Fishman Named National Fellow

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Katie Mosher, kmosher@ncsu.edu, 919-515-9069

Sydney Fishman has been named a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Coastal Management/Digital Coast Fellow. She will work with the Washington Coastal Zone Management Program, focusing on coastline erosion on Washington’s Puget Sound.

Fishman, who earned her masters’ degree at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment, is one of nine fellows who will receive on-the-job education and training opportunities in resource management and policy. The NOAA Office for Coastal Management and the National Sea Grant College Program sponsor the fellowship.

“Fellows often find this professional experience formative for their future careers,” says John Fear, North Carolina Sea Grant deputy director. “Sydney’s interest in resilient coastal communities aligns with North Carolina Sea Grant’s strategic priorities, and we look forward to the great work she will do in Washington.”

Fishman is eager to start her fellowship in August.

“Historically, coastline erosion on the Sound was addressed with hard armoring projects like bulkheads and seawalls, which can be harmful to the environment,” she explains.

“The state is moving toward other means of ‘soft’ shoreline stabilization that avoid large manmade structures, and therefore have fewer environmental impacts. My work will advance this goal by providing technical and policy assistance in order to implement more of these soft projects.”

In addition to her Duke master’s focus on coastal management, she also earned a certificate in geospatial analysis from the Nicholas School and a certificate in natural hazards resilience from University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Her advisor was Patrick Halpin from Duke.

The fellowship will bring together her field skills in geospatial and remote sensing technologies, along with policy review and development.

“I am most excited to be working with a team of people who are passionate about coastal issues and committed to advancing these causes at the state level,” she says. “My fellowship has a lot of flexibility for me to explore my interests and apply my knowledge, and I will have the opportunity to learn from people doing all types of coastal work in the state.”

Fishman is originally from Chicago, IL. She has a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies, with minors in geohazards and international policy and management, from the University of Southern California.

To learn more about the North Carolina Sea Grant fellowship opportunities, go to ncseagrant.ncsu.edu/fellowships.

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