News and Events for Nantucket Island
• by Dr. Sarah Oktay, Director, University of Massachusetts Nantucket Field Station • As August winds down and the feeling that summer is slipping away creeps up on us, I try to enjoy as many quintessential elements of Nantucket as I can. Last night, while walking our dog at the […]
• by Dr. Sarah Oktay, Director, University of Massachusetts Nantucket Field Station • Bioluminescence is the creation of light by a chemical reaction by a creature. One of the many benefits of living on Nantucket is that we get to experience bioluminescence from many sources, not the least of which […]
• by Dr. Sarah Oktay, Director, University of Massachusetts Nantucket Field Station • Every summer two dangers come floating to the surface, one entertaining but unlikely, the anticipated and much feared great white shark attack, the other much less entertaining and sadly, very likely, in the form of blue green […]
In continuation of their family-friendly tradition, Maria Mitchell Association (MMA) recently announced their annual naming contest. Last year, a pair of seahorses had the honor of being named (Hide and Seek) by an 8-year-old MMA patron. For this season, the MMA brings to the stage two very different critters: a […]
• by Dr. Sarah Oktay, Director, University of Massachusetts Nantucket Field Station • One of the most common questions I get each year is: “What is the foam I see on the water in the harbor or in salt ponds like Sesachacha or Hummock Pond?” This foam looks alarmingly like […]
• by Dr. Sarah Oktay, Director, University of Massachusetts Nantucket Field Station • This week’s column is designed to get you outdoors to work with visiting scientists and learn more about Nantucket’s diverse and fascinating plants and animals. For the first time, the Nantucket Biodiversity Initiative is sponsoring a Citizen […]
• by Dr. Sarah Oktay, Director, University of Massachusetts Nantucket Field Station • I have a picture of myself with some high school friends arm in arm standing in the middle of a field facing the camera. The image always solicits an obvious “oldie but goody” joke, typical nostalgia for […]
• by Dr. Sarah Oktay, Director, University of Massachusetts Nantucket Field Station • The gentle glowing of fireflies that surround me at the UMass Boston Nantucket Field station is a welcome summer visitor. I was surprised when a group of students from Worcester was shocked and delighted to see these […]
• by Dr. Sarah Oktay, Director, University of Massachusetts Nantucket Field Station • A Biological Search for the Indigenous Life on Nantucket Not all readers of this column may know the term washashore which is used by natives to refer to newcomers who live on Nantucket who were not born […]
