Media Contacts:
Dr. JoAnn Burkholder, 919/515-3421
Dr. Howard Glasgow, 919/515-3421
Mick Kulikowski, News Services, 919/515-3470

Jan. 6 , 2003

Christening of New Research Boat to Take Place Wednesday, Jan. 8

North Carolina State University administrators and researchers will christen NC State's newest - and largest - research vessel, the RV Humphries, at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 8 at the dock at the New Bern Country Club in New Bern, N.C.

Media coverage is invited.

The 48-foot trawler will aid the research and extension efforts of a number of groups on campus - including research on the fish-killing pathogen Pfiesteria that is conducted by Drs. JoAnn Burkholder and Howard Glasgow through NC State's Center for Applied Aquatic Ecology. Studies of Eastern N.C. water systems are leading to better understanding of the impact of growth on the various regions linked to these waterways, which is critical to protecting fisheries and other natural resources, researchers say.

The boat is a gift from Mrs. Howard L. Humphries, widow of the boat's builder, and daughter Edythe M. Humphries, who is the Pfiesteria/Harmful Algal Bloom Scientific Program Coordinator for the state of Delaware.

"This vessel will provide NC State with a valuable platform by which to conduct needed research and will serve as an extremely effective outreach and education resource," said Chancellor Marye Anne Fox. During the ceremony, Fox will pour champagne over the bow to appease King Neptune and lay a branch of green leaves on the deck of the vessel to ensure safe passage.

The vessel will serve as a "floating classroom" that will not only provides unique research opportunities to college students but will also provide tours highlighting coastal ecosystems to K-12 school groups and their families.

Moreover, says Dr. James Oblinger, dean of NC State's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the boat gives NC State researchers and collaborators from other universities a more stable yet flexible platform for conducting important studies.

"The vessel is capable of supporting a crew of scientists for extended period of time - greater than 14 days - in a wide range of weather and sea conditions. This will allow us to conduct a variety of field studies that have previously been impossible," Oblinger says. "It expands the range of N.C. estuarine and coastal waters that can be reached for more intensive and complete scientific studies."

- kulikowski -