A fellowship<\/a> that focuses on many pressing coastal management issues \u2014 including beach erosion, nutrient cycling and invasive species \u2014 has been jump-starting North Carolina graduate students\u2019 careers since 2010.<\/p>\n Offered by North Carolina Sea Grant<\/a> and the N.C. Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve<\/a>, the opportunity has supported nine students since its inception \u2014\u00a0and trained many more.<\/p>\n The programs soon will release the latest joint call for applicants.<\/p>\n This fellowship emerged from a conversation between the programs, both seeking additional ways to work together, as well as fulfill each organization\u2019s specific needs, notes John Fear, Sea Grant deputy director.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were looking for something that would be conducted within the Reserve boundaries, that was relevant to both programs and provided student training,\u201d he recalls. \u201cThis fellowship has flourished into an outstanding partnership that benefits both programs.\u201d<\/p>\n Fear has a unique perspective, having seen this fellowship from both programs\u2019 points of view. He helped to initiate the N.C. Coastal Research Fellowship as the research coordinator at the Coastal Reserve. After joining Sea Grant as deputy director in 2013, Fear continued to champion this and other graduate student-training opportunities.<\/p>\n Sea Grant and the Coastal Reserve are state-based programs under the umbrella of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. North Carolina Sea Grant falls under NOAA\u2019s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research<\/a>, while the Coastal Reserve\u2019s federal \u201cparent\u201d is the NOAA Office for Coastal Management<\/a>.<\/p>\n The fellowship exposes students to each program\u2019s complementary missions. Sea Grant seeks to provide unbiased, science-based information about the sustainable use and conservation of North Carolina\u2019s ocean and coastal resources. The Coastal Reserve promotes informed management and stewardship of the state\u2019s estuarine and coastal habitats\u00a0through research, education and example by demonstrating good environmental practices. Both programs value the\u00a0education of and outreach to students, residents and decision makers.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause the fellows conduct their research on site, using the Reserves as living laboratories, their results directly inform how we conserve, restore and manage the natural resources within these boundaries,\u201d explains Brandon Puckett, Reserve research coordinator. \u201cHowever, the applicability of their results to coastal management extends to state, regional and national scales.\u201d<\/p>\n The inaugural recipient, Kristen Hall<\/strong>, was a master\u2019s student from University of North Carolina Wilmington. She looked at long- and short-term changes on Masonboro Island<\/a> from storms, beach renourishment, and inlet management through jetties and dredging.<\/p>\n She describes one accomplishment that stands out to her from the fellowship: \u201cWalking the 9-mile island once a month with a 50-pound equipment pack. Rain, shine, cold or hot, you always had to go and collect your data.\u201d<\/p>\n Hall is working on her doctoral degree in geological oceanography at Florida International University.<\/p>\n As a fellow in 2013, Teri O\u2019Meara<\/strong> learned her own lesson while traversing Rachel Carson Reserve to study bacterial and fungal denitrification<\/a>. She sought out the gym to keep her legs strong. Her secret? \u201cI never skimp on the lunges,\u201d says O\u2019Meara in an article in Coastwatch<\/em><\/a>, Sea Grant\u2019s magazine.<\/p>\n O\u2019Meara, who received her doctoral degree from UNC-Chapel Hill\u2019s Institute of Marine Sciences, now is a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. She studies the interactions between ecology and ecosystem function, and how humans can alter these interactions.<\/p>\n \u201cIn New Zealand, I am using the skills I learned as a Sea Grant and Reserve fellow to study the relationship between ecosystem function and the interacting effects of sea-level rise, nutrient pollution and sediment pollution,\u201d O\u2019Meara says.<\/p>\n Justin Ridge<\/strong>, a 2014 fellow, studied oyster reefs in the Rachel Carson Reserve<\/a>. He received a 2014 National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration Walter B. Jones Memorial Award for Excellence in Coastal and Marine Graduate Study for his fellowship research. He is completing his doctorate this fall at IMS.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the most rewarding aspects of the Coastal Research Fellowship was the opportunity to mentor an undergraduate student in marine science. She now has developed her own research project to further understand how marshes and oyster reefs are affecting each other, which will be part of her master\u2019s thesis,\u201d Ridge explains.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a win-win for both programs,\u201d Fear points out. \u201cThe Reserve gets work done on its properties by very capable graduate students. Sea Grant gets to broaden its reach to new faculty members, provide training and outreach, and add more research topics to our portfolio.\u201d<\/p>\n In the long run, this is a way of ensuring treasured coastal resources remain available for all to enjoy.<\/p>\n \u201cResearch and education \u2014 the crux of the fellowship \u2014 are central to the Reserve\u2019s mission. We believe it is critically important to support the education and development of our future leaders in coastal science and management so that we continue to value and protect coastal and estuarine ecosystems for future generations,\u201d Puckett says. \u201cIn a way, we\u2019re paying it forward.\u201d<\/p>\n Check out <\/em>Sea Grant\u2019s map<\/em><\/a>\u00a0showing where past fellows are now, including the Coastal Reserve Fellows. Go to the <\/em>fellowship page<\/em><\/a> to find out more about this opportunity and to read articles and blog posts about the fellows\u2019 research.<\/em><\/p>\n![\"Water,](\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/kitty_hawk_web.jpg\")
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