AN OVERVIEW OF THE TRANSECT PROGRAM CONTINENTAL SHELF STUDIES

The College of Charleston has successfully implemented four legs of the Transect Program, a unique undergraduate research program in which 10 students per program participated in an intensive 5-day cruise with 24 hour oceanographic sampling operations, aboard the R/V Savannah. Following each cruise, students enrolled in an intensive semester-long oceanographic research course, involving both collaborative and independent research studies. Students developed and contributed to a growing GIS-enhanced database of research focused on examining and characterizing the spatial and temporal variability of the continental shelf, from water depths of 10 to 100 m off the Charleston, SC coast. Student-lead research encompassed geological and ecological studies that include sedimentology (surface grabs and cores), substrate mapping (sidescan sonar, multibeam, video surveys collected with ROV and SCUBA), benthic faunal analyses (trawls and sediment samples), net tows in pelagic environments, and water-column hydrography (CTD, fluorometry). This session provides a sample of some of the results of the Transect Program undergraduate research projects. The full participation of undergraduate students in an oceanographic research program has provided students unique experience and knowledge, leading to their great success in pursuing advanced careers in oceanographic and coastal sciences. Leg 05 is planned for Fall 2007, and funding for expansion of this program to multiple southeastern institutions is pending. Transects is an excellent launching program for introducing students to oceanographic research and ocean observations occurring in the southeast.