Two-dozen College of Charleston students are taking a hands-on approach to ocean research. They are ending the semester on two separate three-day cruises aboard the NOAA ship Nancy Foster. The first cruise will leave on Monday, May 7, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. and return on Wednesday, May 9 about 6:00 p.m. The second group of students will leave Thursday, May 10 and return on Saturday, May 12.

The students just completed either a seafloor mapping course taught by professor Leslie Sautter or a coastal mapping and visualizations course taught by professor Scott Harris, both in the geology and geosciences department. The cruise will head about 60 miles off the Charleston coast, adjacent to the Gulf Stream. There, students will use software they learned in class (CARIS HIPS) to collect multibeam sonar data of a portion of the continental shelf edge, just south of the feature called Bulls Scarp that the students mapped last year. The software will create 3-D visualizations of the seafloor topography.

“The work we’ve doing contributes significantly to the assessment of seafloor habitats that are potential areas for designation for protection (Marine Protected Areas, or MPAs),” Sautter says. “Our seafloor mapping program has enabled us to build amazing partnerships across the U.S. and as a result, opportunities for our students are endless.”  In fact, Josh Mode, a former student of Sautter’s, now works for CARIS and co-instructed the course.

More information about the BEAMS Program (http://oceanica.cofc.edu/SeaMap <http://oceanica.cofc.edu/SeaMap> ) can be found here.

For more information, contact Leslie Sautter at 843.709.2665.