Two long-serving members of the BIOS faculty assumed new roles this month in the Education Department, while members of the Institute wished former director Penelope Barnes farewell after four years of service.

The gender disparity within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degree programs and the college-educated workforce is an issue that has faced colleges, universities, funding agencies, and employers for decades.

Traditionally, sabbaticals are offered to faculty after seven years or more of tenured work at their home institution. The sabbatical allows faculty to take paid leave and engage in a variety of activities, such as research collaborations with scientists at other institutions; full-time writing for books or peer-reviewed journal papers; the pursuit of funding opportunities; travel for field research; or the development of new professional skills.

Perched near the shoreline on the southwest coast of Bermuda, the Tudor Hill Marine Atmospheric Observatory is one of BIOS’s lesser-known gems, and the source for data used in two scientific papers published last year in leading scientific journals. The publications – Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics and the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres – feature collaborations among multiple researchers in the U.S., Germany, and Bermuda, including BIOS environmental chemist and Tudor Hill observatory lead scientist Andrew Peters.

Although fall semester courses at BIOS had to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Institute’s University Programs department worked diligently over the summer months to ensure the annual Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), could still take place.

This month marks the first year that students at Furman University can take the “Oceans and Human Health” (OHH) course at BIOS for their May Experience, an optional three-week term following commencement that allows students to participate in unique academic experiences, including shorter study abroad courses and instruction in research methods. Coordinated by BIOS’s Dr. Andrea Bodnar, the course is offered through the International Center for Ocean and Human Health at BIOS, which was established in 1998 to encourage interdisciplinary research among the ocean and medical sciences.

New grants from the National Science Foundation will extend and improve two long-term climate observation programs led by BIOS scientists.

While the first week of January means a return to school for many, students at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland can spend time between the fall and spring semesters taking intensive courses as part of the University’s “Intersession” program.

This spring, Andrew Peters, director of university programs at BIOS, and Samantha de Putron, assistant director of university programs, received some good news from the National Science Foundation: their Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) proposal was awarded funding for three more consecutive years. This enables eight undergraduates to spend twelve weeks at BIOS each year, with mentorship from a BIOS scientist as they conduct an independent research project. Students hoping to come to BIOS this fall for a fully supported research opportunity (including airfare, stipend, room and board) must apply by May 31, 2018.

In recent years, libraries in North America have become much more than book repositories, providing modern classrooms and light-filled lecture spaces, comfortable group and individual study areas, and high speed Internet access. The newly renovated library at BIOS promises that and more—anyone want to learn to build a circuit for an undersea robot?