Research Scientist
phone: 443-482-2362
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
fax: 443-482-2380
P.O. Box 28
647 Contees Wharf Road
Edgewater, MD 21037
email: sengcom@si.edu

Born, 9 September 1971, Manila, Republic of the Philippines
Naturalized U.S. citizen, 14 September 1992, in Newark, New Jersey

RESEARCH INTERESTS
Analysis, evaluation and development of strategies for the management of harmful algal blooms (HABs), focusing on methods for control and mitigation of blooms, in both freshwater and marine systems. Active research projects include examining the efficacy and impacts of using clay minerals to physically remove algal cells and their toxins from the water column, and the mechanisms of particle flocculation in marine systems. New research investigates the biology and ecology of the endoparasitic dinoflagellate, Amoebophrya sp., in order to understand its role in bloom dynamics of its dinoflagellate hosts, including some that form HABs, and to evaluate it potential as a biological control agent.

EDUCATION

Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology-Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Biological Oceanography, September 2001 The Aggregation of Clay Minerals and Marine Microalgal Cells: Physicochemical Theory and Implications for Controlling Harmful Algal Blooms. Donald M. Anderson (advisor, WHOI), Philip M. Gschwend (MIT), David A. Caron (U. Southern California), James K. Edzwald (UMASS Amherst)

B.S. Long Island University, Southampton College Marine Science, Biology, August 1994

POSITIONS HELD

2006 – present Research Scientist, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
2005 – present Ecologist, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
2003 – 2005 Research Associate, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
2001 – 2005 Postdoctoral investigator, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Project manager of grants from Cove Point Foundation, Sholley Foundation, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Institute for Phosphate Research, and E.U./U.S. FATE project
2001 – 2002 Private Research Consultant
1995 – 2001 Graduate Fellow, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

AWARDS AND FELLOWSHIPS

2001 Gera A. Panteleyev Award, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
1995 – 1999 Ford Foundation Pre-Doctoral Fellowship
1999 – 2001 Graduate Research Fellowship, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
1994 – 1995 J. William Fulbright Scholarship, Universität Konstanz, Germany
1994 Summa cum laude, Southampton College of Long Island University

RESEARCH SUPPORT

2005 – 2008 NOAA/ECOHAB (grant # NA05NOS4781193), Role of parasitism on HAB dynamics: Amoebophrya sp. ex Alexandrium tamarense, co-principal investigator with D.W. Coats (SERC) and D.M. Anderson (WHOI), $486,755

2002 – 2005 NOAA/ECOHAB (grant #NA16OP2793), Control of Harmful Algal Blooms Using Clays: Phase II, co-principal investigator with Donald M. Anderson, $867,026

2004 – 2005 Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (contract #140757), Testing and Evaluation of Clays and Chemical Flocculants for Management of Prymnesium parvum Blooms in Texas, Principal investigator, $61,200

PUBLICATIONS

Full Papers in Refereed Journals

Leblond, J.D., Sengco, M.R ., Sickman, J.O., Dahmen, J.L. and Anderson, D.M. (2006) Sterols in the Syndinian dinoflagellate parasite, Amoebophrya sp., a parasite of the dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense (Dinophyceae). J. Eukaryot. Microbiol., 53(3): 1-6.

Sengco, M.R. , Hagström, J.A., Granéli, E., Anderson, D.M. and Kuupo, P. (2005) Removal of Prymnesium parvum (Haptophyceae) and its toxins using clay minerals. Harmful Algae, 4(2): 261-274

Beaulieu, S., Sengco, M.R ., and Anderson, D.M. (2005) Using clay to control harmful algal blooms: deposition and resuspension of clay/algal flocs. Harmful Algae, 4(1): 123-138.

Yu, Z., Sengco, M.R. , Anderson D.M. (2004) Flocculation and removal of the brown-tide organism, Aureococcus anophagefferens (Chrysophyceae), using clays. Applied Phycology, 16(2): 101-110.

Sengco, M.R. and Anderson, D.M. (2004) Controlling harmful algal blooms through clay flocculation. Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology, 51(2): 169-172.

Pierce R.H., Henry, M.S., Hingham, C.J., Blum, P., Sengco, M.R. , Anderson, D.M. (2004) Removal of harmful algal cells ( Karenia brevis ) and toxins from seawater culture by clay flocculation. Harmful Algae, 3(2): 141-148.

Sengco, M.R ., K. Tugend, D.M. Kulis, A. Li, and D.M. Anderson. (2001) Removal of red and brown tide cells using clay flocculation: I. Laboratory culture experiments with Gymnodinium breve and Aureococcus anophagefferens. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 210: 41-53.

Moestrup, Ø. and Sengco, M. (2001) Ultrastructural studies on Bigelowiella natans, gen. et sp. nov., a chlorarachniophyte flagellate. Journal of Phycology., 37, 624-646.

Sengco, M.R ., Braeutigam, M., Kapp, M., D.G. Mueller. (1996) Detection of virus DNA in Ectocarpus siliculosus and E. fasciculatus (Phaeophyceae) from various geographic areas. European Journal of Phycology, 31 (1): 73-78.

Mueller, D.G., Sengco, M. , Wolf, S.; Braeutigam, M., Schmid, C.E., Kapp, M., R. Knippers. (1996) Comparison of two DNA viruses infecting the marine brown algae Ectocarpus siliculosus and E. fasciculatus. Journal of General Virology, 77 (9): 2329-2333.

Submitted Manuscripts

Sengco M.R. , Brancewicz, C., Edzwald, J.K., and Anderson D.M. Electrophoretic mobility an zeta potential of marine microalgae and clay mineral particles suspended in seawater. Limnology and Oceanography.

Sengco M.R. , and Anderson D.M. Differential removal of marine algal species by clay aggregation: effect of cell concentration, size and swimming rate. Marine Ecology Progress Series.

Published Technical Reports

Anderson, D.M., Sengco M.R ., Li, A. and Beaulieu, S.E. Control of Florida red-tide using phosphatic clay. Florida Institute of Phosphate Research, No. 03-138-207, 2004

Other publications and media

“A Fatal Attraction for Harmful Algae” by Mario Sengco, Oceanus Magazine, 2004, 43 (1):39-42.

“Taming Toxic Tides” by Janet Raloff, Science News, 2002, 162 (22): 344-345.

“Humble Material Enlisted Against Deadly Red Tides” by Hannah Fairfield. The New York Times, Science Section, 9 July 2002.

“Clay Nix Algae”, Earth and Sky Radio Program #3,512, aired August 16, 2002.

“Parasites May Stem Red Tide”, Earth and Sky Radio Program #4,986, aired March 2, 2006.

“Stemming Red Tide”, Living on Earth Radio Program, aired June 9, 2006.

CONFERENCES

Oral presentations

1 st International Conference on Harmful Algae Management and Mitigation, 10-14 May 1999, Subic Bay, Philippines.

2 nd International Conference on Harmful Algae Management and Mitigation, 12-16 November 2001, Quingdao, Peoples' Republic of China.

9 th International Conference on Harmful Algal Blooms, 7-11 February 2000, Tasmania, Australia.

1 st Inter-state Symposium on Harmful Algal Blooms and Control, 30 May 2000, Pusan, South Korea.

2 nd Inter-state Symposium on Harmful Algal Blooms and Control, 7 December 2001, Busan, South Korea.

Annual Meeting of the Phycological Society or America/Society of Protozoologist, Glenenden Beach, Oregon, USA. 14-19 June 2003.

2 nd Symposium on Harmful Marine Algae in the U.S., 9-13 December 2003, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA.

3 rd Symposium on Harmful Marine Algae in the U.S., 3-6 October 2005, Pacific Grove, CA

11 th International Conference on Harmful Algal Blooms, 14-19 November 2004, Capetown, South Africa

Workshop on Recent Progress on the Research and Management of Cochlodinium Blooms, Cheju National University, South Korea, 22-23 May 2006

Workshops chaired

Discussion Session on Management of Harmful Algal Blooms: Prevention, Control and Mitigation. 2 nd Symposium on Harmful Marine Algae in the U.S., 9-13 December

2003, Woods Hole, MA Roundtable Discussion on Management of Harmful Algal Blooms. 11 th International Conference on Harmful Algal Blooms, 14-19 November 2004, Capetown, South Africa

Poster presentations

10 th International Conference on Harmful Algae, 21-25 October 2002, St. Pete's Beach, Florida, USA.

1 st Symposium on Harmful Marine Algae in the U.S., 4-9 December 2000, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA.

PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES

International Society for the Study of Harmful Algae Association for the Advancement of Science Sigma Xi

REVIEWER
Marine Ecology Progress Series Limnology and Oceanography
Harmful Algae
Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology
Journal of Phycology
Hydrobiologia
Aquatic Microbial Ecology

ADVISEES

Larry V. Padilla, University of the Philippines, MSI, Masters student
Johannes Hagstrom, Department of Biology and Environmental Science, University of Kalmar, Sweden, Ph.D. candidate
Ashley Burton, University of Maryland, Baltimore County. summer internship, SERC 2006
Debbie Chang, Harvard University, summer internship, SERC 2006
Chai-Blair Stahn, Biology Department, University of Puget Sound, 1500 N. Warner, Tacoma, WA. Summer Student Fellowship, WHOI, 2004
Phoebe Poole, Falmouth High School, Science Fair

LANGUAGES
Tagalog (Filipino), English, German, Spanish

REFERENCES
Dr. Donald M. Anderson
Senior Scientist
Biology Department, MS 32, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Woods Hole, MA 02543 USA
Phone: (508) 289-2351
Email: danderson@whoi.edu

Dr. Richard H. Pierce
Senior Scientist and Director of Research
Mote Marine Laboratory
1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota, Florida 34236
Phone: (941) 388-4441
Email: rich@marinelab.sarasota.fl.us

Dr. V. Monica Bricelj
Institute for Marine Biosciences
National Research Council
1411 Oxford, Street
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3H3Z1 Canada
Phone: (902) 426-8005
Email: monica.bricelj@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca

Dr. D. Wayne Coats
Senior Researcher Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
P.O. Box 28
647 Contees Wharf Road,
Edgewater, MD 21037-0028
Phone: (443) 482-2271
E-mail: coats@serc.si.edu