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The UNF Enviromental Center supports multidisciplinary research through two mechanisms, seed research grants and executive board initiatives. The former is intended to support new projects with potential for significant faculty advancement and outside funding. The latter emphasizes applications of science and technology to solving real world problems with potential for making significant impacts on our society at the local and state levels. 2008-09 Seed Grants Dr. Joe Butler, Habitat Restoration Techniques to Enhance a Gopher Tortoise Population on the Campus of University of North Florida Dr. James Gelsleichter, Multibiomarker Assessment of Fish Health in the Lower St. Johns River Dr. Lori Lange, Transformational Encounteres with the Natural Environment at UNF: Impacts on Environmental Identity, Affective Connectedness and Well-Being Drs. Michael Lentz and Dale Casamatta, DNA Sequence Analysis of Aquatic Viruses from Lake Oneida Dr. Daniel Moon, Biological Survey and Assessment of Lakes and Ponds on UNF Campus Seed grants awarded in 2006-07 Tony Rossi, Utilization of Native Plant Communities to Reduce Toxic Runoff and Erosion along the Proposed UNF Eco-Friendly Roadway Dale Casamatta, A Survey of the Planktonic Algal Community from the Sawmill Slough Dan Moon, Development of a Restoration Plan for Betz Tiger Point Preserve Matt Gilg, Determination of the Dispersal Patterns of the Invasive Green Mussel Dominik Güss, Cultural Differences in Coping During Hurricane Katrina John Hatle, Testing Thresholds in Animal Development Seed grants awarded in 2007-08 Drs. Wood & Hunter, Ms. Gupton, Young Florida Naturalists, increases environmental background knowledge through concept mapping of 3- and 4-year olds Dr. Joe Butler, Population Structure and Reproductive Ecology of Gopher Tortoises in the Pumpkin Hill Preserve Drs. Hudyma, Guima, Krusienski & Harris, Remote Monitoring of Sinkhole Development in Dry Retention Ponds to Mitigate potential Groundwater Pollution Drs. Lentz and Casamatta, Preliminary Characterization of Aquatic Viruses in Northeast Florida Current Executive Board Initiatives 1. An Examination of Historical Data Related to the Health of the St. Johns River Lower Basin. This project will provide baseline data for Mayor Peyton’s River Accord and will help interpret the outcome of river restoration efforts. The following disciplines at two universities are involved:
	• Chemistry (UNF) – Chalk & Pyati • Fish Ecology (UNF) – Smith • Aquatic Microbiology (UNF) – Casamatta • Environmental Toxicology (Valdosta State) – Bielmyer • Computing (UNF) – Welsh • Meteorology (UNF) – Welsh • Engineering (UNF) – Nix • Marine Science (JU) – McCarthy & White • Environmental Chemistry (JU) - Sonnenberg • Aquatic Species (JU) – Pinto • Web Design (JU) – Heather McCarthy
2. Partnership with the Jacksonville Preservation Project. This project will determine experimentally the best techniques for restoration of some damaged ecosystems on Jacksonville Preservation Project lands and will assess the ecological health of others. The Preservation Projects owns over 83,000 acres, large portions of which need to be restored to their native state. Biology faculty members involved are:
	• Community Ecology – Moon • Fish Ecology and Water Quality – Smith • Herpetology – Butler • Botany – Rossi
3. (Partially funded) Real-Time Environmental Monitoring. In cooperation with the City of Jacksonville, UNF will establish a wireless real-time monitoring system in the St. Johns River with primary focus on turbidity (also mentioned in the River Accord). This type of data is essential to infer cause and affect relationships of factors that influence the health of the river. College of Computing, Engineering and Construction faculty involved are:
	• Computing – Lambert & Coulter • Monitoring Technology – Lambert • Meteorology – Welsh
4. Campus Natural Assets Inventory. This project is the first step in making UNF natural assets more accessible for environmental education and research on our 1,145 acre campus.
	• GIS mapping technology – Lambert (CoCEC) • Assessment of ecological assets – Stokes (CoAS – biology) • Asset management – Hubbuch (Physical Facilities) • Graphics – Richardson (CoCEC)