The Woods Hole Group, an East Falmouth-based environmental consulting firm, has secured a $15 million, five-year contract from the United States Army Corps of Engineers.
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The Executive Committee of The American Shore & Beach Preservation Association has confirmed the appointment of Dr. Lee L. Weishar to the Board of Directors.
Dr. Weishar has worked for Woods Hole Group since 1989. Prior to joining Woods Hole Group, he worked with the US Army Corps of Engineers. He received a Ph.D. in physical oceanography from Purdue University in 1982, a M.S. in geophysical oceanography from Virginia Institute of Marine Science and College of William and Mary, and a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Michigan State University in 1973.
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George Hampson, Woods Hole Group's Senior Marine Biologist and mainstay of both Company and Community, has retired. He will still be consulting on contracts as needed, but he now becomes Emeritus at Woods Hole Group as well as Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. Here is an excerpt from his WHOI biography:
"George was born in Holyoke,Massachusetts but in, but if you ask him, he will say with a smile that he is a Cape Codder. His family summered in Pocasset, near a small, marshy creek that provided an “open school” to learn about the water and the critters living in it. When he was a teen, his family moved permanently to Nye’s Neck in North Falmouth.
After schooling at Tabor Academy and an undergraduate degree from Northeastern University, he found work in 1958 assisting WHOI biologist Howard Sanders with an ecology course at the Marine Biological Laboratory. He joined the U.S. Army in 1960, but was back on the streets of Woods Hole within a year, serving as an Army reservist and looking for work. Sanders soon hired him as a research assistant for WHOI.
For 37 years, he worked alongside Sanders and colleagues that included Hovey Clifford, Bruce Tripp, Bob Hessler, Fred Grassle, Rose Petrecca , and John Farrington. He was a jack-of-all-trades—field sampler, lab analyst, diver, naturalist, and biochemist—who contributed to studies of marine invertebrates from the intertidal zone to deep water. He worked extensively with Sanders, Max Blumer, and two generations of scientists exploring the effects of oil spills on the marshes and coastlines of Buzzards Bay. He also worked to find and classify many species of benthic animals, particularly the primitive, throwback crustacean known as the cephalocarid, which was discovered by Sanders. Among many visitors to the Sanders lab, the most famous was probably the emperor of Japan.
George’s interest in the ocean and coast carried over into his home and civic life. He went to his first public hearing in the early 1960s, and he has been actively involved in local government and resource management ever since. He served on the planning board for the Town of Falmouth, as a founding board member for the Coalition for Buzzards Bay, and he now chairs the Falmouth Coastal Pond Management Committee. He was a founding member of the 300 Committee, a non-profit land trust organized in 1985 to preserve Falmouth’s open spaces.
Though he officially “retired” from WHOI eight years ago, George is still hard at work on several coastal programs, including the Massachusetts Estuaries Project, a group that studies water quality in 89 embayments around the state. One of his favorite activities is teaching people of all ages about the coast and coastal waters. “I am just giving something back for all that I have gotten from this community,” he says."
In 2007 George was the recipient of the Falmouth Heritage Award from the Falmouth Historical Society. The award honored George for "... distinguished leadership in heritage preservation over a period of years. His efforts resulted in a lasting contribution that continues to benefit the town, its residents and its visitors, and has inspired others to value the richness of Falmouth’s past."
In addition, George continues to be a mainstay of the Massachusetts Estuary Program (MEP) based out of UMASS Dartmouth. We are certain that he will also continue his long-standing work in teaching science to school-children throughout the area.
To George we offer our congratulations and our deep appreciation for a career full of achievement that has inspired us all. Please join us in wishing George and Barbara a happy retirement, full of rewards they both so richly deserve.
David R. Walsh, M.S. was named EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR at the Woods Hole Group Holiday Party this past December 2008.
Congratulations David!!
Matthew F. Shultz, P.E. passed the Professional Engineering exam in October 2008 and is now a licensed engineer.
Congratulations Matt!
Jim J. Bajek, B.A. has joined the company in the role of Project Manager for the newly acquired five-year contract with the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Jim also will remain the Principal of James J. Bajek, LLC, and brings more than 30 years of experience in dredged material management, permitting and environmental assessment. He has been a regulator with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for 12 years and private consultant for the past 19 years. His expertise is particularly strong in the areas of federal and state agency interaction, dredging assessment, sediment characterization, ocean disposal assessment, marina improvements and coastal permitting.
Heidi Clark, Ph.D. has rejoined the company in the role of Environmental Scientist. Ms. Clark is an environmental scientist with extensive experience in coastal ecology, environmental assessment, and habitat restoration. She has twelve years experience in environmental science and consulting, with projects ranging from environmental damage assessment to seagrass restoration to dune revegetation. Ms. Clark remains active in coastal scientific research as well. Ms. Clark has MFS and Ph.D. degrees from Yale University.
Donna Benevides has joined the company in the role of Marketing Coodinator. Donna brings over 9 years of experience in graphic design and marketing support. Donna holds an AA degree in Graphic Design from Cape Cod Community College and is currently attending University of Massachusetts Lowell for her BS degree in Information Technology. In the short time that Donna has been with the company, we have launched the new website and implemented an intranet.
Catherine A. Morey has joined the company in the role of Special Projects Assistant, working directly with the Program Manager and individual Task Managers to achieve goals and objectives of the new US Army Corps of Engineers Task Order Contract. Catherine brings over 15 years experience to the team and will additionally be involved in a variety of others special projects throughout the year. These projects include production of the company newsletter and coordination of corporate events. Catherine holds a BS degree in Business Administration and AA degree in Civil Engineering Technology from Michigan Technological University.
Peter Markunas, Coastal Engineer, will be attending the 2nd Annual Coastal Erosion Control Workshop in Hyannis, MA on March 11, 2009.
