{"id":4933,"date":"2015-09-02T12:27:19","date_gmt":"2015-09-02T16:27:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/?page_id=4933"},"modified":"2024-08-30T16:45:45","modified_gmt":"2024-08-30T20:45:45","slug":"currents-in-their-own-words-sea-grant-fellows-share-research-snapshots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/currents-in-their-own-words-sea-grant-fellows-share-research-snapshots\/","title":{"rendered":"CURRENTS: IN THEIR OWN WORDS: Sea Grant Fellows Share Research Snapshots"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n
North Carolina Sea Grant supports many graduate students through fellowships that cover a wide range of research interests. The programs are committed to supporting the state\u2019s future scientists and leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI am amazed at the caliber of graduate fellows that we draw year after year,\u201d says John Fear<\/a>, Sea Grant deputy director. \u201cThey are doing research that will improve our understanding of the state\u2019s resources and benefit us for years to come. These fellowships definitely are a good return on investment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Coastwatch<\/a><\/em> asked several fellows to explain what they are doing this summer. Here is their research, in their own words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nicholas Decker is a Research Law Fellow with the N.C. Coastal Resources Law, Planning and Policy Center<\/a>. A third-year law student at the University of North Carolina School of Law<\/a>, his research focuses on environmental law, specifically coastal issues in North Carolina and elsewhere in the United States.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I have primarily worked on the N.C. Coastal Resources Law, Planning and Policy Center\u2019s ongoing project with the Town of Nags Head. Our team has analyzed the town\u2019s existing land-use plan and compared it to other land-use plans around the country. Our ultimate goal is to use this knowledge to assist Nags Head in creating a new plan that will be effective in dealing with issues related to future climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I also am working on creating a series of fact sheets that will help explain the complex issue of offshore oil and gas drilling to a wide audience. As the debate surrounding offshore drilling continues to mount, we hope these fact sheets will help quell confusion about the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kristen Downs is supported by the Richard Bland Fellowship Professional Pathways Program<\/a> from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill\u2019s Graduate School<\/a>. She is a doctoral student in the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at UNC-CH, studying the interactions between water and sanitation infrastructure and the environment.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n