By Christiana Lilly
Photography by Robin Hill
When Dr. Richard Dodge came to Nova Southeastern University as a researcher, his office was on a boat. Studying coral reefs, he worked on a houseboat with other scientists, floating in the marina for quick access to the ocean. Today, as dean and professor, his office is two stories above sea level. Natural light floods in from floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating colors of teal, white and blue—much like the pristine view of downtown Fort Lauderdale and the ocean.
Thirty-five years after he became a NSU shark, Dodge does his research from the less than two-year-old, state-of-the-art Oceanographic Center. Students, researchers and professors access the new building via a 15 mph road snaking through the inlet surrounded by the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean.
“This was a game changer for us,” Dodge says. “It’s given us the space, the opportunity to expand, add new faculty, to better service our students, more educational opportunities.”
THE MARINE SCENE: The building and architect teams of Moss-Miller, Cannon Design and Akai designed a space with the environment in mind, earning a LEED Silver certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.
Completed in September 2012, the five stories are spread over 86,000 square feet. Thanks to a grant and a generous match—among other donations—from the university, the $50 million building is bustling with activity.
Dodge and others with the university worked closely with the builders and architects—Moss-Miller, CannonDesign and Akai—meeting weekly prior to the build. The final product is soothing, filled with hues of blue, subtle wave patterns in the carpets, sails, mosaic tiling and underwater photography.
Each floor is assigned a theme, such as sharks, schools of fish and coral. One floor houses the cafeteria terrace with a row of white sails waving in the wind on the patio, while another has a large auditorium with a giant mural by famed ocean artist Guy Harvey. In the conference room, a view of the city and the ocean stretches out through the windows.
But besides the aesthetics, much more was needed for scientific research. This included building a space that encouraged collaboration with open hallways and close offices, as well as modular labs that can be expanded or contracted. Dr. Charles Messing, who discovered a new species of sea lilies, says with 10 times more lab space, he could receive vital equipment, such as microscope cameras, to help with his study on bioluminescent organisms.
One of the most impressive features is that researchers can get seawater on demand. Two deep-water wells in the basement hold seawater from the ocean to be filtered. Then, researchers can simply turn on a faucet in each lab to receive clean seawater for experiments or for housing animals.
This is vital to Dr. Jose Lopez, who conducts studies on sponges attacking coral. “We can do all kinds of studies that we can’t do on the reef. We collect fresh samples, and that makes it a lot easier,” he says.
Very few places are on this scale, so the staff received a grant to add an experimentation area for testing outside. Here, one can see how sea life reacts to different pollutants and at what levels.
Another feature of the center, which helped earn its LEED Silver ranking, is the air-conditioning unit. When electricity rates are low at night, a machine makes ice to cool the building during the day when the temperature rises. Not only is this an eco-friendly option, but it also cuts down on costs.
Much of the research encompasses coral reefs. With reefs being the foundation of sea life, Florida’s reefs are 84 percent of the world’s reefs and contribute to $6 billion in revenue and 71,000 jobs, according to the center.
However, this vital coral is at risk. In the past 30 years, as much as 80 percent of the coral has disappeared, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The new center can help bring those numbers back up. Dr. David Gilliam is taking part in solving this, working with nurseries to raise coral. Out on the ocean, as well as on land alongside the building, are coral nurseries. Pieces of coral are broken off, as they would in nature during a heavy storm, and are adhered with epoxy in the nurseries. When the coral grows larger a year later, it’s put back in the ocean to create a new home and expand the reefs.
The Oceanographic Center houses some of the nation’s foremost marine researchers who are experimenting on coral growth, the influence of sea sponges and shark behavior, among other projects.
This is just one of the many projects percolating at the center. The list is endless, with turtle rehabilitation, studies of the genetics of the ocean and more. Another program invites the community to take part in shark tagging, further exposing South Florida to the important work at the center.
“The new building increases the visibility of the issues of the Oceanographic Center,” Gilliam says. “It’s just even more wonderful when you can walk into a really beautiful new building that has great views.”
Originally appeared in the Spring 2014 issue.
