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NOAA Sea Grant-funded research and work with coastal and Great Lakes communities across the nation are being highlighted in a special issue of “Oceanography,” the official journal of The Oceanography Society.
This special issue, published in April 2024, features 36 articles contributed by Sea Grant authors across 29 programs and the NOAA National Sea Grant Office.
Sea Grant’s work addresses a range of coastal and marine challenges through four focus areas: healthy coastal ecosystems, sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, environmental literacy and
Year-over-year, Sea Grant is committed to supporting aquaculture development across the nation, as a means of enhancing economic resilience and nutritional security in American communities. Sea Grant recently developed a five-year Aquaculture Investment Plan to guide its efforts in supporting aquaculture research, extension and education.
Sea Grant and NOAA Fisheries are pleased to announce the 2023 National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)-Sea Grant Joint Fellowship recipients. Seven population and ecosystem dynamics fellowships and one marine resource economics fellowship will be awarded through this national program.
Today, the Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) opened a competitive funding opportunity for the Climate Ready Workforce for Coastal States, Tribes, and Territories Initiative to connect people across the country to good-paying jobs, such as landscape technicians, heat health outreach specialists and climate equity officers, that tackle the climate crisis and boost local resilience. NOAA will invest $60 million total from the Inflation Reduction Act for the initiative — a $50 million competitive funding opportunity and $10 million for technical assistance to support applicants and grantees.
The Sea Grant network, with support from the National Sea Grant Office, will lead a special issue of Oceanography, a quarterly journal of The Oceanography Society. The special issue is planned to be released in Spring 2024.
Sea Grant and NOAA Fisheries are pleased to announce the 2022 National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)-Sea Grant Joint Fellowship recipients. Seven population and ecosystem dynamics fellowships and one marine resource economics fellowship will be awarded through this national program. Since 1999, the NMFS-Sea Grant Joint Fellowship program has trained the next generation of specialized experts in fisheries management.
NOAA and Sea Grant are pleased to announce the finalists for the 2023 class of the Sea Grant John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship program. The 2023 class represents the largest in recent years with 86 finalists. The 2023 finalists describe themselves in a map of the universities that they hail from, celebrating their different paths to the fellowship.
NOAA’s National Sea Grant College Program and Office of Sustainable Fisheries awarded approximately $900,000 of FY21 federal funds to support projects that will initiate “Food from the Sea'' career development programs. With these funds, Sea Grant programs and partners will work collaboratively with members of the fishing industry to identify training needs and develop updated and/or new resources and programming to address those needs.
NOAA Sea Grant, in collaboration with U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Geological Survey, announces six new partnership positions. The Sea Grant Federal Partnership Liaisons will integrate Sea Grant extension expertise with science, products and services from NOAA labs and other publicly supported scientific research programs. These jointly-funded positions expand on a key component of Sea Grant’s work, extending science to end users and doing so through collaborative partnerships.
NOAA Sea Grant and the NOAA Marine Debris Program announce the funding of six new, creative projects to tackle marine debris challenges across the country. This year’s projects focus on preventing the introduction of marine debris into marine, coastal and Great Lakes environments.
Sea Grant and NOAA Fisheries are pleased to announce the 2021 National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)-Sea Grant Joint Fellowship recipients. Five population and ecosystem dynamics fellowships and two marine resource economics fellowships were awarded through this national program. The fellowships offered within this program are aimed at training the next generation of specialized experts in fisheries management. The program addresses the critical need for future fisheries scientists with expertise in stock assessment and related fields.
NOAA and Sea Grant are pleased to announce the finalists for the 2022 class of the Sea Grant John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship program. The 74 finalists in the 2022 class represent 28 of the 34 Sea Grant programs. Since 1979, almost 1,500 fellows have completed the program, becoming leaders in science, policy, and public administration roles.
Mona Behl, the Associate Director for Georgia Sea Grant and a co-lead in Sea Grant’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion community of practice is interviewed by 2021 Knauss Fellow, Amara Davis. Mona discusses her journey to Sea Grant, the important work Sea Grant is doing to make the sciences more equitable, and what we can all do to facilitate a more inclusive future.
The Knauss Fellowship offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work on marine and coastal policy issues in the nation’s capital. Four alumnae of the Knauss Fellowship share their experiences with science, policy, communication, cultural identity and more, in their own words.
In this video produced by Oregon Sea Grant, three interns talk about their participation in the Oregon Applied Sustainability Experience paid internship program in 2020.
Educators at Georgia Sea Grant’s Marine Education Center and Aquarium are bringing the on-site, outdoor experiences to the classroom for the first time by way of virtual school trips.
As the country adapts to changes necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, coastal and Great Lakes communities, too, are rethinking how to resume what were once normal activities. Sea Grant programs are leading efforts to provide relief to the communities they serve. Read about a few of the initiatives Sea Grant created or enhanced in recent months.
In February 2021, the 42nd class of the John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship will begin fellowships across NOAA and other federal agencies to make their mark on national ocean and coastal policy and administration. While the experiences and backgrounds of each class are quite diverse, many selected fellows build on educational experiences offered by NOAA earlier in their careers.
When Nicole Bartlett with NOAA’s Regional Collaboration network reached out to Grace Simpkins, an educator with Woods Hole Sea Grant, to ask about offering a webinar for students during the stay-at-home orders, Grace initially wanted to keep things simple. “Maybe [we can offer] one webinar,” she thought. “Okay, maybe three…” Twelve weeks and 35 webinars later, the NOAA Live! 4 Kids series had reached 4,900 live participants, providing opportunities for kids across the country and around the world to interact with scientists and learn about careers at NOAA.
Ten weeks can be fleeting. Even though the days may pass quickly, they can be momentous ones. At Wisconsin Sea Grant this summer, the hope is that for eight undergraduates 70 days will be formative. The eight students are participating in an inaugural internship program targeted toward underserved and indigenous communities, rich in mentoring and, in three of the five opportunities, focused on tribal issues.
Catalina Martinez, a 2002 Knauss Fellow through Rhode Island Sea Grant, was one of six NOAA experts recognized at the 2019 annual Women of Color in STEM conference. Martinez explains how the Knauss Fellowship paved the way for her 18-year career at NOAA.
By Christina Dierkes.
Ohio Sea Grant educators provide a wide range of professional learning experiences for teachers, from developing curriculum and teaching Stone Lab workshops to accompanying teachers from across the Great Lakes region in shipboard science workshops aboard the U.S. EPA’s Lake Guardian research vessel. Educators Lyndsey Manzo and Angela Greene have found new ways to help educators take what they learn back to the classroom, and that’s really the end goal of Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Lab’s professional learning efforts. Every time just a few people pick up those lessons and run with them, those efforts reach so many more students than concentrated work by just Sea Grant staff ever could.
Pennsylvania Sea Grant, in partnership with the Erie Times News, produces a weekly environmental newspaper page, as part of the national program Newspapers in Education. Stories about local, regional, and global environmental issues, research and educational programs reach students in classrooms throughout the Erie, PA school district each Tuesday during the school year.
NOAA recently awarded New Jersey Sea Grant funding to plan and host an event focused on workforce development for the field of fisheries population and ecosystem dynamics. The program is a partnership effort supported by Sea Grant, NOAA’s Office of Education and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) aimed at engaging undergraduate students in the specialized field of population and ecosystem dynamics, which combines science with mathematics for science-based management of U.S. fisheries.
A new study from North Carolina State University shows that educating children about climate change affects parents as well. A pre- and post-survey showed that parents of children who had climate change curriculum were more concerned about climate .
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From a new designation of a Sea Grant program, to policy-influencing reports, the Sea Grant network kept busy this year!
With so much awesome work happening within Sea Grant, it can be hard to keep up! Here’s a look back at some of Sea Grant highlights you may have missed from this month.
The National Marine Fisheries Service-Sea Grant Joint Fellowship program supports students pursuing doctoral degrees in population and ecosystem dynamics as well as marine resource economics. The program is a focused workforce development effort to train highly qualified professionals in areas of critical need for NOAA’s science-based approach to fisheries management.
Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin Sea Grant programs along with NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management and many tribal and local partners are working together to increase community awareness about the cultural and ecological importance of native wild rice.
Maryland Sea Grant is working to increase environmental literacy by partnering with teachers to bring aquaculture into the classroom.
USC Sea Grant has worked with communities in southern California for over six years on climate adaptation planning. They analyzed their efforts and published the analysis in the Cities and the Environment Journal.
Sea Grant together with the National Marine Fisheries Service are pleased to announce the 2017 NMFS-Sea Grant Joint Fellowship recipients. Six population and ecosystem dynamics
Sea Grant supported research, education and workforce development to help make it possible
USC Sea Grant’s program has a lasting impact on students, enabling them to learn about science and themselves.
In 2016, Puerto Rico Sea Grant staff trained about 205 teachers and reached 38,882 students through improved environmental curriculum.
Sixty one finalists have been selected for the 2018 John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship, a program sponsored and managed by the National Sea Grant College Program.
A group of fifth-grade students from Alpena, Michigan created a movie to help everyone understand why marine debris is a problem and to offer ideas about how they can contribute toward solutions.
A new paper in the journal Nature by researchers at Duke University provides strong evidence that catch share management slows the race to fish in U.S. fisheries on average. Some counterexamples in multispecies settings motivate ongoing work.
In a groundbreaking project that empowers at-risk teens and pre-teens, student-driven exploration of aquatic environments through underwater photography and classroom experiences motivate those who may not otherwise feel inspired to participate in the sciences.
For over 28 years, Georgia Sea Grant has been providing recent college graduates with experience in environmental education through the marine education internship at the Marine Education Center and Aquarium.
While looking toward the next 50 years, Sea Grant is revisiting its roots.
“Shipboard Science” provides educators in the Great Lakes basin the opportunity to conduct scientific research activities alongside aquatic scientists and learn strategies to integrate Great Lakes science into their curriculum.
The S.C. Sea Grant Consortium provides multiple opportunities for people of all ages to learn about the challenge of marine debris as well as ways to do something about it.
As a marine workforce crisis looms, Washington Sea Grant helps make Maritime Discovery Schools out of an entire school district.
Workforce Development: High school students in Texas’ Port of Port Arthur learn about the many jobs available in their own community — on land and at sea — to support maritime industries.
Commercial fishing is one of the nation’s most dangerous occupations, nowhere more so than on the West Coast.
Maryland Sea Grant Extension Helps Shellfish Growers Produce Oyster Seed
South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium funded research on microplastics. The graduate student involved with the project used the findings to inform a new educational program for elementary school students.
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For more than a decade, North Carolina Sea Grant has worked directly with the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries to provide a fellowship that helps to identify management strategies for important fisheries.
South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium offers unique opportunities for graduate students to explore a variety of options to hone their skills and land that perfect job.
“I was always obsessed with sharks,” says Sagarese, who would find skate and dogfish (mud shark) carcasses as a kid and take them home for science experiments. “My mom loved keeping them in the freezer!
A blog written by and about fellows funded by Maryland Sea Grant provides valuable experience in communicating about science.
Virginia Sea Grant’s Advanced Science Communication Seminar challenged graduate student scientists to develop a communication tool that explains their research to the public. One graduate student’s infographic about sea turtle strandings ended up crossing institutional boundaries.
Maine Sea Grant education and professional training programs help recruit and retain a workforce skilled in disciplines critical to the ecological health, economic vitality, and
Yale graduate student’s project selected by Connecticut Sea Grant’s 2016 Arts Funding Program
Highlights of California Sea Grant's State Fellowship program
You might say that Tony Murphy’s career took him around the GLOBE and back.
Wisconsin Sea Grant kicks off an initiative to prepare students for careers after academia. Students will explore strategies to engage with a wider community and demonstrate the value of science in decision making.
Sea Grant graduate student hopes his research will result in the creation of a viable tool to help make coastal communities and ecosystems more resilient to the effects of climate change.
Two Florida Sea Grant agents are developing water quality monitoring projects in South Florida that enlist residents and volunteers on the front lines of citizen science.
Recreational boating is a popular summertime activity in many states that can impact water quality. New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium works with boaters and marinas to minimize these impacts and assist businesses who wish to implement best management practices.
North Carolina creates synergy between its Sea Grant and Water Resources Research Institute programs.
Coastal trail network planners turn to S.C. Sea Grant as conduit to resources, technical assistance
The mainland sea caves in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Wisconsin are a big tourism draw, but they also can be dangerous. A real-time wave observation system project funded by Sea Grant is making the experience safer.
The University of Guam Sea Grant is active in multiple projects focusing on watershed education, including Builders of a Better Bay in Guam and Biib's Kids in Palau.
In May 2015, Delaware Sea Grant launched a series of short format videos, 15 Second Science, aimed at promoting engaging, shareable content on social media.
Connecticut Sea Grant's Education Coordinator had the opportunity to assess strategic benefits for integrating Ocean Literacy into research and training strategies with experts from the US, Japan, Canada, and the European Union as a participant of the Fulbright Specialist Program.
California Sea Grant worked with local fishermen to open a direct market in San Diego. The success of the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market has been instrumental in the passing of new legislation that streamlines the direct marketing process for California fishermen.
In January 2016, the Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program will host the sixth Alaska Young Fishermen's Summit. AYFS offers leadership training, networking capacity and opportunities for fishermen under 40 and/or in the business for less than five years.
Most of the Sea Grant Knauss fellows work for the Executive branch of the government, making a difference in federal agencies throughout the Washington, DC area.
Commercial fishing can be a dangerous job. Thanks to Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium Extension agents, 200 sailors have been trained as marine safety instructors. The training recently helped save two fishermen in a collision.
Every year, up to ten Knauss fellows work on Capitol Hill, providing expertise for congressional offices and committees working on marine and aquatic legislation.
Florida Sea Grant's aquaculture specialist has been awarded the Distinguished Service Award by the US Aquaculture Society following years of work supporting fishers in the growing clam farming industry.
Scientists in Maryland have published numerous studies on the impacts of climate change on the Mid-Atlantic region, but communicating the results of that research has proved difficult. Many residents in the state’s coastal communities lack a good understanding of the risks that climate change and sea level rise in particular pose to their way of life. In 2012, Maryland Sea Grant held a statewide climate change forum to inform efforts to share and discuss the findings of climate science with these communities.
Many leaders in Maryland have highlighted the importance of developing oyster aquaculture in the state: this industry supports local working waterfronts and also helps the state’s struggling seafood industry. Maryland Sea Grant Extension helped to bring about changes in state policy to make it easier for residents to obtain leases for aquaculture operations in Chesapeake Bay, creating new opportunities for entrepreneurs. To help them pursue those opportunities, Maryland Sea Grant Extension and its partners have developed a number of programs that help shellfish growers to obtain start-up funding for these ventures and to build and operate them successfully.
Maryland and other states in the Chesapeake Bay watershed are currently engaged in a multi-billion dollar effort to improve water quality by meeting Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) targets for nutrients and sediments. To accomplish this, municipalities around the region need help from trained and dedicated volunteers who can implement watershed restoration practices. Such practices include stormwater management tools like rain gardens and barrels.
Part of the Florida Water Access site, the Boating Toolkit contains legal information about rights of navigation, anchoring and mooring, boating laws and regulations, derelict vessels and conservation.
The Clam Farm Benefit Calculator allows Florida clam growers to make a simple estimation of the environmental benefits their farms provide annually to coastal waters.
This site provides answers for homeowners regarding flood insurance costs, purchasing flood insurance and ways to reduce insurance premiums.
Oregon Sea Grant's Coastal Natural Hazards Specialist stresses preparedness, not panic or indifference, in the wake of increased attention to the Cascadia Subduction Zone and the likelihood of an earthquake in Oregon.
The Dune It Right manual is designed to be an evolving resource for anyone planning dune restorations. It uses NJSGC research and researchers to bring the most relevant data and methods for restoring dunes along New Jersey's intensely developed shore.
Sea Grant-NMFS Fellows gather in Miami for an annual symposium.
NOAA’s Coastal Storms Program is collaborating with Sea Grant and others to improve safety for Great Lakes beach-goers.
Great Lakes Sea Grant programs and a network of Great Lakes-region partners are promoting a new water safety campaign, Be Current Smart.
” Since I didn't have a marine science or oceanography background, the Sea Grant Knauss fellowship opened the door for me at NOAA and within policy. It can also do this for others.”
Sea Grant works with coastal communities to ensure that boaters on the water for fun and for work are knowledgeable and out of harm's way.
“If you are at all thinking about marine science policy, definitely apply for the fellowship!”
Many residents of South Carolina and beyond aspire to live at the beachfront. To better prepare people seeking beachfront homes (as well as those already enjoying life at the beachfront) regarding specific hazards and regulations, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, with significant contributions from the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium, has produced the South Carolina Guide to Beachfront Property. Included is information on typical hazards homeowners are likely to face (hurricanes, erosion, flooding, wind, and earthquakes), insurance information, and important state regulations regarding construction and renovation practices.
Forging and maintaining outreach and education partnerships is vital to building and sustaining effective and pertinent outreach programming. The South Carolina Coastal Information Network (SCCIN) enhances coordination of coastal community outreach efforts in South Carolina by avoiding duplication of efforts and minimizing the number of meetings/workshops that community leaders and staff are asked to attend, leveraging scarce resources, and maximizing program benefits and expected outcomes. Through the SCCIN, members strive to provide quality training and educational materials to coastal decision-makers and the public in an effective and efficient manner.
A handbook to help Alaska communities, scientists, and agencies implement best practices for new and continuing community-based monitoring programs.
Master’s students at the University of Guam receive funding to work on thesis research in areas of sustainable coastal community development.
Georgia Sea Grant has partnered with the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia to create the new Georgia Sea Grant Legal Program. This program offers students at University of Georgia School of Law the opportunity to work with legal and policy experts to address challenging environmental questions facing policymakers in coastal Georgia communities.
“I use the skills I gained from my experience as a Knauss fellow on a daily basis in my career. The writing and policy analysis skills that I developed as a fellow have been critical. In addition, while at the Commission, we worked with 16 commissioners with diverse backgrounds to develop a consensus report. The experience of working with a group like that to evaluate stakeholder input, discuss policy ideas and develop recommendations has been valuable.” – Angela Gustavson
I use so many of the skills and experiences I gained as a Knauss fellow at my current position. I remained in the Army Corps after my fellowship and I continue to work with many of my former coworkers. I learn new things every day about my agency.
“I truly believe the opportunity that I was given as a Knauss Fellow has led to the fact that I have been in D.C. for 10 years. My job in Sam Farr’s office gave me the launching pad for my career that ultimately led to the White House,” – Jessican Maher
In collaboration with Washington Land Grant partners, Washington Sea Grant provides training, resources and opportunities to volunteers interested in learning about freshwater environments and the watershed and marine systems to which they are tied. The volunteers then contribute to improving their communities through monitoring, enhancement, restoration and outreach.
Virginia Sea Grant has a legal program now and they have been focusing on resiliency issues—conducting legal and policy research for local community clients on issues such as flood insurance, community rating systems, potential disclosure issues, potential local community liability risk associated with not taking adaptation steps. They have also provided analysis to the Governor’s Climate Commission that is currently underway and the General Assembly’s Secure Commonwealth Panel that finished up work last month.