Analysis of a 9-yeax record on the magnitude and riming of 

 phytoplankton spring blooms in the Rhode River, Maryland, 

 a subestuary of the Chesapeake Bay, showed a wide range of 

 variability. In some years there were blooms of exceptional 

 magnitude, and in other years the bloom did not occur at all. 

 SERC microbial ecologisr Dr. Charles Gallegos developed a 

 mathematical model taht gave a good representation of 

 average conditions and that was able to reproduce the wide 

 range of bloom magnitudes actually observed. Application of 

 the model showed that blooms could be prevented either by 

 low rates of phosphorus release from sediments in the Rhode 

 River or by low inputs of nitrogen from the Susquehanna 

 River, the main source of fresh water ro the upper Chesapeake 

 Bay. Future research will attempt to discover factors that 

 cause the interannual variability in phosphorus release rares 

 from local sediments. 



Large-scale changes of land use by humans have had enor- 

 mous impacts on wildlife habitats around the world. SERC 

 ecologist Dr. James Lynch recently initiated a study of the 

 effects of natural and anthropogenic disturbance (livestock 

 grazing and browsing) on birds at the Mpala Research Centre 

 in Kenya. Lynch was also appointed Smithsonian's representa- 

 tive on the Research Advisory Board for Mpala, which is run 

 by an international consortium with Smithsonian leadership. 



The need to understand ecological processes at large spatial 

 scales has stimulated a quest for new methods of observation. 

 SERC s forest canopy laboratory, directed by Dr. Geoffrey 

 "Jess" Parker, tested a National Aeronautics and Space Ad- 

 ministration instrument that probes the internal structure of 

 canopies with laser beams. The aircraft-borne instrument, 

 known as SLICER (Scanning Lidar Imager of Canopies by 

 Echo Recovery) scanned four different types of forests near 

 SERC. Parker compared the airborne observations with simul- 

 taneous ground-based observations. Beyond testing the instru- 

 ment, an additional study showed that information gathered 

 by SLICER on internal canopy structure, which is invisible to 

 other remote sensing devices, can be used to infer productive 

 capacity, complexity, and developmental stage of forests. Fur- 

 ther work by Parker in old-growth forests of the Pacific 

 Northwest, demonstrated that SLICER also gives information 

 about the pattern of light absorption in the canopy. Following 

 on this success, other versions of the instrument have been 

 developed, have flown on the space shuttle, and are being 

 readied for a satellite mission. 



The education program at SERC entered a new era of 

 public service with the opening of the Philip D. Reed Educa- 

 tion Center. Although the official dedication of the Reed Cen- 

 ter did not take place until October 1997, school groups from 

 Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia began arriving in 

 April to participate in a variety of outdoor education programs. 

 Using fish nets, water sampling equipment, crab traps, 

 canoes, and boats, students and teachers explore the Rhode 

 River estuary as a representative ecosystem for the greater 

 Chesapeake Bay. Nature trails, including the Java History 

 Trail, explain about land use and the environmental history of 



the property spanning 1,500 years. The Reed Center contains 

 a large multipurpose classroom, teacher resource library, 

 exhibit hall, and office. Approximately 10,000 students, 

 teachers, and professionals will visit SERC in the following 

 year and participate in ecology education. 



During the summer of 1997, SERC Education Staff have 

 offered a number of teacher workshops including a two-day - 

 intensive hands-on experience for deaf teachers from Gallaudet 

 University. This was the fourth year for Gallaudet s Summer 

 Institute in Biology in which SERC played a major role in 

 developing and leading aquatic and terrestrial programs. 



Cooperative teacher and student programs are continuing 

 to be organized with the Living Classrooms Foundation, MD 

 Dept. of Natural Resources, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Dis- 

 covery Creek Children's Museum of Washington, as well as 

 the National Museum of American History, National Portrait 

 Gallery, National Zoo, and National Museum of Natural 

 History. 



An innovative traveling exhibition that illustrates the ecology 

 of the blue crab was produced with the help of volunteers, 

 teachers, interns, and students. "A Gripping Tale of the Blue 

 Crab" travels to Washington, D.C.-area schools that helps 

 teachers show interactions and life cycles of blue crabs found 

 in the Chesapeake Bay. The exhibit also explains current re- 

 search conducted in the "CrabLab" at SERC. A teacher's 

 manual and instruction materials accompany the exhibit, 

 which remains at a school for one month. 



Center for Museum Studies 



Rex M. Ellis, Director 



The Center for Museum Studies (CMS) is an outreach office of 

 the Smithsonian that helps museums fulfill their public- 

 service mission. Each year the center offers the museum 

 community a series of workshops and seminars, fellowships, 

 internships, and museology advice and information services. 

 The center's programming places special emphasis on the 

 needs of small, emerging, rural, and culturally/ethnically 

 specific museums. This emphasis continues the center's long- 

 standing tradition of fostering cultural diversity within the 

 museum profession. Programmatic initiatives, such as the 

 Awards for Museum Leadership seminar, the American Indian 

 Museum Studies program, and the Latino Graduate Training 

 Seminar, contribute to this effort. CMS also continues to serve 

 as the Institution's Intern Services office, providing registra- 

 tion and orientation to approximately 700 interns each year 

 and acting as their advocate for professional development and 

 enhancement while in the Smithsonian community. 



Two new programs were begun during 1997, and sig- 

 nificant planning efforts went toward a third major initiative 

 that is to commence early in fiscal year 1998. The center also 



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