2016 Coastal Policy Fellows Named

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Lisa Schiavinato, 919-515-1895, lisa_schiavinato@ncsu.edu
E-Ching Lee, 919-515-9098, eching_lee@ncsu.edu

Posted Thursday, January 28, 2016

Alyssa Dykman and Michael Flynn are the 2016 Coastal Policy Fellows. The fellowship, supported by North Carolina Sea Grant and the N.C. Coastal Resources Law, Planning and Policy Center, is designed to foster research on a policy issue within the state’s 20 coastal counties during an academic semester.

“I’m excited about the projects from our 2016 fellows. Their research has the potential to provide our coastal communities and coastal tourism industry with critical local information that can help them plan for the future. I’m looking forward to working with Alyssa and Michael to ensure their science and policy data reaches these audiences,” says Lisa Schiavinato, co-director of the center and Sea Grant law, policy and community development specialist.

Dykman is working toward a Master of Environmental Management degree at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment, concentrating in coastal environmental management. Her advisor is Grant Murray, a faculty member at Duke’s Marine Lab who focuses on marine policy.

“This fellowship will expand upon my current master’s project that involves developing a sustainable tourism framework for the Outer Banks National Scenic Byway,” she says.

Dykman will conduct surveys to understand and characterize the motivations of tourists for visiting the region and their perceptions of sustainable tourism. She also will interview local and state tourist facilitators to gain a deeper understanding of the region’s tourism industry and policies.

Dykman, who grew up in New Fairfield, Ct., holds a bachelor of science degree in environmental studies from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

Flynn is a doctoral student in the Coastal Resources Management program at East Carolina University, with a focus on geoscience, social science and coastal policy. His advisor is Tom Allen, a faculty member in ECU’s geography department.

“This project will quantify the susceptibility of individual buildings located within the eight unincorporated communities along Cape Hatteras National Seashore to coastal hazards,” Flynn explains.

With that data, he will make projections to determine when to introduce mitigation measures. The Hamilton, N.J., native also will focus on evaluating the effectiveness of existing local, state and federal policies related to coastal development and sustainability, as well as their effect on coastal zone management in the region.

Flynn received his bachelor of science degree in biology, with minors in marine science and writing, and a Professional Science Master’s in Environmental Science from Stockton University in Galloway, N.J.

For information about the fellowship, go to https://ncseagrant.ncsu.edu/nccoastallaw/fellowships/coastal-policy-fellowship/.

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