Lab News
December 4, 2025 - Michelle defends her MS thesis
Congratulations to Michelle Mair, who successfully defended her MS thesis, "A spatiotemporal analysis of population change in Gorgonia ventalina on Florida's Coral Reef," today! Michelle spent the last two years doing a deep dive into the SECREMP dataset to better understand how the purple sea fan is distributed across the reef tract and its habitats. She will be staying in the lab as a research associate starting in the new year. Congratul-oceans Michelle!
Michelle provides some background information on her study species.
November 25, 2025 - Marina defends her PhD proposal
Congratulations to Marina Garmendia, who successfully defended her PhD proposal, "Assessing Acropora palmata population demographics, genetic diversity, and transplantation success to inform restoration strategies in Mexico," today! Over the next few years, Marina will travel to several national parks throughout the Gulf of Mexico and the Mesoamerican Reef to collect colony demographic data and samples for genotyping and symbiont identification. We look forward to seeing her results and wish her luck on the road ahead!
Marina prepares to defend her PhD proposal.
November 19-21, 2025 - CRRAM Lab attends ReeFL 2025
Third time's the charm! From November 19-21, 2025, members of the CRRAM Lab attended the third annual ReeFL Symposium hosted by the Philip and Patricia Frost Science Museum in Miami. Six members of the lab presented their research, including two posters and four oral presentations. We always enjoy reconnecting with scientists from our partner organizations and learning about all the new research occurring across Florida's Coral Reef!
Left: The CRRAM Lab takes a break under the Oculus. Middle: Tiff presents her talk about reducing predation on juvenile outplants. Right: Tyrese stands by his poster investigating microfragment outplant success.
June 1-6, 2025 - CRRAM Lab attends AMLC 2025
From June 1-6, 2025, members of the CRRAM Lab attended the 41st Association of Marine Laboratories of the Caribbean conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico. We enjoyed hearing about the exciting research being conducted in the Caribbean basin, and even presented two posters and three talks about our own ongoing research. And special congratulations are in order for Tiff and Michelle! Tiff received an Ivan Goodbody Student Achievement Award for her poster "Lessons learned from housing sexually propagated stony coral juveniles in an offshore nursery" and Michelle received a Bert and Lucy Williams Student Achievement Award for her talk "Spatiotemporal variation reveals resilience in Gorgonia ventalina on Florida's Coral Reef."
The CRRAM Lab takes a break from talks to snap a photo at AMLC.
May 22-24, 2025 - Successful spawning dives
We are ecstatic to report very successful spawning dives for the nights of May 22-24! Just before dusk, we entered the water to monitor 22 colonies of the grooved brain coral Diploria labyrinthiformis within one of our spawning hubs. Eighteen of the colonies spawned one or more nights and produced so much spawn that we ran out of space in our land-based facilities! These gametes were fertilized by members of NSU's Marine Larval Ecology and Recruitment Laboratory, and will develop into baby corals that, once grown to a larger size, will be outplanted onto the reef.
Left: A Diploria labyrinthiformis colony under a spawning net, which funnels spawn up into a tube for collection. Middle: Tiff waits for spawning to occur. Right: Active spawning.
April 1-6, 2025 - Double header!
It was a busy week for the CRRAM Lab! From April 1-5, half of the lab attended the 53rd Annual Benthic Ecology Meeting in Mobile, AL and presented some of the lab's research with three posters and one oral presentation. We are so excited for next year's BEM hosted by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science! The other half of the lab stayed in sunny Fort Lauderdale to man our booth at Tortuga Music Festival from April 4-6. We used interactive games and art to discuss ocean conservation with hundreds of country music lovers. We can't wait for this opportunity again next year!
Left: At the Benthic Ecology Meeting. Right: Striking a pose at Tortuga.
January 24, 2025 - Goodbye, Shane!
Shane removes a coral from a tire that was part of the Osborne Tire Reef.
Today the CRRAM Lab said goodbye to long-time lab member Shane Wever. Shane joined the CRRAM Lab in 2019 as a Master's student with a thesis focusing on the stabilization and restoration of ship-grounding sites. Over his five years in the lab, he was a true powerhouse, establishing himself as an expert on all things related to the Osborne Tire Reef, fabricating anything and everything the lab needed, participating in countless field days, and so much more! We wish him the best of luck as he joins Reef Renewal as their Restoration Program Manager. Goodbye Shane, we will miss you!
January 6, 2025 - Goodbye, Dani and hello, Chris!
The CRRAM Lab is starting 2025 by saying goodbye to Water Quality manager Dani Vipond and welcoming Chris Mayer (back) to the team. Dani has fearlessly led the Lab's Water Quality team through countless early mornings, long days, and choppy waters over the last 4 years. We wish her the best of luck as she starts her new job as a water supply specialist with the South Florida Water Management District! Chris worked as a member of the CRRAM Lab's Water Quality team for over three years while he was attending graduate school at NSU. Now, he returns to us after his employment with the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserves to lead the team as Dani's replacement. Welcome, Chris! We are so excited to have you back!
Left: Dani captains the boat during a water quality sampling day. Right: Chris is ready for a day on the water!
December 9-13, 2024 - CRRAM Lab attends Reef Futures
From December 9-13, members of the CRRAM lab attended Reef Futures, a conference focused on coral reef restoration, technology, and ecology, in Puerto Morelos, Mexico. Our lab showcased 4 posters, 3 talks, and 1 video throughout the week. Between listening to talks, attending workshops, and networking with other coral reef restoration scientists and practitioners around the world, it was a truly inspirational way to end the year!
Left: The CRRAM lab, including some past members, before the poster session. Middle: Nick presents his poster about how outplant site characteristics impact Acropora cervicornis outplant success. Right: Shane stands by his poster about coral reef recovery at ship grounding sites.
December 6, 2024 - Happy Holidays from the CRRAM Lab!
Happy holidays from the CRRAM Lab! We held our annual holiday party to celebrate a hard year of work and look forward to all the good times in 2025. From hilarious white elephant gifts to corny Christmas get-up and delicious food, the holiday party is always a blast!
Left: Dave graciously accepts his award for most meetings attended in one year. Right: The CRRAM lab takes a moment from the revelry to capture another year of Christmas parties.
November 13-15, 2024 - CRRAM Lab attends ReeFL Symposium
Left: The CRRAM lab (plus a few alumni members!) at the Frost Museum. Right: Marina stand by her poster about leveraging social media for conservation efforts.
From November 13-15, members of the CRRAM lab made the trek down south to Miami each day to attend the ReeFL Symposium at the Phillip & Patricia J. Frost Museum of Science. It was a great opportunity to learn more about the research being conducted in our own backyard! Our lab contributed to the scientific exchange by presenting three oral presentations and two posters. We look forward to next year!
August 12, 2024 - CRRAM Lab welcomes three new graduate students
Say hello to our three new graduate students! We are so excited to welcome Tiff, Aidan, and Tyrese to the CRRAM-ily as they pursue their Master's degrees. Check out our People page to read more about their backgrounds and interests. Here's to a successful journey ahead with lots of diving, discovery, and growth!
Tiff, Aidan, and Tyrese get ready to unload the boat after a day in the field.
October 11, 2024 - Goodbye, Daniel!
Left: Daniel measures coral height during a survey dive. Right: Daniel presents his poster at a conference.
Today was Daniel Perez's last day with the CRRAM Lab. Daniel joined the lab in 2020 as a graduate research assistant and earned his MS in 2023 with a thesis tracking the long-term benthic community change at an Acropora cervicornis patch in Broward County. Over his four years in the lab, Daniel distinguished himself by taking on the monumental tasks of coordinating our outplant monitoring schedule and ordering all lab and research supplies. We wish him the best of luck as he continues his career with Coastal Protection Engineering as a marine biologist. Goodbye Daniel, we will miss you!
July 2-5, 2024 - CRRAM Lab attends ECRS 2024
From July 2-5, 2024, the CRRAM lab attended the European Coral Reef Symposium in Naples, Italy, showcasing our research with three posters and four talks. We had an amazing time engaging with coral reef scientists from around the world, building new connections, learning about the latest research, and exploring Naples!
Left: The CRRAM Lab prepares for an epic day of talks and posters on the second day of ECRS. Middle: Sarah stands by her poster about the utility of long-term monitoring programs in capturing a severe disease event. Right: Nick prepares to give his talk about benthic community change on Florida's reef.
May 17, 2024 - Goodbye, John!
Today was John Alfirevich's last day with the CRRAM Lab. John joined the lab in 2020 as a graduate research assistant and earned his MS in 2023 with a thesis focusing on the importance of site selection in microfragment outplant success. Over his four years in the lab, he has proven himself to be a Renaissance man, helping out with every project he could and coordinating our now-completed nearshore benthic monitoring project. We wish him the best of luck as he continues his career with Coastal Protection Engineering as a marine biologist. Goodbye John, we will miss you!
Left: Thumbs up, even when caught in a rainstorm offshore. Right: John finishes up taking photos using a photo framer.
April 19, 2024 - Goodbye, Casey!
Today we said goodbye to nursery manager Casey Harris on her last day with the CRRAM Lab. Over her last two and a half years with us, she attended and presented at numerous conferences, coordinated our involvement with Tortuga Music Festival, outplanted hundreds of corals, and ran our nursery like a well-oiled machine, always with a sunny disposition. We wish her the best of luck as she continues her career with Cummins Cederberg Coastal and Marine Engineering as a project scientist. Goodbye Casey, we will miss you!
Top: Casey conducts a coral survey. Right: All smiles after a successful dive!
April 10-14, 2024 - CRRAM Lab attends BEM 2024
From April 10-14, 2024, the CRRAM lab attended the 52nd Annual Benthic Ecology Meeting in Charleston, SC. Our lab rocked it with four posters and six oral presentations showcasing our research. We can't wait for next year's meeting in Mobile, Alabama!
Left: Before the BEM banquet, a rare occasion when we all aren't wearing wetsuits. Middle: Michelle presents her poster about Acropora palmata monitoring and restoration success. Right: Casey gives an oral presentation about nursery-reared coral survival post-outplanting.
April 5-7, 2024 - CRRAM Lab at Tortuga Music Festival
Left: Marina, Casey, Sarah, and Hope represented the CRRAM Lab on the opening day of the festival. Right: Michelle, Marina, and Daniel pose with the completed coral reef mural at the end of Tortuga.
From April 5-7, members of the CRRAM Lab volunteered at Rock the Ocean's Tortuga Music Festival, a music festival created to help spread awareness for ocean conservation. We had a booth in the Conservation Village and interacted with hundreds of country music-lovers attending the festival through an interactive coral bleaching display, coral species matching game, and a coral reef mural!
February 10, 2023 - CRRAM Lab at NSU CommunityFest
On February 10, four lab members represented the CRRAM Lab at NSU's CommunityFest, an annual festival that celebrates and connects NSU's students, employees, their families, and the larger community. We engaged with 156 event attendees and communicated with them about our lab's mission, the diversity of corals in Southeast Florida, and threats facing coral reefs.
Top: Hope, Morgan, and Sarah man the booth. Right: We displayed many examples of skeletons from corals we encounter off the coast of Southeast Florida.
December 7, 2023 - Three graduate students defend their theses
Congratulations to our two graduate students and one graduate research assistant who successfully defended their Master's theses this week: Jose Guarderas, John Alfirevich, and Marina Garmendia! Jose will sadly be leaving us and moving back to her home country of Ecuador, but John and Marina will continue in the lab as research associates.
Jose: Psammocora stellata distribution at Devil's Crown, Floreana Island, Galápagos Islands
John: A rapid site selection assessment as an indicator of stony coral microfragment outplant success
Marina: Restoration of stony coral tissue loss disease susceptible species in the Arrecife de Puerto Morelos National Park, Mexico using colony microfragmentation