The University of New Hampshire MARINE PROGRAM was established in 1975 to enable the University to use existing marine resources more effectively. Our mission is to build and maintain an academic base of excellence in marine-related education, research and public service activities within New Hampshire. Today this mission is carried out through the Marine Program Office and the Centers for Marine Biology, Ocean Engineering and Ocean Sciences. The Centers conduct their activities through the teaching, research, public service programs and facilities of the University’s academic departments as well as those of the Marine Program. Some 75 faculty members in marine life, physical and social sciences, ocean engineering and physical education and recreation teach undergraduate and graduate courses. About 10 percent of all UNH students are involved in these courses, research or projects. In addition, about 30,000 people each year are reached through talks and lectures. Some 12,000 school students receive marine-related materials through specialized programs, with about 500 teachers directly involved.

The UNH Marine Program is supported by numerous facilities and support programs: The majority of the marine activities at the UNH are centered on the main campus in Durham, 10 miles from the coast. The Jere A. Chase Ocean Engineering Laboratory (COEL), a modern teaching and research facility opened in 1996, houses the Marine Program Office and supports ocean engineering graduate and undergraduate program, the Diving Program, and the Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping. Other marine faculty are located in James, Rudman, Spaulding and Morse Halls, and the Environmental Technology Building. The Jackson Estuarine Laboratory (JEL), located 5 miles from Durham on the Great Bay estuary. Established in 1970, the JEL is the home for 8 resident faculty and supports a broad range of research activities in marine ecology and physical sciences. The Coastal Marine Laboratory, opened at New Castle’s Fort Constitution in June 1988, supports coastal marine biological research requiring flowing full-strength seawater. The Shoals Marine Laboratory, operated as a partnership between the University of New Hampshire and Cornell University, provides undergraduate courses in the marine sciences, opportunities for research, and various short-term, noncredit educational programs. The Marine Program also operates a state-of-the-art research vessel, the R/V Gulf Challenger, and a fleet of smaller craft that support research and education in the local estuary and waters of the Gulf of Maine. The UNH Diving Program is a AAUS member program and supports research diving needs for the program. Additional facilities include the Anadromous Fish and Aquatic Invertebrate Laboratory (AFAIR), a freshwater research laboratory, was opened on the UNH campus in 1984 to support research in these unique forms of aquatic life. A DNA Sequencing Lab and Image Analysis Lab, established in 1992, provide up-to-date instrumentation to support marine biomedical research.

UNH marine research activities are diverse ranging from the land-sea interface to the deep sea. Significant research foci include, marine fisheries, ocean engineering, marine biogeochemical cycling and nutrient dynamics, finfish and shellfish aquaculture, coastal physical and geological oceanography, zooplankton ecology and diversity, coastal ocean mapping, marine physiology and genetics, remote sensing, seagrass and wetland ecology, microbial and phytoplankton ecology, and marine environmental technology. Extramural research support for marine research, education and outreach programs at the University Of New Hampshire has surpassed $20M annually in recent years. This research is in the form of individual faculty research projects (see http://marine.unh.edu) and a number of Centers of Excellence and Cooperative Institutes, including: (1) the UNH Sea Grant Program (http://www.seagrant.unh.edu/); (2) the Cooperative Institute for Coastal and Environmental Technology (CICEET - http://ciceet.unh.edu/index_flash.html); (3) the UNH Center of Excellence in Coastal Ocean Observation and Analysis (COOA - http://www.cooa.unh.edu/); (4) the UNH Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping and Joint Hydrographic Center (CCOM/JHC - http://www.ccom-jhc.unh.edu/); (5) the Northeast Consortium (http://northeastconsortium.org/index.html); and (6) the Cooperative Institute for New England Mariculture and Fisheries (CINEMar - http://cinemar.unh.edu/).

The Marine Program at UNH is not a degree granting program, rather undergraduate and graduate degrees in marine-related fields are obtained through numerous academic departments including Zoology, Microbiology, Plant Biology, Biochemistry, Earth Sciences and Ocean Engineering. There are currently two undergraduate majors offered. These include the major in Biology, with a marine and freshwater option, and the major in Earth Sciences with an oceanography option. Minors in marine biology, ocean engineering and oceanography are also available. Several departments offer M.S. and Ph.D. degree programs that allow graduate students to pursue detailed studies in marine biology, oceanography or ocean engineering. More information on these programs can be found at http://marine.unh.edu.

Please see our faculty listing at http://marine.unh.edu/ for a complete listing of our faculty and staff with detailed contact information.

The Marine Program at the University of New Hampshire, located in the rural town of Durham, New Hampshire, is within 20 minutes of the Maine and New Hampshire seacoasts, and one hour of Boston, Portland, and the White Mountains. The Jackson Estuarine Laboratory is located 5 miles from the main campus, at Adam’s Point on the Great Bay estuary. The Coastal Marine Laboratory is located in New Castle, at the confluence of the Piscataqua River and the Gulf of Maine, approximately 12 miles from campus. The Shoals Marine Laboratory is located on Appledore Island, Isles of Shoals, 6 miles offshore from the Coastal Marine Laboratory.

Dr. Jonathan Pennock Director, Marine Program University of New Hampshire 24 Colovos Road Durham, NH 03824 Office: (603) 862-2921 FAX: (603) 862-2141 E-Mail: jonathan.pennock@unh.edu Web Site: http://marine.unh.edu