Meadhdh Moriarty has a background in the aquatic sciences, but where her real passion lies is in mathematics. Moriarty (her first name pronounced “Maeve”) holds a Bachelor of Science in Marine Sciences from the National University in Galway, Ireland and a Master of Science in Biodiversity and Conservation from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. She joined APU…
Marine Biology
A Day in the Life of an APU-er (according to Instagram)
Each week Alaska Pacific University invites different members of its community to host it’s take-over Instagram account, @makingmovesatAKpacific, to show what a week at APU looks like through the eyes (and lens) of students, faculty, and staff. Since spring graduation, we’ve had a number of community members host the account to document their summer activities. Some stayed…
FAST Lab Partnership Yields 510 Lbs. of Octopus for Grad Student Analysis
At 10:30AM on Friday, March 9th, FAST lab grad student Ben Jevons received an urgent email from Melissa Good, a Marine Advisory Agent of Sea Grant in Dutch Harbor. It read: “A fisherman here has a tote full of octopus for you. I don’t have time to work them up. What would you like us…
Aquarium Lab Student Worker Scores Trip to Aquatic Conference
Student Royanne Grafstrom-Westlund recently scored the opportunity to attend the Aquatic Animal Life Support Operators conference on a student scholarship following an exemplary score on the AALSO level one certification, in conjunction with her experiences in the aquarium lab. The AALSO conference has long been an opportunity for those in the aquarium business to share…
FAST Lab members present at the 10th International Flatfish Symposium in Saint Malo, France
Words by Anita Kroska, APU student In November 2017, Fisheries, Aquatic Science, and Technology (FAST) Laboratory members Dr. Nathan Wolf, Sarah Webster, Anita Kroska, Sioned Sitziewicz, and Brian Ritchie travelled to Saint Malo— a historic fortified city on the northern coast of France— to present their work on Pacific halibut at the International Flatfish Symposium….
APU Professor Discovers Underwater Settlement of Octopuses
Scientists (including an APU professor) have recently discovered an octopus “city” off the eastern coast of Australia, a find that suggests members of that species, Octopus tetricus, may not be as isolated and asocial as originally thought. Known as Octlantis, the settlement made of discarded shells is the second of its kind. In the 10…
Professor Scheel braves big birds in Australia
Professor David Scheel’s internationally recognized octopus research took him to Cairns, Australia, this summer where he participated in a conference and joined a colleague for a bit of recreational diving at Manly, just outside Sydney. David sends this post card: At nearly 5 million people, Sydney is Australia’s biggest and most densely populated city. Our…
From Ireland to the Great Land
Getting to Know APU’s Visiting Fulbright Scholar: Jay Calvert by Miriam Mezzetti Alaska Pacific University is proud of its remarkable faculty and students. With the quality, personalized educational experience here, we often attract some of the best and brightest students and faculty: not only nationally, but internationally! Jay Calvert, a Fulbright-Marine Institute PhD student awardee,…
APU’s Alaska Octopus Project First to Report Seastar Wasting Syndrome in Prince William Sound
By David Scheel The Alaska Octopus Project of Alaska Pacific University is the apparently the first to report sea star wasting syndrome in Prince William Sound, AK. The Alaska Octopus Project has surveyed octopus abundance and other marine life in Prince William Sound since 1995. Remains of diseased sea stars were found at two locations,…
Alaska Pacific University’s Dr. Brad Harris Reports Back from Hawaii
By Brad Harris, Professor of Marine Biology In late February, I spent three days in Honolulu, Hawaii at the National Science and Statistical Committee meeting discussing ways of incorporating information about climate and ecosystem change into the processes we use to manage the nation’s fisheries. I attended the meeting with Farron Wallace, Chair of the…
