Georgia Sea Grant has awarded nearly $800,000 to fund seven research projects at universities across Georgia. The selected projects will address coastal and ocean topics focused on fisheries, estuarine ecosystems, coastal hazards and ocean acidification.

“We had a record number of submissions from a variety of institutions in Georgia for our 2018-20 call for research proposals,” says Mona Behl, Georgia Sea Grant’s associate director. “We selected projects that not only align with national Sea Grant priorities, but also tackle critical issues affecting Georgia’s environment and economy.”

As part of the 2018-20 funding cycle, Georgia Sea Grant also launched a new graduate research traineeship program, which provides funding for four to six graduate students pursuing degrees in STEM-related fields. The students will work with principal investigators on Georgia Sea Grant-funded projects, gaining new skills in research and material for their dissertation or thesis.

2018-20 research awards:

  • The Role of the Spartina Phytobiome in Restoration and Resilience to Environmental Change
    Joel Kostka, Georgia Institute of Technology
  • Shrimp Black Gill in Georgia
    Marc Frischer, University of Georgia
  • Sensitivity of Gray’s Reef Invertebrates and Algae to Ocean Acidification and Implications for the Ecosystem
    Daniel Gleason, Georgia Southern University
  • Incorporating Future Infrastructure Decisions into Salt Marsh Migration Models
    Brian Bledsoe, University of Georgia
  • Is Groundwater a Potential Driver of Oyster Populations within Georgia Creeks?
    John Carroll, Georgia Southern University
  • A Social Census of Georgia’s Working Waterfronts
    Jennifer Tookes, Georgia Southern University
  • Real-time Flood Risk Modeling Using Social Media Data
    Ge Zhang, Georgia Institute of Technology

Information about Georgia Sea Grant research topics, funding and current opportunities can be found at https://gacoast.uga.edu/research/funding/current-projects/

The Georgia Sea Grant College Program is administered through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and is one of 33 university-based Sea Grant Programs around the country. Georgia Sea Grant unites the resources of the federal government, the state of Georgia and universities across the state to create knowledge, tools, products and services that benefit the economy, the environment and the citizens of Georgia.