Another year, another Maui trip!

Aloha! Our lab just got back from our annual field work trip to Maui, and we have a lot to report! We’ve been visiting Maui for over a decade to monitor coral reefs along the island’s leeward (sheltered from the wind) coast. We return to the same sites year after year and take thousands of pictures of each reef. When … Read More

Now Published: Decade-Long Study on Palmyra’s Coral Reefs

Although many coral reefs are facing devastating declines due to global climate change, some reefs, such as at the remote Palmyra Atoll, are able to withstand and recover from bleaching. This recently-published paper, led by Ph.D. candidate Adi Khen and co-authored by lab alumni/staff with senior author Dr. Jennifer Smith, demonstrates the remarkable resilience of Palmyra’s reefs over the past … Read More

Smith Lab participates in first-annual (virtual) California Seaweed Festival

Smith Lab will be involved in the first-annual “California Seaweed Festival” taking place virtually from Nov. 16-21, 2020. This is a free event bringing together scientists, artists, entrepreneurs, farmers, and seaweed-enthusiasts alike to celebrate the importance, diversity, and beauty of seaweeds. Professor Jennifer Smith will be a panelist for Seaweed Science; staff member Brant Chlebowski will be presenting on Seaweed as Food, and PhD … Read More

“Scientific Illustration as a Tool to Communicate, Educate, and Motivate” by PhD student Adi Khen

Smith lab PhD candidate, Adi Khen, recently wrote a blog post for Climate Science Alliance (an organization associated with the Center for Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation at Scripps Oceanography) in which she discusses the intersection of science & art; or more specifically, the use of scientific illustration as a tool for communicating research, educating people, and motivating change. Click … Read More

SOAR Spring 2020 Report: Red Tide Edition

If you’re a resident of Southern California (and maybe even if you’re not) you likely heard about the recent red tide bloom (and subsequent smelly fish and invertebrate die-offs) that saturated the coastline of Southern California. Here at Scripps Oceanography, it was the main topic of conversation to break the monotony of COVID-19 information and pandemic updates. For those of us … Read More

Cow burps & the scientists waging war against them, featured in WIRED

Dr. Jen Smith was recently interviewed and featured in a WIRED article where she discussed how her work learning to cultivate Asparagopsis taxiformis in the lab will help Californian dairy farmers to cut emissions by 2030. The article mentions her work with Elm Innovations and introduces a multitude of scientific methods currently being explored by scientists worldwide to reduce methane emissions by the livestock … Read More

The Jeffrey B. Graham Perspectives on Ocean Science Lecture Series: Food, Feed, & Climate Change

Dr. Jennifer Smith and lab staff researcher, Brant Chlebowski, presented a joint lecture for the Jeffrey B. Graham Perspectives on Ocean Science Lecture Series at Birch Aquarium. In their talk entitled, “Food, Feed, & Climate Change: Emerging Opportunities for Shore Based Seaweed Aquaculture,” they discuss the recent innovations in shore-based aquaculture and the great potential it has to change the … Read More

Can California get cows to burp less methane? Check out this story by NBC

Dr. Jen Smith was recently interviewed by NBC – the latest story on Asparagopsis taxiformis is officially out, and this time we get to hear from people who make their living maintaining cattle ranches and dairy farms in addition to the scientists! Check out the video below to learn more!

UCSD Research highlight: “Usurp the Burp”

This week Dr. Jen Smith’s research was featured by the UC San Diego News Center, highlighting her recent collaboration with agricultural scientists at UC Davis. Dr. Smith is researching methods of cultivation of Asparagopsis taxiformis, a red seaweed that has been discovered to reduce methane emissions from cow burps in studies conducted at UC Davis. She’s also working with scientists at … Read More