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Monday 8am - 5pm Tuesday 8am - 5pm Wednesday 8am - 5pm Thursday 8am - 5pm Friday 8am - 5pm Sunday 11am - 3pm

University of Texas Marine Science Institute

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University of Texas Marine Science Institute

The first of today's marine research facilities on the Texas coast continues to change our understan

06/24/2026

UTMSI was excited to host students from the Freshman Research Initiative's Bioprospecting program for a hands-on experience exploring marine microplastics. 🔬

Through a collaboration between Dr. Liu’s lab at UTMSI and Assistant Professor of Practice Kasia Dinkeloo at UT Austin, students collected and analyzed nurdles, small plastic pellets commonly found along the Gulf Coast, while learning laboratory techniques and gaining hands-on experience with FTIR technology.

This ongoing partnership, supported by the Stengl-Wyer Educational Grant, helps students investigate the connections between plastic weathering, microbial communities, and chemical pollutants to better understand the impacts of plastic pollution in our oceans.

06/22/2026

Microbes are all around us...and they may be doing far more than we realize.
At , researchers (Prasad & Lever) are uncovering how tiny microbes interact with detrital particles by isolating living microbial cells. Until now, this process has been impossible to observe directly. Using Raman microscopy paired with optical tweezers, scientists can isolate living microbial cells without harming them — allowing them to watch these interactions in real time.
Why it matters👉 This breakthrough opens the door to understanding how microbes drive essential nutrient cycles in marine ecosystems.

06/17/2026

Institute Insights: How satellites and AI protect the Texas coast

In this month's Institute Insights, Dr. Zong-Liang Yang, professor at The University of Texas at Austin's Jackson School of Geosciences, shares how NASA satellite data and AI are helping scientists monitor water quality from Galveston to Port Aransas. By tracking changes in our bays, scientists can better understand how storms affect coastal ecosystems and use that knowledge to help protect the communities that depend on them.

Discover how these "eyes in the sky" are helping us better understand and protect the Texas coast.

Read the full story: https://www.portasouthjetty.com/articles/how-satellites-and-ai-protect-the-texas-coast/

📷: Nathan McTigue

06/12/2026

🦪 OYSTER Shell-a-bration 🦪

Join us for the OYSTER Shell-a-bration, a fun, family-friendly celebration of oysters, coastal restoration, and community pride! The event will take place on Saturday, June 20, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Bay Education Center, located at 121 Seabreeze in Rockport.

Enjoy hands-on activities, crafts, giveaways, touch tank experiences, live demonstrations, and delicious food and snacks while learning about the important role oysters play in our coastal ecosystems.

This event is proudly supported by Sinks Your Shucks, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program, the Nature Conservancy, the Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve, and The University of Texas Marine Science Institute.

Travel stipends are available for registered participants while funds last. Register today and bring the whole family for an afternoon of learning and fun: https://shorturl.at/VaQ5G

06/10/2026

🌟 Staff Spotlight: Lydia Moreno 🌟

Join us in celebrating Lydia Moreno, our Building Attendant at UTMSI, who has been part of the team for almost three years!

Lydia helps support the daily operations of UTMSI by maintaining clean, safe, and welcoming spaces across campus and assisting with events and activities. Her favorite part of the job is connecting with students, learning about their research, and seeing them grow into their careers.

She appreciates the variety in her work, from daily tasks to supporting workshops and events, and values building strong relationships with everyone she interacts with. Her advice: “Always keep a positive attitude, embrace change, and build strong relationships.”

We’re excited to share that we’re growing our team and looking for someone to join this same supportive, fast-paced, and people-centered environment. Come work alongside Lydia and the rest of our amazing custodial and facilities crew.

Job opportunities: https://marinescience.utexas.edu/about-department/job-opportunities

06/08/2026

🌊 Happy World Ocean Day! 🌊

Today, we celebrate the ocean that connects us all and recognize the scientists, students, and staff working to better understand and protect it.

As the oldest marine research facility on the Texas coast, The University of Texas Marine Science Institute is proud to advance research, education, and outreach that deepens our understanding of the world's oceans and coasts.

Our researchers are advancing knowledge of marine ecosystems, from Texas seagrass meadows and coastal wetlands to Arctic lagoons and the deep waters of the Gulf. Through research, education, and outreach, we are helping build a more sustainable future for our oceans and the communities that depend on them.

This World Ocean Day, join us in appreciating the ocean's beauty, resilience, and importance, and in supporting the science that helps safeguard it for generations to come.

📷: David Malcolm, David Malcolm Photography

06/06/2026

Patton Center Closure 🔈

The Patton Center will be closed June 12–13, 2026, for a private event and will reopen on June 16 with regular operating hours from 10:00 AM–4:00 PM. We look forward to welcoming you back then!

06/04/2026

Happy Seaweed Day!

If you've visited the Texas coast lately, you've probably noticed piles of sargassum washing onto our beaches. While it may not always be popular with beachgoers, this floating brown seaweed plays an important role in coastal ecosystems.

Sargassum provides food and shelter for fish, sea turtles, crabs, and countless other marine organisms. Once it reaches shore, it can even help stabilize dunes and reduce erosion, protecting our coastlines from storms and wave action.

At UTMSI, researchers study the coastal ecosystems influenced by sargassum and other marine plants, helping us better understand the connections between ocean currents, habitat health, fisheries, and coastal resilience.

05/29/2026

Institute Insights: A food web’s firm foundation

How do Arctic ecosystems survive months of ice, darkness, and rapid seasonal change?

UTMSI graduate Mathea H. Kurtz-Shaw studied Arctic lagoons in Alaska to understand how small, microscopic algae form the base of the food web that supports fish, worms, clams, and other invertebrates. Her work shows that different types of algae take turns as food sources throughout the year: ice algae during winter, phytoplankton in summer, and sediment-dwelling algae helping bridge the transitions between seasons.

Her story also reflects on the people behind the science, highlighting the importance of mentorship, collaboration, and community in supporting graduate research.

Read the full story: https://www.portasouthjetty.com/articles/a-food-webs-firm-foundation/

📷: Nathan Mctigue

05/26/2026

Congratulations to Bailey Bonham, PhD Student in the Brandl Lab at UTMSI, on being awarded the Zoltan Florian Doctoral Fellowship from the Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation.

Bailey’s research examines how coral reefs influence nearby sandy habitats, focusing on “reef halos,” which are rings of bare sand that surround coral reef patches. Her work also explores how small fish such as gobies help transfer nutrients between reef and sand environments. Using field surveys, sediment measurements, and chemical analyses, this research will improve understanding of how reef systems function and remain resilient.

This fellowship will support Bailey’s continued work on the ecological connections that sustain coral reef ecosystems and inform conservation strategies.

📷: Marissa Kordal

Address

750 Channel View Drive
Port Aransas, TX
78373

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 5pm
Tuesday	8am - 5pm
Wednesday	8am - 5pm
Thursday	8am - 5pm
Friday	8am - 5pm
Sunday	11am - 3pm

Website

http://www.utmsi.utexas.edu/

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