Leanne Miller Rutten

Southeast Environmental Research Center

Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199

Phone: (305) 348-6997   Email: lrutte01@fiu.edu


Education  

1996-2002        Florida International University, Miami, Florida.  Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate Level Course Work: 47 credit hours

1994-1995        University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida.  Department of Marine Science, Graduate Level Course Work: 8 credit hours

1985-1989        The University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee.  Bachelor of Science in Physics, Order of Gownsmen Academic Honor Society

1981-1985        The Canterbury School of Florida, St. Petersburg, Florida.  High School Diploma, National Merit Scholar Finalist, National Honor Society

 


Experience

2001-2002        Florida International University, Southeast Environmental Research Center.  Position:  Project manager, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary seagrass ecosystem monitoring program

1998-2000        University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Center for Marine Science Research.  Position:  Field and lab technician, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary seagrass ecosystem monitoring program

1996-1997        Department of Environmental Protection, Florida Marine Research Institute.  Position:  Field and lab technician, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary seagrass ecosystem monitoring program

1992-1995        Department of Environmental Protection, Florida Marine Research Institute.  Position:  Field and lab technician, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary coral reef ecosystem monitoring program

1989-1991        The Canterbury School of Florida, Knowlton Campus.  Position:  Secondary School Instructor, physical sciences and mathematics


Qualifications

Diving        Certified PADI scuba, IANTD Nitrox, AAUS scientific diver.  Trained and experienced in dry suit, surface supplied, and saturation diving.  Over 2,000 logged scientific dives.  Currently certified in Red Cross CPR, AED, First Aid, and DAN Oxygen Provider.

Field Work        Proficient in in situ identification of benthic marine macrophytes and macrofauna, underwater video and photography, quadrat and transect sampling methods, underwater surveying and mapping, benthic coring of seagrasses and sediments, underwater hydraulic and pneumatic coring of corals and substrate, and navigation and operation of research vessels.

Data Processing        Proficient in data entry and spreadsheet programming (Quattro and Excel), manuscript preparation (WordPerfect and Word), database development (Access), and presentation design (PowerPoint and Front Page).  Trained and experienced in ArcView (including Spatial Analyst and Image Analysis).  Familiar with SAS.


Publications

J.W. Fourqurean and L.M. Rutten. In Review. The impact of Hurricane Georges on soft-bottom, backreef communities: site- and species-specific effects in south Florida seagrass beds.  Bulletin of Marine Science.

J.W. Fourqurean and L.M. Rutten. In Review. Competing goals of spatial and temporal resolution: monitoring seagrass communities on the regional scale. Ecological Monitoring of Ecosystem Initiatives: Interdisciplinary approaches for determining status and trends of ecosystems, edited by D.E. Busch and J.C. Trexler. Island Press.

B.J. Peterson, C.D. Rose, L.M Rutten, and J.W. Fourqurean. 2002. Disturbance and recovery following catastrophic grazing: studies of a successional chronosequence in a seagrass bed. Oikos 97: 361-370.

J.W. Fourqurean, A. Willsie, C.D. Rose and L.M. Rutten. 2001. Spatial and temporal pattern in seagrass community composition and productivity in south Florida.  Marine Biology; v.138, 2: 341-354.

Ryan, J.D., L.J. Miller, Y. Zapata, O. Downs, and R. Chan. 1998. Great Corn Island, Nicaragua. CARICOMP: Caribbean coral reef, seagrass and mangrove sites, edited by B. Kjerfve. Coastal Region and Small Island Papers no. 3, Catalog no. 118130. UNESCO, Paris. 95-105. 


Additional Research

2002        Aquarius Saturation Mission 02-17A:  A Study of Population Dynamics of Scleractinians on Conch Reef

1999-2002        Assessment of Nearshore Benthic Communities of the Florida Keys

1995-2002        Seagrass Ecosystem Monitoring for the Water Quality Protection Program in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

1995-1996        Coral Reef Ecosystem Monitoring for the Water Quality Protection Program in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

1994-1998        Monitoring at the CARICOMP Coral Reef Ecosystems Stations, Bonaire, Netherland Antilles 

1994        Development of Video Sampling Methods for Coral Reef Monitoring in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

1994        Groundtruthing for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Benthic Mapping Project, Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida

1994        Aquarius Saturation Mission 94-05: Initiation of Long Term Monitoring of Deep Reef Ecosystems at Conch Reef, Florida

1993-1994        Assessment of Changes in Distribution and Abundance of Acropora Palmata in Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida

1992-1995        Long Term Monitoring of Coral Population Dynamics at Fixed Stations in the Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas National Park

1992-1994        Identification of Attached Biota on Coral Reef Recruitment Tiles, Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida

1992-1994        Monitoring of Transplanted Biota at the Mavro Vetranic Vessel Grounding Site, Pulaski Shoal, Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida