A microbial oceanographer at the University of Georgia, Hynes will deliver a School of Biological Sciences Alumnus Seminar at 3:30 p.m. in Hamilton Hall, Room 112. She will discuss the development of a model that uses dissolved oxygen to gauge ecosystem metabolism in estuaries in Massachusetts and Georgia.

Using the model to estimate gross primary production, community respiration and net ecosystem production, the project focused on the Plus Island Estuary in Massachusetts and the Sapelo Island Estuary in Georgia. The long-term studies are designed to aid estimation of the effects of nutrient loading, sediment loading, river discharge, sea level rise, temperature and tidal flooding on estuarine community metabolism.

Hynes is an Oshkosh, Nebraska, native who graduated from Nebraska with a Bachelor of Sciences degree in biological sciences and mathematics. She earned a doctorate in biological oceanography from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2009.

The School of Biological Sciences Seminar is a weekly series presented by invited speakers and Nebraska faculty to showcase current research advances in biological sciences.

Hynes will also deliver a talk about her Peace Corps experiences in Africa. The event is 7:30 p.m. March 8 in Manter Hall, Room 402A.

Both talks are free and open to the public.