Baja Was A Blast! New Creature Added to the Pollinator List Movie Spotlight - Thirteen Lives The Newest Member of the SeaSmart Squad Octopus Inspired Octo-Glove Alumni Spotlight Special Thanks to Stream2Sea SeaSmart Swag/Past Newsletters/Amazon Smile |
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Where Do We Start? We had amazing adventures in Baja Sur, Mexico in July. Participants from New York, Texas, Michigan, New Jersey, Washington, Maine, Louisiana, California and Mexico joined our ocean conservation, marine science and SCUBA fun during our two weeks. 480 service hours were accomplished, 22 SeaSmart Ocean Advocate certifications were earned, and 8 new PADI certified open water divers joined the diving community. SeaSmart was thrilled to host a US student and two Mexican (in partnership with MarVivo) students through scholarships. We introduced our first adult week as well. During our stay, we had a true impact on the changing face of conservation in the Baja area. Boat captains are learning that they can support themselves keeping marine life alive for research, ecotourism and SCUBA divers, rather than fishing for these important ocean inhabitants. We were some of the captains' first SCUBA divers on their boats-one even built a tank holder while we were there! Captain Juan's Tia made our lunches for our days on the boats-the most delicious handheld burritos and empanadas. We modeled responsible ecotourism for the captains-recognizing the priority of guest experiences must be balanced with responsible concern for the marine life we are visiting. The cabinitas that the students stayed at are the last family-built & owned accommodations in Agua Amarga. We enjoyed the cultural immersion this experience offered our group. Check out these video clips from our adventures, which included studies about the importance of mobula rays, sharks and other key species in the Sea of Cortez, as well as our incredible interactions with mobulas, orcas and a giant oceanic manta! We learned so much from top scientists, field conservation experts & SCUBA professionals (Looking at you, Marta, Fe, Katy, Ellen & Carlos!). |
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If you would like to be kept up-to-date on July 2023's programs, be sure to register on our website. |
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Bees of the Seas Move over birds and bees, there is another pollinator on planet Earth, and it lives in the sea. In a study, published Thursday in the journal Science, scientists found that a tiny crustacean, Idotea balthica, played the role of pollinator for a species of seaweed. Scientists have discovered that a small, bug-like crustacean called Idotea balthica can pollinate red seaweed, a type of algae often found growing in tide pools. The findings, published Thursday in the journal Science, add to a small but growing body of evidence that raises questions about whether animal-mediated pollination may have first evolved underwater, instead of on land. It’s also possible that pollination evolved in separate instances, underwater and on land. |
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In the true story of Thirteen Lives, twelve boys and the coach of a Thai soccer team explore the Tham Luang cave when an unexpected rainstorm traps them in a chamber inside the mountain. Entombed behind a maze of flooded cave tunnels, they face impossible odds. A team of world-class divers navigate through miles of dangerous cave networks to discover that finding the boys is only the beginning. It's currently available on Amazon Prime. We couldn't watch without looking away from the suspense a few times...let us know what you think! |
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Welcome to Patti Gallagher, SeaSmart's Director of Development SeaSmart offers scholarships, thanks to our generous donors, which ensure that demographics that are underrepresented in the marine sciences have the exposure and opportunities needed to explore these important topics and potential career paths. Patti has joined us to help grow the number of scholarship opportunities we can offer. She joined our Baja student program to see first-hand how engaging and educational the ocean conservation, marine science and SCUBA program is. She returned telling many incredible stories about her week, and the transformations she observed in the students-witnessing increased confidence, expanded social and cultural experiences and growth in independence. Patti and her husband Chris are certified SCUBA divers. She appreciates the importance of a healthy ocean and recognizes the need to expand experience and knowledge across all student demographics. Patti looks forward to giving others the opportunity to dive through her work with SeaSmart. Read more about Patti and the SeaSmart team here: |
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New Gloves Inspired by Octopus Grip Objects Picking things up may become a lot easier for people who experience problems gripping, thanks to new research inspired by octopuses and their tentacles. The "octo-glove" is a wearable glove that senses objects nearby and automatically grips them. It uses adhesive materials, micro-sensors that detect light, and a microcontroller processing system to attach to a variety of objects in both dry and underwater environments. "We wanted to create an underwater adhesive that could quickly attach and rapidly release. We were really naturally drawn to the octopus," said article co-author Michael Bartlett, PhD. "We were really inspired by how the octopus is able to manipulate objects underwater, to capture prey, to avoid predators, and really to build a home. Of course, the octopus is famous for its eight arms, but it also has over 2,000 suckers across those eight arms." Barlett and his team drew inspiration from multiple components of the octopus. To mimic the suckers on an octopus' arms, the researchers put grippy suction devices on each of the glove's fingertips. The circular silicone suction devices are made from the same material as bathroom caulk and adhere to objects using negative pressure, also known as suction pressure. To determine when negative pressure and adhesion are needed, the team was inspired by how the octopus senses its environment and how it figures out what it wants to pick up. They elected to use micro-light-detecting and ranging (LiDAR) sensors that measure proximity and that scan for nearby objects. To integrate the sensor data to control the grip, the researchers added a microcontroller that processes the data, similar to the octopus' nervous system. When the glove gets close enough to an object, the micro-LiDAR detects it. It activates negative pneumatic pressure in the adhesive material on the fingertips, creating suction and, therefore, grip. That grip, or adhesive stress, allows the gloves to pick up various objects, such as metal plates, acrylic boxes, and rubber tape.
Currently, the glove is programmed to sense and adhere to any object that is close to it. It then releases the object after a programmable amount of time. Bartlett, who is an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech, says there are opportunities for other release mechanisms. "Looking forward, and with the flexibility of modern electronics, we could press a button, we could have another sensor that maybe knows when the object is out of water and then releases," Bartlett explained. "We could release under different circumstances, for example, if the user had maybe even used language, effectively telling the adhesive to turn off. "What's really exciting about this...is that we have a lot of flexibility in terms of how we turn the sensors on, how we turn the sensors off, and how that user interaction can help control that," Bartlett said. The research team anticipates many applications for the octo-gloves. The original inspiration was the field of soft robotics, which aims to create robots that are more like organisms in nature. This type of attachment technology might allow robots to more more effectively move through their environment, picking up and moving objects, Bartlett said. The technology might also be applied in industry and manufacturing, and there are potential medical applications as well. The team thinks the technology could be used for patient rehabilitation and assistive devices. The gloves could allow people who have difficulty gripping objects to merely approach an object while wearing the gloves, attach to the object, and move it. Or the technology could be added to a prosthesis, which could then automatically grip objects such as forks or doorknobs. Another medical application Bartlett mentioned was with regard to wearable devices. "I think it could be an interesting way to maybe monitor health. For example, if we could design this in such a way that someone could have a patch that has these octopus-inspired adhesives on it, they might be able to have sort of a wearable health monitor, maybe long-term glucose monitoring," said Bartlett. Looking forward, Bartlett and his team are working to find the right applications for the technology to be deployed. |
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Alumni Spotlight Zenzile S., who adventured with us to Utila, graduated high school this year and is headed to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to study veterinary/animal sciences. You can hear from Zen about her experiences in the link below. Congratulations to Zenzile! |
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Special Thanks to Stream2Sea! Educating SeaSmart students about the importance of using reef (and human!) safe sunscreen is always included when we travel and dive. Thanks to our friends at Stream2Sea, students got to sample mineral based, tinted and shimmer sun screens that will not have any negative impacts to marine life. One of our dive instructors said the tinted sunscreen is the "most amazing sunscreen" she has ever used! The folks at Stream2Sea also provided a 10% discount code for the SeaSmart family. Learn more about what should and should not be in true "reef safe" sunscreen at stream2sea.com, and use code SEASMARTSUN for 10% off Stream2Sea products using the below link. |
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SeaSmart Swag: New Styles Added! The new Protect What You Love style is available on our super cool sweatshirts, and long & short sleeved T's. Choose from a variety of sizes and colors with proceeds going toward the 2022 Diversity Scholarship. Every ocean lover will want one! |
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Don't Worry If You Have Missed Past Newsletters SeaSmart's monthly newsletters are available on our website. You can catch up on all of the cool info and opportunities here: |
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For When You Have To Order on Amazon No one believes in shopping local and supporting small, eco-conscious businesses more than SeaSmart. However, we recognize there are times when you might just have to order on Amazon. In a past newsletter, we highlighted how you can request packaging that reduces or eliminates the use of plastic. Now we have a wonderful opportunity for you to support SeaSmart when you do shop on Amazon. AmazonSmile is a program that donates 0.5% of your eligible purchases on Amazon to SeaSmart. It's the same products, at the same prices-with no cost to you! All you need to do is start your shopping at smile.amazon.com. (You do have to use this link when shopping from a computer, so you may want to bookmark the SeaSmart shopping link.) Or use the link below to get started! If you use the Amazon App on your phone, simply open the app and find ’Settings’ in the main menu (☰). Tap on ‘AmazonSmile’ and follow the on-screen instructions to turn on AmazonSmile, and benefit SeaSmart, on your phone. Every little bit helps, so thanks for supporting SeaSmart with this small step! |
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