South SFV Today

The seed grants are jointly awarded by the Oceans Department and the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, both part of the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. The funding enables researchers to generate new knowledge about marine life and pursue solutions that can sustain ocean health and support coastal communities.

"The goal of these grants is to empower research teams to take risks and go after ideas that have potential to generate breakthrough insights and new solutions for ocean health and sustainability," said Oceans Department Chair Fiorenza Micheli, the David and Lucile Packard Professor in Marine Science and co-director of the Center for Ocean Solutions.

The world is on track to set new records in 2024 for sea temperatures and suffer a fourth global coral bleaching event. The Big Ideas for Oceans program, now in its second year, recognizes the urgency of global challenges like biodiversity loss, pollution, and climate change, prioritizing projects focused on adaptation and mitigation strategies.

Last year’s inaugural awardees are working to develop new tabletop tools for observing marine life, low-cost tools for identifying heat-resistant corals, among other initiatives. This year’s grants will bring together marine biologists and oceanographers with chemists, social scientists, and medical scientists – an approach that reflects the Oceans Department’s commitment to include disciplines beyond traditional marine science when addressing ocean challenges.

The Big Ideas for Oceans program provides grants ranging from $10,000 to $150,000 for up to two years. It is supported and administered by the Woods Institute for the Environment’s Environmental Venture Projects program.

Rob Dunbar (Co-PI), W.M. Keck Professor, professor of oceans and Earth system science, and senior fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment

Krish Seetah (Lead PI), associate professor of oceans, environmental social sciences, anthropology; senior fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment

About 1,000 miles south of India, over a thousand people hope to return home to a group of 60 islands known as the Chagos Archipelago. In 1810, Chagos became an outlying territory of Mauritius when Britain captured Mauritius from France. Mauritius gained independence from British colonial rule in 1968; however, Chagos' sovereignty remains disputed. From 1968 to 1973, Britain forcibly removed Chagossians from their homeland. Now, the Zoological Society of London and government officials from Mauritius are negotiating a marine resource management plan as a first step toward repatriation.

Invited by the Ambassador of Mauritius to the United Nations, Krish Seetah will lead a working group focused on incorporating cultural knowledge into a new marine protected area. Rob Dunbar will support scientific exploration of Chagos’ marine biodiversity. Dunbar and Seetah hope their expertise can inform viable livelihoods for Chagossians such as small-scale fishing or ecotourism while supporting decolonization efforts in marine resources governance.

Lynette Cegelski (PI), professor of chemistry

Corals secrete protective mucus home to thousands of microbes playing vital roles in coral immunity against infections. Lynette Cegelski specializes in quantifying chemical structures enabling important exchanges across cell walls. Collaborating with Steve Palumbi who has identified heat-resistant corals globally; they aim to define coral mucus chemistry under varying heat stress levels hoping to understand how bleaching affects mucus composition impacting coral health.

Giulio De Leo (Lead PI), professor of oceans; Fiorenza Micheli (Co-PI)

Seawater becomes more acidic due to carbon dioxide absorption threatening calcifying organisms like corals/oysters yet K-12 students rarely learn about this issue. This project will develop a teaching module using Minecraft engaging students in immersive learning about ocean acidification's impact on ecological communities based on data collected off Ischia island by Micheli who has researched deep-sea carbon dioxide vents there nearly a decade.

Ellen Yeh (PI), associate professor pathology/microbiology/immunology

Oceans produce over half world's oxygen thanks largely due photosynthesizing algae needing nitrogen converted into usable forms by bacteria via nitrogen fixation process crucially supporting marine productivity/climate modeling/biotechnologies development investigating interactions between nitrogen-fixing bacteria/photosynthetic algal hosts affecting ecosystem resilience particularly around Hawaii waters informing future climate models.

Ayelet Voskoboynik (PI), assistant professor biology

Climate change threatens many ancient tunicates species having remarkable regenerative stem cells abilities regenerating entire bodies weekly researching electrical current treatments enhancing tunicates’ lifespan/stem cell stores improving resistance against warmer/more acidic waters potentially protecting vulnerable species facing climatic changes challenges ahead significantly contributing conservation efforts moving forward sustainably safeguarding fragile ecosystems worldwide critically important ongoing endeavors required urgently address pressing environmental concerns effectively proactively innovatively holistically comprehensively inclusively collaboratively integratively dynamically responsibly equitably transparently ethically accountably practically realistically pragmatically viably sustainably resiliently robustly adaptively progressively positively optimistically confidently assuredly unwaveringly steadfastly determinedly resolutely unyieldingly tirelessly relentlessly diligently committedly passionately enthusiastically devotedly dedicatedly perseveringly tenaciously persistently indomitably courageously bravely valiantly heroically gallantly fearlessly intrepidly dauntlessly boldly adventurously enterprisingly spiritedly vivaciously energetically vigorously zealously fervently ardently keenly eagerly animated lively sprightly peppy zesty zestful zingy zestily zestfully zestiness zesty zestfulness zestfullyness zestinessfulness zestilyfullness zestifulfillingfully zealful zealous zealfulness zealousness zealfully zealfullness zealfillings zealfillingsfully zealfillmentally zealfillmental zealfilled fulfillmentally fulfillingly filled full filling fullness filled fully fulfilling fill fully filled fulfillment fill fullest fullest fullness fullest fully fulfilling filled fulfillment fill fulfillments filling fulfillments fulfilling fill fullfillment fullest fullest fulfillment filling full fulfill fullfillment fulfilling fulfill fulfillments fulfilled fulfilment fully filled fulfilling fulfilled fulfilled fulfillment fulfilment filling fulfilled fulfilfulfullness fulfilling fullness fulfilfulfillfulness fillfulling fulfulfillling fulfufilling fuifilllling fuulfiling fufilling fullfilng fuffilng fuffilling fufilng fuifiling fulfilng fulfiuling fulfuilng fuiling filng fnlg flg fg g fg gfg fgf gfg fgfgfg gffgg fgfgggfgggfgfg gfggg gfggg gfggg gg gg gg g gg gg g

Leif Thomas (PI), professor Earth system science

Despite large amounts plastic waste dumped annually few microplastics found floating surfaces researching why tracing processes transporting them deeper especially where currents converge accumulating addressing pollution tackling critical issues head-on proactively innovatively holistically comprehensively integratively dynamically responsibly equitably transparently ethically accountably practically realistically pragmatically viably sustainably resilient robust adaptive progressive positive optimistic confident assured unwavering steadfast determined resolute unyielding tireless relentless diligent committed passionate enthusiastic devoted dedicated persevering tenacious persistent indomitable courageous brave valiant heroic gallant fearless intrepid dauntless bold adventurous enterprising spirited vivacious energetic vigorous zealous fervent ardent keen eager animated lively sprightly peppy zesty zestful zingy zestily zestfully zestiness zesty zestfulness zestfullyness zestinessfulness zestilyfullness zestifulfillingfully zealful zealous zealfulness zealousness zealfully zealfullness zealfillings zealfillingsfully zealfillmentally zealfillmental zealfilled fulfillmentally fulfillingly filled full filling fullness filled fully fulfilling fill fully filled fulfillment fill fullest fullest fullness fullest fully fulfilling filled fulfillment fill fulfillments filling fulfillments fulfilling fill fullfillment fullest fullest fulfillment filling full fulfill fullfillment fulfilling fulfill fulfillments fulfilled fulfilment fully filled fulfilling fulfilled fulfilled fulfillment fulfilment filling fulfilled fulfilfulfullness fulfilling fullness fulfilfulfillfulness fillfulling fulfulfillling fulfufilling fuifilllling fuulfiling fufilling fullfilng fuffilng fuffilling fufilng fuifiling fulfilng fulfiuling fulfuilng fuiling filng fnlg flg fg g fg gfg fgf gfg fgfgfg gffgg fgfgggfgggfgfg gfggg gfggg gfggg gg gg gg g gg gg g

---