As the COVID-19 disease reached the people of Bermuda this spring, BIOS was one of many local organizations that stepped up to provide the equipment and expertise required by healthcare workers, the Bermuda Government, and private companies to facilitate accurate testing and treatment.
Since arriving at BIOS in July 2019, scientist Julius Barsi’s first priority has been designing a facility dedicated to a unique type of molecular biology to be built at BIOS within an existing laboratory space. The transgenic facility, which will be located in the Naess Building on campus, will leverage marine organisms to discover specifically how genes are controlled.
BIOS assistant scientist Yvonne Sawall and research specialist Tim Noyes were chosen in early 2020 from among five applicants to receive funding from the Cawthorn Innovation Award for a project designed to advance understanding of the metabolic rates of corals and other reef organisms. The award was established in 2016 by trustee emeritus Rob Cawthorn to support innovative and challenging research ideas among scientists at BIOS.
The global health emergency has deferred or shut down many areas of marine science research since March, including at BIOS, forcing scientists and staff to change how and where they work—all while in the midst of uncertainty regarding how their research and teaching will continue.
As Bermuda shuttered international travel and local business in response to the COVID-19 pandemic this spring, three container ships continued to deliver a critical supply of food and consumer goods to the island. One of these vessels, the Oleander, has been quietly serving the public, and the scientific community, in another important way for several decades —as a volunteer “ship of opportunity” that acquires important ocean measurements during its weekly voyages between Bermuda and the United States.
In late April, BIOS faculty, staff, and trustees gathered on the back porch of Wright Hall—the Institute’s iconic main building—to honor its longest serving board member: Idwal Wyn, “Walwyn,” Hughes.
Doctoral student Pinelopi Loizou of Cyprus spent twelve weeks this summer working at BIOS with mentor Mark Guishard, a meteorologist by training and project manager of the BIOS Risk Prediction Initiative (RPI), to investigate the topic of hurricane variability using Bermuda as a study site.
After a successful debut in the summer of 2018, BIOS again included the Ocean Science Camp in its lineup of summer education programs. The weeklong camp, held this year from July 8 to 12, is geared toward students aged 12-15 who are interested in the ocean, but have yet to participate in rigorous studies.
Behind every successful ocean science research cruise—whether it’s for a day, a week, or multiple months—is a cadre of professionals ensuring that everything runs smoothly: the marine technicians. These individuals possess a unique set of skills that combines technical and engineering expertise, a broad understanding of ocean science, communication, and a willingness to often work long hours in the elements on the back deck of a ship.
Julius Christopher Barsi grew up in a family of academics, engineers, and artists, including grandparents who owned an estate farm in Kona, Hawaii. Being surrounded by such natural wild beauty, he knew from an early age that he wanted to become a biologist. By his teenage years he was fascinated by a diverse array of topics, including nuclear physics and genetics. Realizing the importance that the discovery of the double helix (the twisted-ladder structure of a DNA molecule) held for the field of life sciences, he decided to dedicate his academic career to the pursuit of knowledge in this area.