Tag: Island Science

Nantucket BioDiversity Initiative
Island Science

Nantucket Nature Year in Review – 2014

• by Dr. Sarah Oktay, Director, University of Massachusetts Nantucket Field Station • 2014 has been an interesting and eventful year for the world of Nantucket nature. Winter Storms on Nantucket In March we had a serious winter storm similar to the doozies we endured in February and March of […]

Name that Lobster | Maria Mitchell Association | Nantucket | MA
Island Science, Nantucket Events

Creative Thinkers Needed for Naming

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 […]

Island Science

Winter Weather

• by Dr. Sarah D. Oktay, Managing Director UMass Boston Nantucket Field Station • I am writing this article on an unseasonably warm Sunday in November. According to Weather Underground (http://www.wunderground.com ) which is usually my go-to source for weather data the maximum temperature was 57 degrees Fahrenheit on Nantucket […]

American Eel
Island Science

As American as … the American Eel

As we finish celebrating our country’s birth as a nation, everyone is in a patriotic mood and what could be more patriotic than, the American Eel. Okay, I am sure you can think of something more patriotic, but this is a nature column. We have an adorable baby eel swimming […]

Island Science

Orcas: Too Big to Hold

• by Dr. Sarah D. Oktay, Managing Director UMass Boston Nantucket Field Station • I just got back from the Nantucket Film Festival’s (NFF) showing of “Blackfish”, an excellent and provocative documentary describing in excruciating detail the many issues of keeping Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) in captivity. The majority of […]

Dr. Michael West
Featured Articles

Nantucket’s Newest Star

• by Sarah Teach • Island nonprofit science education and research organization, the Maria Mitchell Association (MMA), has welcomed in Dr. Michael West as their new Director of Astronomy. After a 16-year tenure at the helm of MMA’s astronomy program, Dr. Vladimir Strelnitski retired, leaving astronomical shoes to fill. But […]