Tag Archives: Working Waterfront Festival

Waterfront Festival Wins Weather Lottery

wp_georgia_wwf_photos_012Two days of near-perfect weather blessed the 2010 Working Waterfront Festival (photo montage) last weekend on the New Bedford waterfront, welcoming a number of exhibitors and activities that debuted this year. Visitors to the SMAST tent on the Steamship Pier were treated to exhibits illustrating research in such areas as fisheries oceanography, river plume physics, ocean observation systems, and estuarine water quality. A highlight of the exhibit was Prof. Amit Tandon’s “Weather in a Tank” demonstration (see video), an innovative teaching tool that mimics the fascinating behaviors of the ocean and atmosphere on a rotating earth. In keeping with this year’s festival theme of cultural diversity, the SMAST exhibit was staffed by a diverse group of faculty, staff, and students, speaking a total of 14 languages among them. (Photo courtesy Georgia Kakoulaki.)

Working Waterfront Festival Braves Rains

wp_stokes_fish_award_photo3_smAs in the previous two festivals, SMAST occupied two booths for the annual Working Waterfront Festival last weekend. Visitors to the SMAST tent on Pier 3 were treated to exhibits illustrating SMAST research in such areas as satellite oceanography, estuarine water quality, and “Weather in a Tank,” an innovative teaching tool that mimics the fascinating behaviors of the ocean and atmosphere on a rotating earth. On the Steamship Pier, researchers from the Department of Fisheries Oceanography exhibited research conducted through the Marine Fisheries Institute, a partnership between the University of Massachusetts and the Division of Marine Fisheries. The focus of the exhibit was the flume tank, which demonstrates the behavior of various fishing gears types in a model-scale ocean. A highlight of the festivities was the naming of SMAST Professor Kevin Stokesbury as 2008’s “Friend of the Fishing Industry” Sunday during the Blessing of the Fleet Ceremony.