Patrol App

Since the Nurdle Patrol Citizen Science Project was created in 2018, by the Mission-Aransas Reserve at The University of Texas Marine Science Institute, the effort to record and track nurdles on beaches and bays have grown into a large network with...
Five Marine Mom Facts You Didn’t Know

Five Marine Mom Facts You Didn’t Know

1. Deep sea octopus has the longest pregnancy. Researchers recently observed a deep-sea octopus mother brooding her eggs for 53 months – a whopping four and a half years. The octopus’s unique scars allow them to identify and then checked on...
Wetlands Education Center Tours

Wetlands Education Center Tours

What: Guided Wetland Walks When: Tuesday and Thursday at 9 a.m. Where: 855 East Cotter Ave., Port Aransas TX (Meet at the trailhead)   This May 11, 2021, the University of Texas Marine Science Institute will reopen its Wetlands Education Center...
Mother Nature Helped, Now Our Part; Removing Invasive Species 

Mother Nature Helped, Now Our Part; Removing Invasive Species 

Like many tropical plants that were destroyed from the prolonged February freeze, the heat-loving Brazilian peppertree, experienced a significant defoliation. However, these invasive shrubs are starting regrow from the base and local organizations are taking advantage of freeze impacts to ensure...
Scientist with Local Roots Elected into the Most Prestigious Scientific Academy

Scientist with Local Roots Elected into the Most Prestigious Scientific Academy

The ocean is in her blood. Since arriving to Corpus Christi in her teen years, Dr. Nancy Rabalais has been drawn to the coast. She was recently elected as one of the newest National Academy of Sciences members recognized for her...
Marine Science News

Marine Science News

Greetings, We’re looking to the future. Please click the image below to view the Marine Science News, 1st Quarter edition of 2021. You can download a PDF version of the document here. 
ARK Receives Big Collective Donation

ARK Receives Big Collective Donation

The Amos Rehabilitation Keep (ARK) at The University of Texas Marine Science Institute just received a donation from Friends of the ARK for $40,000. These new funds were primarily collected in response to the cold-stunning sea turtle rescue event and were...
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Listening in for Earth Day

Listening in for Earth Day

Since the first Earth Day celebration in 1970, this day has sparked hundreds of thousands of efforts to raise awareness about the nature that surrounds us. On today’s Earth Day, the Mission-Aransas Reserve at The University of Texas Marine Science Institute...
City Nature Challenge is Back

City Nature Challenge is Back

Citizen scientists have the opportunity to compete to see who can submit the most observations about nature. This is the fifth annual City Nature Challenge, and last year 244 cities across six continents made over 815,000 observations and of those over...
Celebrating our UTMSI Women in History

Celebrating our UTMSI Women in History

To commemorate Women In History month we spotlighted seven women who have made significant impacts or promoted advancement for UTMSI and the marine science field. Wildlife ecologist and artist Marcia Kier (now Marcia Hawthorne) painted scientifically accurate watercolors of biotopes displayed...
Freeze could trigger harmful algal bloom

Freeze could trigger harmful algal bloom

The February 2021 freeze caused a massive kill of marine life along the Texas Coast. Those dead fish and invertebrates, like oysters and worms, are in the process of decaying and will release lots of nutrients that will promote the growth...
UT Austin and its Marine Science Program Is Once Again Named Among the World’s Leading Universities

UT Austin and its Marine Science Program Is Once Again Named Among the World’s Leading Universities

The latest 2021 edition of the World University Rankings by Subject is naming 41 subject areas and programs at The University of Texas Austin among the top in the world. In particular, Marine Science moved up from 24 to rank number 21....
Turtles headed for release

Turtles headed for release

The winter storm Uri caused damage and hardship across the state of Texas. The effects were felt state-wide include along the Texas shoreline as thousands of sea turtles became stranded in the largest cold stun event ever recorded. As of 2/22/21...
ARK Takes in Turtles - Freezing Temperatures Stunning Sea Turtles

ARK Takes in Turtles - Freezing Temperatures Stunning Sea Turtles

The severe winter weather caused power outages, road closures, water pressure issues. It is also having a dramatic impact on the local wildlife. The recent freezing temperatures are causing many sea turtles in the bays to become stunned by the cold....
Losing Land and What it Means

Losing Land and What it Means

The northern Alaska coast is losing up to 1.3 square miles of land every year to the sea which is equivalent to the area of Central Park in New York City. This loss of land has a dramatic impact on local...
UTMSI Marina Opens

UTMSI Marina Opens

The University of Texas Marine Science Institute (UTMSI) is very pleased to officially reopen its marina. The marina was created in the 1950s to facilitate easy access to the Gulf of Mexico and local bay systems. The marina serves the Institute’s...
Marine Science News

Marine Science News

2020 was a year to remember and we hope that you are all well. Please click the image below to view the Marine Science News, 4th Quarter edition of 2020.
Mapping Microplastics

Mapping Microplastics

Microplastics and plastic pellet contamination in local bays received national attend last year when petrochemical company Formosa Plastics agreed to pay $50 million in the largest-ever settlement of a lawsuit linked to the federal Clean Water Act. A portion of that...
Public Lecture Series Goes Virtual and Expands

Public Lecture Series Goes Virtual and Expands

The 2021 UTMSI Public Lecture Series is virtual and combined with the new Texas Science Festival. Free and open to science enthusiasts everywhere, the Texas Science Festival (Feb 16 - March 26) is a celebration of discovery and learning. Registration for...