In the Midst of Potato Land, Students Research the Ocean Depths

The Micropaleontology Undergraduate Research Laboratory at the University of Maine at Presque Isle is pursuing its seventh undergraduate research project associated with the Ocean Drilling Program.

The Ocean Drilling Program is an international partnership of scientists and research institutions that study the evolution and structure of the earth. This program uses the oceanographic drillship JOIDES Resolution to recover sediment samples from the ocean bottom throughout the world. The Resolution has a displacement of 16,595 long tons, and a derrick that towers 61 meters (200 feet) above the waterline. It is capable of recovering several kilometers of cored ocean sediments, even from great depths.

The research conducted at the Micropaleontology Undergraduate Research Lab is unusual both for the small size of the parent university and for the published record by undergraduate students. The University of Maine at Presque Isle is a four-year university with 1,400 undergraduate students and 55 faculty. Thus far, five undergraduates have published papers in the Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, three more students have a paper currently in review and one student has been doing research this summer.

The director of the Micropaleontology Undergraduate Research Lab is Kevin McCartney. Dr. McCartney has been associated with deep-ocean drilling since the mid-1980s, while he was a graduate student at Florida State University. He initially expected to do research at a large university, but upon finding himself at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, he continues his work there. He works undergraduate students into his research, where they do both sample preparation and analysis, and are frequently the first author of the resulting publications. The undergraduate assistance is important in his continuing research, since his typical teaching load is about six classes per semester, including labs. McCartney is also Director of the Northern Maine Museum of Science.

Silicoflagellates, small single-celled algae that have skeletons made of silica, are McCartney's research specialty. They live in the upper levels of ocean waters where there is light for them to live on. Silicoflagellates and other single-celled algae, such as diatoms, are an important food source for microscopic animals of many kinds. Upon death, their skeletons settle to the ocean floor. Geologists use these skeletons to assist in dating the sediments and reconstructing ancient oceanographic processes.

McCartney's students also do research on sponge spicules, which are microscopic skeletal pieces of sponges. These groups lend themselves well to undergraduate research, since the literature is fairly small and there is little need for expensive equipment beyond a microscope.

Research for the Ocean Drilling Program begins with the arrival of sediment samples obtained from a recent cruise of the Resolution. The samples can come from several hundred meters beneath the ocean floor and are often tens of millions of years old.

They were processed and made into microscope slides, and then examined for fossils. The sediment of the deep ocean is made up almost entirely of microscopic single-celled skeletons, although only a small portion of these fall within the research interest at the University of Maine at Presque Isle.

"One purpose of this project, besides obtaining new information on the oceans and their history, is to provide real research and writing experience to undergraduate students," said Dr. McCartney. "Many of these students have gone on to graduate school, and these projects give them a jump on other students." Kevin believes the undergraduate research done at UM-Presque Isle to be among only a handful of published research ever done by undergraduate students using deep ocean samples.

Information on the Micropaleontology Undergraduate Research Lab can be found at:

< http://www.umpi.maine.edu/~mccartnk/murl.htm>

See also Kevin McCartney's webpage at:< http://www.umpi.maine.edu/~mccartnk/index.htm>

Ocean Drilling Program webpage:< http://www.oceandrilling.org/>

List of Micropaleontology Undergraduate Research Lab Publications:

Ahlbach, W. J.* and McCartney, K. (1992): Sponge spicules from Ocean Drilling Program Hole 749B. Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Reports, 120:833-837. *William Ahlbach did this work as an undergraduate student at the University of Maine, in cooperation with the Micropaleontology Undergraduate Research Lab at the University of Maine at Presque Isle.

Engel, R.* and McCartney, K. (in preparation): Silicoflagellates from ODP Hole 1219A, Southeast Pacific. Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Reports, Leg 199. Robb Engel is a recently graduated undergraduate student, doing this research during the summer of 2002.

Lurvey, L. K.*, McCartney, K., and Wei, W. (1998): Sponge Spicules, silicoflagellates and ebridians from ODP Site 918D, Greenland. Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Reports, Leg 152:191-199. *Kirk Lurvey was an undergraduate student at the University of Maine at Presque Isle.

McCartney, K., Churchill, S.* and Woestendiek, L.* (1995): Silicoflagellates and ebridians from ODP Leg 138, Eastern Equatorial Pacific. Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Reports, 138:129-162. *Sherry Churchill and Linda Woestendiek were undergraduate students at the University of Maine at Presque Isle.

McCartney, K., Engel, R.*, Reed, T.* and Williamson, R.* (submitted): Silicoflagellates from ODP Holes 1138A and 1040A, Kerguelen Plateau. Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Reports, Leg 183. *Robb Engel, Tracy Reed and Rita Williamson were undergraduate students at the University of Maine at Presque Isle when this research was completed in Fall, 2001.

McCartney, K., Reed, T.* and Williamson, R.* (in preparation): Silicoflagellates from ODP

Holes 1218A and 1220A, Southeast Pacific. Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Reports,

Leg 183. *Tracy Reed is a current undergraduate student and Rita Williamson is recently graduated; this work was done during the Spring of 2002, with results to be written during the summer.

Zolnik, R.*, McCartney, K. and White, L. D. (1992): Siliceous sponge spicules from ODP Site 795. Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Reports, 127:541-544. *Ryszard Zolnik did this work as an undergraduate student at the University of Maine at Presque Isle.