Sandra Harris

Dec 15, 2015

SMALL BUT MIGHTY: MINIGRANTS SUPPORT QUICK TURNAROUND, PILOT STUDIES

Minigrants are an important part of North Carolina Sea Grant’s funding portfolio. They are rapid-response, seed and starter grants, usually not more than $5,000. They are provided on a limited basis, as funding allows. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Dec 15, 2015

SEA SCIENCE: DOES IT REALLY START AT HOME? How North Carolina Marine Habitats Influence Black Sea Bass Growth and Maturity

This is the second day of the Southeastern Fisheries Independent Survey marine research cruise aboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Ship Pisces. Outside, the ship navigates the waters offshore North Carolina. Inside, I navigate my dark cabin and sneak out the door, trying not to disturb my roommate, who has only just returned from his midnight shift.

Dec 15, 2015

LEGAL TIDES: Education, Outreach Needed for Wildlife Plan Success

Protecting the biodiversity of an ecosystem increases its resilience and productivity, as well as expands the services and benefits it provides. Wildlife and their habitats supply us with medicines, food and other resources. These spaces also offer recreation and tourism opportunities. Wildlife habitat also provides us with advantages, such as filtering and cleaning water.

Dec 15, 2015

CURRENTS: Encouraging Collaborative Community Research

“We are seeking proposals that focus on creative problem solving,” explains Susan White, Sea Grant executive director. “The new projects will bring together local knowledge and intuition within coastal communities and the academic rigor of university researchers. Recommendations based on results of such strong field-testing ultimately are more likely to be incorporated into resource management decisions and local business practices.”

Dec 15, 2015

PEOPLE AND PLACES: Dog(fish) Days of Winter

What fishing tournament on the North Carolina coast targets an oddly named shark, gives the winner a bobblehead and frequently suffers through miserable weather? It’s the annual Johnnie Mercer’s Pier Dogfish Tournament at Wrightsville Beach, a North Carolina saltwater fishing tournament scheduled in January.

Dec 1, 2015

SEA SCIENCE: Rising Waters and Migrating Marshes: Researchers Track Changes in North Carolina’s Coastal Habitats

Margaret Garner works hard for her research. “One thing I learned from this project is that it can be tough to access a randomly selected GPS point in a salt marsh,” admits the East Carolina University doctoral student. “Sometimes you literally can’t get there from here.”

Dec 1, 2015

BRINGING BACK A BIVALVE: Sea Grant Works to Restore Oysters

North Carolina loves its oysters. Not just hot off the grill or raw on a salty cracker, but also as a keystone species in the state’s more than 3,000 square miles of estuaries. Oysters filter water, provide shelter and protect against erosion. But by some estimates, they are down to as low as 10 percent of their historical numbers.

Dec 1, 2015

FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: North Carolina’s Coastal Conference Offers Varied Voices

Convening interested parties representing multiple disciplines to address priority coastal issues for the state: That’s all in a day’s work for the North Carolina Sea Grant team. We are considered a trusted broker of information and a team that has cultivated close, long-term relationships with a broad range of stakeholders.

Dec 1, 2015

BUILDING A BETTER REEF TAKES A TEAM

Lugging a jackhammer across an oyster reef is like carrying someone over an uneven bed of nails. I have the scars to prove it. Yet, if you need to get a core sample from an oyster reef, there is no better tool.

Dec 1, 2015

FEAR FACTOR: Bonus for North Carolina

John Fear may have been born in Raleigh, but it was his youth in New Bern that set him on a career path as a scientist.