WELCOME to Dr. SOPHIE GEORGE'S

HOMEPAGE

PROFESSOR, BIOLOGY DEPARTMENT

GEORGIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

CONTENTS:

 

I:  RESEARCH INTERESTS

The sand dollar Mellita isometra.  Sand dollars are living organisms that face problems such as

1. unpredictable weather conditions , e.g. storms and hurricanes
2. starvation during the summer leads to mass mortalities
3. dying from exposure to heat during low tide
3. frequent problems of unsuccessful recruitment
4. outcompeted in deeper waters by other species
5. human influence through tourism, pollution

In 1998 thousands of sand dollars were removed at Tybee island during the summer months when they are reproducing. The long term effects of collecting sand dollars indiscriminately on public beaches is unknown. Present results indicate that sand dollars collected from Tybee island are much smaller and produce significantly larger eggs than on three other islands visited along the coast of Georgia.  Long term monitoring will reveal the causes for these differences and if need, steps taken to control the numbers of sand dollars removed during the spawning season on some of the beaches. Below are sand dollars that were collected prior to the spawning season in 1999 and left on the beach to die. Eventually these sand dollars will find their way to souvenir shops or the trash can. There is thus an urgent need to document the reproductive biology of this species.  See publication list below for 2003 article on sand dollars from Tybee island, Georgia. If you are interested please contact me at the email address given below.
 
Sand dollars collected at Tybee Island, GA Collecting sea urchins for spawning at the University of South Florida Experimental design for carotenoid and nucleotide expts. at USF Coming up from a submersible dive in the Bahamas 

If you are an undergraduate or graduate student interested in any of these areas click on undergraduate/graduate research opportunities above

II: EDUCATION

1981. B. SC. (Hons) Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, West Africa.
1984. "La Maitrise" Module en Océanographie générale et Océanologie biologique, University Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris VI, France.
1987. Diplome D'Etude Approfondie, DEA, University Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris VI, France.
1990. Doctorat de l'University, (Ph.D) University Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris VI, France.
1991-1992. Postdoctoral position: Friday Harbor Laboratories, University of Washington, USA
1993-1995. Postdoctoral position: Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Florida, USA
1995 to 2007.  Associate Professor, Biology Department, Georgia Southern University
2007 to present. Professor, Biology Department, Georgia Southern University

III: PUBLISHED ARTICLES

ECHINODERM WEB SITES
Echinoderm news letter
 

Sea biscuit development by a Brazilian student

NEWS

Sheltered study site at FHL, WA
Exposed study site at FHL, WA
 Larva of Lytechinus variegatus
GSU Student visiting FHL, WA


THANKS FOR VISITING THIS WEBSITE
Email address: georges@georgiasouthern.edu
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