The USF Center for Maritime and Port Studies

Personnel

Mark E. Luther, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Director, Center for Maritime and Port Studies, USF College of Marine Science
Office phone: (727) 553-1528
Fax: (727) 553-1189
Cell: (727) 410-2838
Email: mluther@usf.edu
CV: View PDF

Education

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Mathematics and Physics A.B. 1976
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill  Physical Oceanograpy M.S. 1980
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill  Physical Oceanograpy M.S. 1982

Bio

Dr. Luther received his doctoral degree in Physical Oceanography from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1982.  Dr. Luther is an Associate Professor and director of the Ocean Monitoring and Prediction Lab and director of the Center for Maritime and Port Studies in the University of South Florida College of Marine Science.  Dr. Luther co-directs the Coastal Ocean Monitoring and Prediction System for West Florida (http://comps.marine.usf.edu/) with Dr. Robert Weisberg.  Dr. Luther’s research involves the combination of real-time ocean observations with numerical models of ocean currents and processes and their application to various problems ranging from maritime safety and security to water quality in estuaries and effects of climate change. He has provided operation and maintenance support for the NOAA/NOS Tampa Bay Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System (TB-PORTS) since 1995. He was a member of the committee that selected and oversaw implementation of the first Automated Identification System (AIS) for Tampa Bay vessel traffic in 1998.  He presently serves on the Tampa Bay Harbor Safety and Security Committee Vessel Movement Committee, the DHS Area Maritime Security Committee, and the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council Agency on Bay Management.

---

 

Steven Meyers, Ph.D.
Chief Scientist
Center for Maritime and Port Studies, USF College of Marine Science
Office phone: (727) 553-1188
Fax: (727) 553-1189
Cell: (941) 720-4204
Email: smeyers@usf.edu
CV: View PDF

Education

ONR Educator Postdoctoral Fellow, 1991-1993. Florida State University.
Faculty Advisor: James J. O’Brien
Ph.D. Physics, 1990. University of Texas at Austin.
Faculty Advisor: Harry L. Swinney
B.S. Physics and B.A. Mathematics, 1984. University of Rochester.

Bio

Dr. Meyers is the Chief Scientist at the Ocean Center for Maritime and Port Studies at the University of South Florida, College of Marine Science. He has over two decades of experience working with estuarine circulation models and observational data. His work includes studies of ocean wind, waves, tides, currents, fresh water influences, natural and anthropogenic climate variability, and large-scale human construction. His current work includes big data problems to enhance maritime domain awareness through the use of operational oceanographic data, and the interaction between maritime operations and the environment.

---

 

Laura Azevedo
Ph.D. student
Cell (727) 631-9579
Email: laurac8@usf.edu

Bio

My research is focused on the integration of AIS maritime data with meteorological and oceanographic / weather data. I work with Dr. Mark Luther and Dr. Steven Myers trying to improve maritime transportation, make it more efficient, safer and more profitable with the right monitoring and forecasting information. Our studies include analysis of vessels behaviors in relation to specific weather occurrences; how ship wake and overall disturbance affects the local metocean data and forecast. We are responsible for maintaining most of Tampa Bay ports metocean monitoring stations and we work closely with NOAA and the Ports Authority to make sure that the metocean information received is accurate and the equipment is working well. Our goal is to improve maritime routing, maneuvering and berthing, to make maritime voyages safer and more efficient. At the same time, we help ports by providing the latest technology on weather and ocean monitoring and forecast.

---

 

Alumni

Thomas Wahl, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Scientist
Currently Professor at the University of Central Florida

Education
03/2008 – 06/2012 PhD, Civil Engineering, University of Siegen, Germany

 

---

 

Monica Wilson, Ph.D.

Gulf Oil Spill Research Extension Specialist
Florida Sea Grant College Program UF/IFAS Extension

USF College of Marine Science – KRC 3115
Office Phone: (727) 553-3516
Email: MonicaWilson447@ufl.edu
140 Seventh Avenue South
St. Petersburg, FL 33701

Education

Ph.D., Marine Science, University of South Florida
M.S., Marine Science, University of South Florida
B.S., Marine Science and Computer Science, Eckerd College

---

 Interns