Year in SkIO Photos, 2025

A photo of the R/V Savannah with text that says "Year in Photos, 2025."

It was another eventful year of research and education at the University of Georgia Skidaway Institute of Oceanography. From deploying gliders that listen for endangered right whales, to flying drones that monitor nearby shorelines, to using advanced imaging devices to photograph plankton in the Gulf —and so much more — 2025 had it all. This year, SkIO also hosted more Semester at Skidaway students than ever before, with a total of 13 participants.

Take a look back at this year in photos. Click on each photo for details.

RV Savannah in the snow.
Snow on the R/V Savannah.
A glider travels in a boat near St. Augustine, Florida.
A glider swims in the ocean.
A glider is deployed from a boat.
A boat full of graduate students leaves the SkIO dock.
Students walk on the trails of Wassaw Island.
Students talk in a SkIO classroom.
Students on the SkIO dock.
Osprey sits in a nest on the SkIO dock.
Researchers at ASLO 2025 conference.
Jay Brandes delivers a talk on stage.
Frank McQuarrie talks to guests about gliders in the Edwards Lab.
Alexander Lab members deploy a drone on Tybee Island.
An Edwards Lab member tunes up a glider.
Nele Weigt gives a presentation.
Mother osprey with her babies.
Researchers gather for a photo on the R/V Savannah.
Speakers at PINE 2025.
May4
Members of the Rivero-Calle Lab in front of the Lighthouse on Sapelo Island.
The new flow-through system on the R/V Savannah.
Frank McQuarrie giving a dissertation defense.
Alexander Lab members walk in the marsh.
Alexander Lab members in the marsh.
Portrait of graduate student Grace Mann with the docks and the RV Savannah in the background at the University of Georgia Skidaway Institute of Oceanography.
Edwards Lab members lift a glider onto a boat.
A glider swims in the ocean.
Students gather for a photo on the back of the R/V Savannah.
Students walk down the beach with a seine net.
Graduate students holding seine net on the beach.
Students collecting cores in the marsh near SkIO.
Clark Alexander talks with Semester at Skidaway students.
Researchers deploying an instrument from a vessel near Greenland.
Semester at Skidaway students visit the Savannah port.
Cranes at the Port of Savannah.
Students leaning against the wall of Fort Pulaski.
Students walk out of the gates at Fort Pulaski.
A graduate students talks to a young student at Skidaway Marine Science Day.
A SkIO faculty member leads a demonstration to a group of young students.
Semester at Skidaway students gather for a photo on the back of the R/V Savannah.
A student working with the CTD on the back of the R/V Savannah.
Students in the wet lab in the R/V Savannah.
Students on the beach on Sapelo Island, Georgia,
Students talk with SkIO Director Clark Alexander near the dunes.
Students walk on a boardwalk through the marsh.
Students and a professor in Halloween costumes.
A line of jack-o-lanterns.
Students near a tub at the Tybee Island Marine Science Center.
Students looking onto a tank with an alligator.
Students in line to climb the Tybee Lighthouse.
A student defends her thesis.
Students on a boat to Wassaw Island.
Semester at Skidaway students visit Wassaw Island. Nov. 2025.
A SkIO researcher talks to students in the woods on Wassaw Island.
The plankton imager on the back of the R/V Savannah.
Justin Manley defending his thesis.
Clark Alexander with two former Semester at Skidaway students.
A student gives a final presentation.
A faculty member and two doctoral students at graduation.

About SkIO

The UGA Skidaway Institute of Oceanography (SkIO) is a multidisciplinary research and education institution located on Skidaway Island near Savannah, Georgia. The Institute was founded in 1967 with a mission to conduct research in all fields of oceanography. In 2013, SkIO was merged with the University of Georgia. The campus serves as a gateway to coastal and marine environments for programs throughout the University System. The Institute’s primary goals are to further the understanding of marine and environmental processes, conduct leading-edge research on coastal and marine systems, and train tomorrow’s scientists.

Originally published January 5, 2026 | Last updated January 5, 2026

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