CofC Graduate Program in Environmental Studies

#fieldfriday 🐢🏝

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Marine Turtle Conservation Program is now accepting applications for two technician positions during the 2022 sea turtle nesting season. Check out the SC SNR website for more information, or email [email protected].

This job is also posted on our EVSS website under the job board! @scdnr

#charleston #cofc #seaturtles #jobopportunity #edistobeach #scdnr

Current EVSS student Shelly is working on her thesis regarding sea level rise and flooding policies and education! 🌊📝🎉

#cofc #charleston #gradschool #research #sealevelrise #thesis #policy

#FieldFriday is a faculty highlight on Leslie Hart!
Dr Leslie Hart has been a faculty member at CofC for 7 years, and she is also an alumni (‘03) of the EVSS program! Dr. Hart most recently working with EVSS alumni Miranda Dziobak on her thesis, and continues to work on research regarding micro plastics in bottlenose dolphins. 🐬🌊☀️

#charleston #cofc #research #microplastics #dolphinresearch #graduateschool #publichealth

EVSS Alumni Kelsey McClellan has been working as a coastal management fellow for NOAA in the Saipan Islands! She shares some of her favorite parts about the program and advice for current students! Congrats Kelsey 💕🏝🐠 @kels.mcclellan @noaa

#cofc #charleston #noaa #research #alumni @cofcalumni #marinebiology #environmentalstudies

Happy #FieldFriday 🥳🥳 today we are featuring current EVSS student Kayla Squiggins!! Kayla has been working on her thesis with Dr Vijay Vulava, researching antibiotic resistance presence in storm water throughout Charleston. Pictured above, Kayla is sampling storm water from the city.

#charleston #cofc #gradschool #stormwater #research

We want to invite everyone to our Halloween fundraising event this Saturday October 30th with MESSA!!!!👻🎃 anyone is welcome to come, bring your friends and family!! A portion of the money will go toward messa funds to help with student research!!! We can’t wait to see everyone’s costumes, there will be prizes!! 🥳🧡🍫🍬

We want to invite everyone to our Halloween fundraising event this Saturday October 30th with MESSA!!!!👻🎃 anyone is welcome to come, bring your friends and family!! A portion of the money will go toward messa funds to help with student research!!! We can’t wait to see everyone’s costumes, there will be prizes!! 🥳🧡🍫🍬

Current EVSS student Jackson has been working on his thesis project looking at how disturbances impact avian biodiversity and community composition in ephemeral wetlands. Jackson was awarded a Research Assistantship stipend of $13,200 for 2 semesters to help fund his research 👏🏻🌿🦜

#FieldFriday 🌳 last weekend some of our students participated in an Adopt-A-Highway cleanup in West Ashley! Thank you @cofc_messa for organizing this event 🪴🛣

#adoptahighway #cleanup #charleston #cofc

Some of students worked on building gardens at the woodlands this week! They turned out great, nice work! 🔨🔧🪚🌳🌱🌷🌼🌸✨❤️

#cofc #charleston #gardens #gardening #building #woodlands

#FieldFriday ✨ Last Saturday the College of Charleston hosted a Gullah/Geechee afternoon of Artistry outside in our SSMB building courtyard! This event featured Artist Quadré Stuckey, Elder Carlie Towne, De African Spirit Declean, Poetress Georgia Nubia, and Songtress Loraine Singleton. They were selling some really cool jewelry, apparel, and other items at the event as well!

#collegeofcharleston #cofc #gullahgeechee #artistry #poetry

This weeks #FieldFriday goes to @cofc_messa On September 18th some of our EVSS students volunteered to help clean up one of the most iconic spots in Charleston at the Joe Riley Waterfront Park! Thank you MESSA for hosting this amazing event & thanks to all our students who came out!

#charleston #waterfront #volunteer #environmentalscience #cofc #joerileywaterfrontpark

Current EVSS student Kelli Coleman will be defending her thesis on Friday Oct 8th at 10:30am via zoom! Anyone is welcome to join and support her 👏🏻 the zoom link will be sent out next week before the thesis. Congrats Kelli & good luck! We hope to see you all there!

#gradschool #thesis #cofc #environmentalscience #evss #charleston #thesisdefense

Current EVSS student Kelli Coleman will be defending her thesis on Friday Oct 8th at 10:30am via zoom! Anyone is welcome to join and support her 👏🏻 the zoom link will be sent out next week before the thesis. Congrats Kelli & good luck! We hope to see you all there!

#gradschool #thesis #cofc #environmentalscience #evss #charleston #thesisdefense

Our program coordinator Lucy Davis was recently featured in the CofC Today newspaper! In the article Lucy talks about her position and responsibilities as the EVSS program coordinator, as well as some of her hobbies and favorite places in Charleston! We are so grateful to have Lucy offer her guidance to students throughout the program! Check out the full article: https://today.cofc.edu/2021/09/16/cofc-faces-to-know-lucy-davis-fs/

#cofc #charleston #environmentalscience #gradschool

Our program coordinator Lucy Davis was recently featured in the CofC Today newspaper! In the article Lucy talks about her position and responsibilities as the EVSS program coordinator, as well as some of her hobbies and favorite places in Charleston! We are so grateful to have Lucy offer her guidance to students throughout the program! Check out the full article: https://today.cofc.edu/2021/09/16/cofc-faces-to-know-lucy-davis-fs/

#cofc #charleston #environmentalscience #gradschool

This weeks #FieldFriday goes to EVSS Alumni Chelsea Acres ‘18! Chelsea was featured in the CofC Today newspaper for her work with rare and endangered species. Chelsea is currently working in Austin, TX with the Texas Parks and Wildlife department as a rare and listed species grant coordinator. She helps organize and review grants, and manages projects for the whole state. Chelsea loves that she gets to directly impact wildlife conservation within the state. Great work, Chelsea!

#endangeredspecies #texaswildlife #grants #conservation #texas #evssprogram #collegeofcharleston #gradschool

This weeks #FieldFriday goes to EVSS Alumni Chelsea Acres ‘18! Chelsea was featured in the CofC Today newspaper for her work with rare and endangered species. Chelsea is currently working in Austin, TX with the Texas Parks and Wildlife department as a rare and listed species grant coordinator. She helps organize and review grants, and manages projects for the whole state. Chelsea loves that she gets to directly impact wildlife conservation within the state. Great work, Chelsea!

#endangeredspecies #texaswildlife #grants #conservation #texas #evssprogram #collegeofcharleston #gradschool

Welcome back EVSSers! We hope your fall semester is off to a great start! On August 23rd we held our new student orientation at the Stono Preserve and welcomed our Fall 2021 Cohorts! Alumni, faculty, and current students were also in attendance to provide guidance for our new students! Congratulations and we wish you all a successful year!

Now Open: FY 2022 Grant Opportunity for Marine Debris Prevention Projects | OR&R's Marine Debris Program

FY 2022 Grant Opportunity for Marine Debris Prevention Projects!
"NOAA will fund prevention projects that actively engage and educate a target audience (such as students, teachers, industries, etc.) in hands-on programs designed to raise awareness, reduce barriers to marine debris prevention, and encourage and support changes in behaviors to ensure long-term prevention of marine debris."
https://blog.marinedebris.noaa.gov/now-open-fy-2022-grant-opportunity-marine-debris-prevention-projects?fbclid=IwAR2jXiKSy--C6aREdGwLzG8AemHCYULCPvWsFNMsjjmlc8dpEz5lk17UiKE

Now Open: FY 2022 Grant Opportunity for Marine Debris Prevention Projects | OR&R's Marine Debris Program Posted Fri, 09/10/2021 - 10:33 Single-use plastics removed from the Great Lakes (Photo: NOAA).The NOAA Marine Debris Program is proud to announce our FY 2022 Marine Debris Prevention notice of funding opportunity. NOAA will fund prevention projects that actively engage and educate a target audience....

Heading out to the beach for this Field Friday on Nolan Schillerstrom! Nolan, a current student and Coastal Program Associate at Audubon South Carolina, is studying Rufa Red Knot shorebirds to evaluate existing conservation strategies on an island in South Carolina and to test social marketing as a new tool for changing human behaviors on the beach. Signage and education are the primary conservation strategies used to minimize human disturbance, but the species continues to decline. His project, titled “Social Marketing as a Tool to Reduce Human Disturbance to Federally Threatened Rufa Red Knot (Calidris canatus rufa)”, recognizes that community-based social marketing has potential to be a new and more effective tool for shorebird conservation. He is advised by Dr. Melissa Hughes. You can register to watch Nolan’s thesis defense on Tuesday, May 11th using the link in our bio!

#cofc #studentresearch #audubon #shorebirdconservation #redknot #socialmarketing #conservation #audubonsc #humandisturbance #shorebirds #charlestonsc #scbeaches #fieldfriday

Heading out to the beach for this Field Friday on Nolan Schillerstrom! Nolan, a current student and Coastal Program Associate at Audubon South Carolina, is studying Rufa Red Knot shorebirds to evaluate existing conservation strategies on an island in South Carolina and to test social marketing as a new tool for changing human behaviors on the beach. Signage and education are the primary conservation strategies used to minimize human disturbance, but the species continues to decline. His project, titled “Social Marketing as a Tool to Reduce Human Disturbance to Federally Threatened Rufa Red Knot (Calidris canatus rufa)”, recognizes that community-based social marketing has potential to be a new and more effective tool for shorebird conservation. He is advised by Dr. Melissa Hughes. You can register to watch Nolan’s thesis defense on Tuesday, May 11th using the link in our bio!

#cofc #studentresearch #audubon #shorebirdconservation #redknot #socialmarketing #conservation #audubonsc #humandisturbance #shorebirds #charlestonsc #scbeaches #fieldfriday

Introducing Carly Burner, a first year student in the EVSS program, who also completed her undergraduate studies at College of Charleston! She studied biology and secondary education, and in her last semester at CofC she was a student teacher, which is how she found her passion for Environmental Education (EE). Her thesis research will work with the Green Heart Project to evaluate their Youth Internship Program (YIP). The YIP is for high school students and the three pillars of the program are career preparedness, healthy living, and citizenship. This aligns with her careers goals because she hopes to become an environmental educator with a non-profit or governmental organization after completing the EVSS program. We can’t wait to see what you do, Carly!

#environmentaleducation #greenheartproject #cofc #environmentalinternship #charlestonsc #healthyliving #sustainablecommunities #studentresearch #environmentalstudies

Welcome back to another Field Friday! Today we spotlight Kelli Coleman, a concurrent EVSS/MPA student who is looking forward to a career in environmental education! She has been working as a marine educator at South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, where she has developed her thesis. For her project, she created and implemented a new multi-day educational program for K-12 students titled ‘King Tides: Flooding the Lowcountry with Plastic’. This program, which combined classroom lessons with a field trip to experience the estuary aboard the E/V Discovery, teaches students about king tides, coastal flooding, and marine debris. Her thesis worked with three high school groups both virtually and in person, despite challenges that arose from the pandemic. She will soon analyze her data to determine whether students connections between these topics and if that led to any changes in attitudes or behaviors. Here you can see Kelli teaching students on the E/V Discovery, SCDNR’s education vessel!

#fieldfriday #cofc #studentresearch #environmentaleducation #outdooreducation #fieldtrip #kingtides #flooding #lowcountry #scdnr #marineeducation #plasticpollution #discovery

Welcome back to another Field Friday! Today we spotlight Kelli Coleman, a concurrent EVSS/MPA student who is looking forward to a career in environmental education! She has been working as a marine educator at South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, where she has developed her thesis. For her project, she created and implemented a new multi-day educational program for K-12 students titled ‘King Tides: Flooding the Lowcountry with Plastic’. This program, which combined classroom lessons with a field trip to experience the estuary aboard the E/V Discovery, teaches students about king tides, coastal flooding, and marine debris. Her thesis worked with three high school groups both virtually and in person, despite challenges that arose from the pandemic. She will soon analyze her data to determine whether students connections between these topics and if that led to any changes in attitudes or behaviors. Here you can see Kelli teaching students on the E/V Discovery, SCDNR’s education vessel!

#fieldfriday #cofc #studentresearch #environmentaleducation #outdooreducation #fieldtrip #kingtides #flooding #lowcountry #scdnr #marineeducation #plasticpollution #discovery

Dr. Annette Watson joined the College of Charleston's Political Science Department in 2008 and became the Program Director of the EVSS Program in 2016. Dr. Watson conducts research in the Lowcountry as well as in Alaska. Her research surrounds environmental management, community sustainability & resilience, and co-production of knowledge. She currently advises seven graduate students' research projects. Dr. Watson enjoys mentoring students that seek to investigate social systems through community engagement and social science methods. She pulls from her experience as a first-generation college student to guide students on how to address the social class barriers that rise from not growing up in households with white-collar professions. She recognizes that "higher education is part of a culture...need[s] to be made transparent and sometimes transformed."

#facultyhighlight #socialscientist #programdirector #politicalscience #sustainability #environmentalmanagement #indigenousknowledge #coproductionofknowledge #advisor #resilience

On this Field Friday, we are spotlighting two current students, Kayli Paterson and Nick Smillie. Kayli and Nick are the 2020-2021 Merit Research Assistantship recipients, an annual opportunity open to all EVSS students! Learn more about Kayli’s and Nick’s projects below, and visit the link in bio for more information about the Merit RA application for 2021-2022!

Kayli Paterson is evaluating the effectiveness of stormsewer inlet devices in capturing road debris and pollutants specifically microplastics such as tire particles. Because of the chemical composition of industry tires, these particles are difficult to evaluate using spectrographic analysis such as GC-MS. However, finding the concentration of these particles is paramount to the success of this project. This study will also look to investigate the factors that influence the installation of advanced stormwater treatment technologies such as manufactured treatment devices by stormwater managers, and by extension, the effects that policy and stormsewer design have on preventing microplastics from entering aquatic environments.

Nick Smillie is examining sustainable management practices of aquatic ecosystems and the associated challenges. Citizen science self-report fishing applications utilize a participatory approach to cost effectively collect large quantities of real-time data. However, various challenges have hindered the efficacy of self-report apps including participant recruitment and retention. This study will utilize survey results, semi-structured interviews, and participant observations to examine participant perspectives of two self-report mobile apps developed by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council. Results are intended to build on identified methods to improve recruitment and retention, and develop new strategies for marketing the utility of these applications to the fishing community.

#fieldfriday #cofc #studentresearch #studentfunding #graduateresearch #researchassistant #microplastics #charlestonharbor #aquaticecosystem #citizenscience #fisheriesmanagement #southatlanticfisherymanagement