Research/Advisory Service
The Outstanding Classified Employee awards are chosen by nominations received by the Awards Committee from all faculty, staff, and students at VIMS. They are awarded in the categories of Facilities/Safety/Trades, Research and Advisory Service, Technical Support, and Administrative Support.
The recipient of the 2009 Outstanding Classified Employee in Research and Advisory Service is Mr. Jim Gartland.
Jim Gartland serves as the manager for the Multispecies Fisheries Ecology Program, where he oversees two large-scale fisheries-independent monitoring surveys and an accompanying laboratory program. Collectively, these surveys require more than 80 days in the field and generate more than 15,000 samples for processing in the laboratory annually. Jim oversees a staff of 7 technicians and is the first point of contact for virtually all aspects of the program.
Jim is without doubt "in his element" when he is in the field, and over
the past several years, has developed a diverse skill set involving knowledge
of large vessel operations; gear deployment; survey design; sampling theory; onboard computerized data-collection equipment; and fish and invertebrate
biology, ecology, and taxonomy. Jim has made significant contributions
processing samples in the laboratory for diet composition and age
determination, often by developing protocols that are "new to science." In
terms of grantsmanship and scholarship, Jim is very productive, having
co-authored 3 proposals and 2 peer-reviewed manuscripts during the past 2
years. Perhaps most notable is Jim's involvement in advisory service, where he
serves on the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission NEAMAP Trawl
Operation Committee and gives 2-3 NEAMAP related oral presentations to regional
fisheries management agencies annually.
Jim has a tireless work ethic and an unparalleled level of enthusiasm and dedication. He is an outstanding individual who is truly an irreplaceable asset to the Multispecies Fisheries Ecology Program, the Department of Fisheries Science, and VIMS.
Congratulations, Jim!