Marcelle Melosira docked at the Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Lab

Marcelle Melosira

The University of Vermont's new research and teaching vessel Marcelle Melosira arrived at the Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory on July 23, 2023. The boat hosts cutting-edge technology and research equipment, providing one-of-a-kind access to Lake Champlain.

The R/V Marcelle Melosira is staffed with a full-time Captain and Research Vessel Specialist who are experienced in aspects of limnological, geological, and fisheries sampling including: water sampling, plankton sampling, sediment coring, gill netting, bottom and mid-water fish trawling, and hydroacoustic sampling.

Watershed Alliance offers K-12 programs on the R/V Marcelle Melosira which give elementary, middle, and high school students and teachers the opportunity to learn first-hand about the study of limnology and to collect their own data on Lake Champlain with the aid of professional educators and lab research staff.

The R/V Marcelle Melosira is available for charter to groups or individuals for research, education, outreach, or other functions. View our boat usage fees. Please contact Interim Captain Taylor Resnick for more information.

Interim Captain Taylor Resnick
Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory
University of Vermont
Burlington VT 05401
Email: taylor.resnick@uvm.edu

 

Other Boats

The Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory also has smaller boats for use on Lake Champlain and surrounding water bodies.

Shiner boat in the water

Shiner

The Shiner is an 18-foot, aluminum Henley runabout with open deck space. The vessel is powered by a 60-hp outboard engine and tiller steering. The Shiner is trailerable, making it a cost-effective platform to perform research operations, sampling, and field work on Lake Champlain.

Researchers in an inflatable boat on lake

Inflatable

The Laboratory also has a 15-foot, 6-person inflatable with 20-hp outboard engine. This boat provides flexibility in sampling Lake Champlain and smaller water bodies with incredible ease and stability and is particularly useful early and late in the field season when boat ramps are frozen.

Float Plans for Field Work Safety

For safety purposes when going out into the field, researchers should complete the appropriate float plan and send to Interim Captain Taylor Resnick (taylor.resnick@uvm.edu) and a contact person.

R/V Marcelle Melosira Stats

  • 20 meters long, 6 meters wide
  • Hybrid-electric catamaran 
  • 32-person capacity 
  • BAE Systems patented HybriGen® system propulsion package
  • Up to 3 hours of electric run time
  • Projected 60% reduction in fossil fuel use from the previous vessel
  • ADA-compliant 
  • Equipped with:
    • First-of-its-kind winch technology
    • Echo-sounding technology to ID and map underwater species distribution
    • Multi-net plankton and fish larvae sampler
    • Profiler to study large particles and zooplankton
    • Echoview software to process hydroacoustic data
    • Gas analyzer to measure gaseous compounds
    • Corer for sampling lake bottom sediment

 

Give to Our Research Vessel Fund

 

Vessel News

Follow the R/V Marcelle Melosira