{"id":7451,"date":"2017-03-01T17:35:00","date_gmt":"2017-03-01T22:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/?page_id=7451"},"modified":"2024-08-20T14:19:24","modified_gmt":"2024-08-20T18:19:24","slug":"science-at-work-building-stronger-coastal-communities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/science-at-work-building-stronger-coastal-communities\/","title":{"rendered":"SCIENCE AT WORK: BUILDING STRONGER COASTAL COMMUNITIES"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

North Carolina Sea Grant\u2019s efforts encompass topics in development, economies, ecosystems and traditions related to the state\u2019s coast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Communities embody the concept, as they have weathered many storms. These days, the word also encompasses planning for and responding to a variety of economic and environmental challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"coastla
Preparing coastal communities for varied hazards continues to be a priority for North Carolina Sea Grant. Photo by Roger Winstead\/NC State.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Resilience is a key theme for North Carolina\u2019s Coastal Conference<\/a> on April 4 and 5 \u2014 and long has been a focus for North Carolina Sea Grant\u2019s work with coastal communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are bringing science to the table in helping to understand their specific challenges and making links to expertise across the state,\u201d explains Susan White<\/a>, Sea Grant executive director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe develop and leverage partnerships so that spaces and places along our coast, and in the watersheds, are safe and healthy \u2014 not only for the residents but also for millions of visitors,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those efforts have earned national praise. As part of an assessment conducted by the National Sea Grant College Program<\/a>, \u201can external performance review panel found that North Carolina Sea Grant<\/a> exceeded their expectations, given the federal investment,\u201d Jonathan Pennock, National Sea Grant director, notes in a summary letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMany panelists that focused on your coastal community hazard resilience efforts deemed your program to be among the highest performing in the Sea Grant Network,\u201d describes Pennock, who will join the April conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those efforts range from hosting community visioning sessions and identifying policies that may help lower insurance premiums to training contractors in better roofing and other construction techniques.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speakers at North Carolina\u2019s Coastal Conference include Craig McLean, assistant administrator of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research<\/a> for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration<\/a>, and Mike Sprayberry, director of North Carolina Emergency Management<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the conference looks to a range of emerging issues, it will include graduate students already on pathways to be future leaders on coastal topics \u2014 another Sea Grant focus area earning national recognition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYour fellowship programs, in particular, represent best practices that should be considered in other Sea Grant programs,\u201d Pennock adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

White agrees: \u201cThe fellowships allow us not only to focus on student training, but also to reach into and across varied disciplines.\u201d Many fellowships represent partnerships, such as with N.C. Space Grant<\/a>, N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries<\/a> and the N.C. Coastal Reserve<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fellowship programs encourage students to gain hands-on experience and work with local experts. Photo by Roger Winstead\/NC State.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sea Grant\u2019s training for graduate and professional students has expanded so that in addition to working with mentors on field experiences and data analysis, these up-and-coming researchers are challenged to communicate their findings beyond their immediate colleagues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat may start through collaborative research with community partners offering perspectives; then move into discussing findings with local, state and federal policy makers; and even developing lesson plans for youngsters in classrooms and informal learning centers,\u201d White adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Such efforts are part of Sea Grant\u2019s legacy and future in North Carolina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are embedded in the state,\u201d White says, crediting the tradition of excellence set by past directors and staff. \u201cCommunities continue to look to Sea Grant to get access to information and resources they need to make decisions. Sea Grant is able to facilitate that conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the Coastal Conference this spring, North Carolina Sea Grant winds down a yearlong celebration of the 40th anniversary of its designation as a full Sea Grant College Program in 1976.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But its impacts can be traced to the 1960s, with the first Sea Grant-funded projects in the state, including seminal studies in ecology and advances in seafood-processing safety and technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moving forward, the program\u2019s updated strategic plan builds upon traditional strengths, while also illuminating current and anticipated needs. This could include expanding efforts to identify connections between human health and the coast \u2014 such as potential new pharmaceuticals, as well as better and faster ways to address water-quality problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The recent federal reviews \u2014 including praise for innovative, relevant and effective partnerships and outreach \u2014 bode well for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNorth Carolina Sea Grant is a well-managed, cost-effective and impactful program that provides valuable services to your stakeholders,\u201d Pennock writes. \u201cAnd your successes contribute to the strength of the National Sea Grant College Program.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

White concurs, noting that the research focus is woven through extension, communications and education efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She especially credits the expertise that the administrative and outreach team \u2014 with offices in Raleigh, Wilmington, Morehead City and Wanchese \u2014 brings forth each day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHaving that energy from our team is wonderful,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IN OUR OWN WORDS<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the Winter 2017<\/a> issue, Coastwatch<\/em> offered an overview of recent activities by North Carolina Sea Grant-funded researchers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this issue, we turn to our team for examples of their current efforts. While our mission always will be outreach and education, there are many ways to slice this pie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How are these efforts designed to strengthen communities, make our coast healthier, and identify the next steps we need to take? In the articles below, some of our staff explain how they serve North Carolina, its people and its coast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n