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ne Rubrik ne Science In the Details: Ph.D. student Steve Smith conducts research in a lab. Balancing Science and Policy Trussell notes that policymakers and stakeholders take a very different view than scientists when it comes to the issue of fishery management. "One of the fundamental problems is that none of those people are talking to one another effective- ly. So one of the big, overarching goals of our enterprise is to make it so the scientists and policymakers work together—so the science can actually inform the policy." In fact, much of the big-picture hiring that the center is doing is focused on that space between science and the realities of what is happening in the environment. "We're not interested in creating a bunch of scientists who just work in their ivory towers on arcane issues that don't really have any relevance to most people," Trussell says. "In fact, we are doing just the opposite; we're really trying to get at that interface between basic research and applied research that has immediate, tangible benefits to society." That's not to say the center doesn't encompass more fantastical elements. Chief among them: a squadron of robotic lobsters. Scientists at MSC studying neurology of lobsters and lamprey eels are working with robotics experts to invent mechanical creatures that may one day be used in homeland security, or to deliver information on subtle changes in underwater ecosystems. Rather than a remote-controlled apparatus, these lobsters will first be programmed to perform specific tasks, then be able to react to obstacles that may get in the way of performing those tasks—in essence, to think like lobsters. Converting Vision to Elegance www.monaco-johnson.com 978.745.0606 72 nshoremag.com May/June 2012 nshoremag.com May/June 2012 A Decade of Planning Trussell has been laying the groundwork since he took over as director in 2002, but with the new founding dean of the College of Science, J. Murray Gibson, who shares his vision, things are moving fast—perhaps faster than even Trussell ANNISQUAM BEACH HOUSE