NSU Fall 2012 Horizons Magazine

ecosystems 16 HORIZONS 17 HORIZONS C ommanding your attention at the tip of the John U. Lloyd Beach State Park peninsula is a futuristic, five-story, glass and steel structure with a panoramic view of downtown Fort Lauderdale, Port Everglades, and the Atlantic Ocean. As impressive as this architectural gem is, what truly makes it distinctive is the quality of coral reef research being conducted inside. Nova Southeast- ern University’s Center of Excellence for Coral Reef Ecosystems Research is the largest facility in the United States dedicated to studying reef ecosystems throughout the world. Coral reefs, with their beautiful shapes and colors, are the rainforests of the seas. Their ecosystems are home to thousands of species of tropical fish, game fish, sharks, invertebrates, marine plants, and micro-organisms. “Having this innovative center filled with our best researchers and their students will help NSU and the world take a giant step forward in coral reef research.” —Richard E. Dodge, dean of NSU’s Oceanographic Center and executive director of NSU’s National Coral Reef Institute by kenny ma protecting