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Research

FAU Harbor Branch prioritizes solution-oriented research that addresses critical issues affecting coastal zone, oceans, and human well-being. Research scientists take a global approach, conducting studies around the world in varying climates, ecosystems, and cultures.

Dennis Hanisak
Dr. M. Dennis Hanisak Memorial Fund

To honor Dr. M. Dennis Hanisak’s remarkable legacy at FAU Harbor Branch, the Institute has established a memorial fund to support Semester by the Sea, a premier marine science education program he founded over 20 years ago. If you would like to leave a gift in Dr. Hanisak's memory, and support a program he was truly passionate about, please visit the link below.

http://fauf.fau.edu/funds/hboi-hanisakmemorial

Click here to view a recording of Dr. Hanisak's Celebration of Life, held Sunday, June 23 at FAU Harbor Branch.

Harbor Branch campus building

Harbor Branch

5600 US 1 North, Fort Pierce, FL 34946   772.242.2400

Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute is a world class research organization with a focus on exploring the marine environments, studying key species and understanding the connection between humans and the ocean. Founded in 1971 as Harbor Branch Oceanographic Foundation, Inc., the Institute expanded its reach to over 100 miles along Florida’s east coast when it joined Florida Atlantic University in 2007. Located in St. Lucie County, our 144-acre campus along the Indian River Lagoon employs over 200 scientists, engineers, educators, staff and students. To this day, the Institute actively pursues solution-oriented research that addresses some of the most critical issues affecting coastal zones, oceans and human well-being.
NEWS
FAU Lands EPA Grant to Use Genetics in Florida Bay Sponge Restoration
Funded by the U.S. EPA, the project marks the first genetic assessment of sponge recovery in the region, with broad implications for ecosystem health and economically important species like the spiny lobster.
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Decoding a Decade of Grouper Grunts Unlocks Spawning Secrets, Shifts
FAU researchers used 12 years of underwater audio to study red hind groupers, whose sounds reveal courtship, mating and territorial behavior - offering key clues to ocean changes through sound.
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FAU's Amy Wright, Ph.D., Honored for Marine Drug Discovery Research
FAU Harbor Branch researcher Amy Wright, Ph.D., has received the prestigious Norman R. Farnsworth ASP Research Achievement Award, the highest accolade presented by the American Society of Pharmacognosy (ASP).
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New FAU-USF Research Rewrites Origins of the World's First Pandemic
For the first time, FAU-USF researchers have found direct genomic evidence of the Plague of Justinian in the Eastern Mediterranean, where the world's first recorded pandemic began nearly 1,500 years ago.
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Additional Information
Florida Atlantic's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute engages with the community through the Ocean Discovery Visitors Center and the Ocean Science Lecture Series. Harbor Branch’s research and outreach programs translate marine science in order to provide solutions that improve economies and quality of life for coastal communities.
Address
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
Florida Atlantic University
5600 US 1 North
Fort Pierce, FL 34946