The cruise is part of "The Age of Sail" seminar sponsored by the N.C. Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT), which provides opportunities for teachers to participate in experiential learning and professional networking.
Woodard is part of an N.C. Fishery Resource Grant (FRG) project designed to collect discarded oyster shells from the county's restaurants and "recycle" them for use in the state's nine oyster sanctuaries. The old shells are prime substrate for growing young Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica), an ecologically important species that has been in decline in North Carolina for more than a century.
The buoy is part of SEACOOS, a regional research group created to better understand what's happening in coastal ocean waters stretching from North Carolina to Florida. Researchers are using buoys and radar near or on the ocean to develop detailed maps and data sets.
