Emma Bouie, Danielle Costantini and Christian Kamrath will be interning this summer at the North Carolina Sea Grant office in Raleigh.
The North Carolina Sea Grant office in Raleigh will host three interns this summer.
Emma Bouie is the coastal landscape restoration intern. She is a rising senior at East Carolina University majoring in geology. She is part of a longer-term effort, led by Sea Grant extension specialists Gloria Putnam and Jane Harrison, to reduce the spread of invasive species and restore native ecosystems in coastal communities in North Carolina.
Emma will help develop outreach information and materials on native coastal landscaping for Swansboro-area nurseries and garden centers. Research she conducts on similar outreach programs will reveal current best practices for promoting use of native plants.
“I was eager to take the knowledge I’ve learned in the classroom, and apply it to a real-world setting,” Emma says. “I knew it would be beneficial to apply for the intern position in hopes of enhancing my knowledge and experience.”
Danielle Costantini, the communications intern, is a rising senior at North Carolina State University majoring in science, technology and society, with a concentration in environmental policy.
This summer, with the guidance of communications director Katie Mosher, Danielle will create a social media campaign to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Seashells of North Carolina. Also, watch for her blog posts online and her articles in Coastwatch.
“I decided to join the Sea Grant team because of its position at the intersection of science and the public. I enjoy learning about interesting and relevant scientific findings and then communicating them to those who may not be in science fields,” she explains.
Christian Kamrath is the resilience planning assistant. He is a master’s student in the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
He brings his experience in geographic information systems mapping, hazard mitigation planning and science communications to the job. Christian will assist the Town of Nags Head in planning for and taking action on flooding and sea-level rise in a project led by Jess Whitehead, Sea Grant coastal communities hazards adaptation specialist.
He’ll also collaborate with other researchers in the southeastern U.S. to explore how to use elevation data from North Carolina to complement the Federal Emergency Management Agency‘s hazard analysis tool, Hazus.
“I’m excited to work on innovative, real-world projects that tackle key issues of planning for coastal hazards adaptation,” Christian says. “Coming from Florida, I recognize and appreciate the work of Sea Grant programs. I am proud to contribute to the North Carolina program’s overall mission.”
