Florida Tech’s Johnson Earns Grant To Study Lagoon

By  //  November 19, 2013

St. Johns River Water Management Grants $250,000

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Florida Tech’s Kevin Johnson earned a doctoral degree in biology from the University of Oregon. Before coming to Florida Tech, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the Smithsonian Institution’s Marine Station at Fort Pierce, Fla., where he investigated Florida coast invertebrates.

Indian River Lagoon Superbloom Research Grant

BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA — Kevin Johnson, Florida Tech Associate Professor of oceanography and environmental science (Department of Marine and Environmental Systems) has received $250,000 from the St. Johns River Water Management District.

Florida Tech Associate Professor of oceanography and environmental science (Department of Marine and Environmental Systems) has received $250,000 from the St. Johns River Water Management District.
Florida Tech Associate Professor of oceanography and environmental science (Department of Marine and Environmental Systems) has received $250,000 from the St. Johns River Water Management District. He will track the factors affecting the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) superbloom in the northern lagoon.

He will track the factors affecting the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) superbloom in the northern lagoon.

“Algae should be eaten by herbivores, but IRL algae have been blooming out of control in spite of grazers,” said Johnson. “My research will focus on the distribution and abundance of herbivores in the field and on lab tests to examine the diets and feeding rates of grazers, including their potential to consume nuisance algae.”

Harmful algal blooms in the IRL are becoming common with the recent “brown Tide” resulting primarily from a species of algae known as Aureoumbra lagunensis. These blooms are largely to blame for the recent dramatic loss of sea grass habitat, dietary problems in manatees and other issues in the IRL.

Harmful algal blooms in the IRL are becoming common. (Image for SpaceCoastDaily.com)
Harmful algal blooms in the IRL are becoming common. (Image for SpaceCoastDaily.com)

Harmful algal blooms in the IRL are becoming common with the recent “brown Tide” resulting primarily from a species of algae known as Aureoumbra lagunensis. These blooms are largely to blame for the recent dramatic loss of sea grass habitat, dietary problems in manatees and other issues in the IRL.

Johnson is currently conducting field monitoring of critical sites between Melbourne and Titusville, sampling zooplankton fortnightly with the hope of better understanding the grazers in the algal bloom ecosystem.

FELLOW AT SMITHSONIAN

Johnson earned a doctoral degree in biology from the University of Oregon. Before coming to Florida Tech, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the Smithsonian Institution’s Marine Station at Fort Pierce, Fla., where he investigated Florida coast invertebrates.

SMITHSONIAN-220He was also a postdoctoral fellow at the National Science Foundation’s Center for Environmental Analysis—Centers for Research Excellence in Science and Technology, located at California State University, Los Angeles, where his research was on mussel population dynamics. He is the author of a widely known identification manual for herbivorous zooplankton and is active in several international scientific research societies.

The Department of Marine and Environmental Systems offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in Coastal Zone Management, Earth Remote Sensing, Environmental Resource Management, Environmental Science, Meteorology, Ocean Engineering (including Naval Architecture), and Oceanography.”

FLORIDA TECH TOP-RANKED UNIVERSITY

Founded at the dawn of the Space Race in 1958, Florida Tech is the only independent, technological university in the Southeast.

Florida Institute of Technology is an independent technological university that provides quality education, furthers knowledge through basic and applied research, and serves the diverse needs of our local, state, national and international constituencies.
Florida Institute of Technology is an independent technological university that provides quality education, furthers knowledge through basic and applied research, and serves the diverse needs of our local, state, national and international constituencies.

The university is ranked in the top 200 in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2013-2014, has been named a Barron’s Guide “Best Buy” in College Education, is designated a Tier One Best National University in U.S. News & World Report, is one of just nine schools in Florida lauded by the 2014 Fiske Guide to Colleges and is recognized by Bloomberg Businessweek as the best college for return on investment in Florida.

A recent survey by PayScale.com ranks Florida Tech as the top university in Florida for mid-career salary potential. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs.

Fields of study include science, engineering, aeronautics, business, humanities, mathematics, psychology, communication and education.

Additional information is available online at www.fit.edu.