News Archives 2004 June  Nov

June 2004 Topics     current topics

• Sorensen Elected as Board Chair of S.C. Sea Grant Consortium
• Thousands turn out for statewide cleanup
• Consortium secures almost $4 million in grants
• S.C. Sea Grant Nominated Students Awarded Fellowships

Sorensen Elected as Board chair of S.C. Sea Grant Consortium

Dr. Andrew A. Sorensen, president of the University of South Carolina, has been elected as chair of S.C. Sea Grant Consortium’s Board of Directors. Sorensen began his one-year term on January 1, 2004.

Sorensen, a native of Pennsylvania, is the 27th president of the University of South Carolina. Prior to his appointment at USC, Sorensen served as president of the University of Alabama and provost and vice-president for academic affairs at the University of Florida. He is a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at USC’s Arnold School of Public Health, and has authored or edited seven books and over 100 articles.

“I look forward to serving as chair of the S.C. Sea Grant board,” said Sorensen. “My previous service as chair of the Whitney Marine Biology Laboratory board in Florida, as well as working with the Sea Grant programs in Florida and Alabama, has convinced me of the enormous value of these programs.”

“I am very pleased that our board has elected Dr. Sorensen to serve as chairman,” said Rick DeVoe, executive director of the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium. “His extensive experience with the Sea Grant College programs in Florida and Alabama should greatly enhance the programs and activities of the Consortium over the next year.”

The Consortium’s Board of Directors is composed of the chief executive officers of its member institutions. Currently serving on the board are: Board Chair Dr. Andrew A. Sorensen, president of University of South Carolina; Dr. Ronald R. Ingle, president of Coastal Carolina University; James F. Barker, president of Clemson University; Dr. Andrew H. Hugine, Jr., president of S.C. State University; Dr. Raymond S. Greenberg, president of Medical University of South Carolina; Major General John S. Grinalds, president of The Citadel; Leo I. Higdon, Jr., president of College of Charleston; and John E. Frampton, executive director of S.C. Department of Natural Resources.

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Thousands turn out for statewide cleanup

A hurricane almost caused the rescheduling of Beach Sweep/River Sweep. A mere two days before the cleanup, Hurricane Isabel landed in the Outer Banks of N.C.

Yet sunny skies prevailed during the 15th annual Beach Sweep/River Sweep, and more than 3,000 volunteers on the coast cleared about 12 tons of trash from beaches, marshes, and waterways—three tons less than last year’s haul.

More than 100 site captains and their volunteers covered about 65 cleanup sites in every coastal county. Community involvement included support from Girl and Boy Scouts, K-12 schools and colleges, environmental and civic groups, museums, aquaria, state and federal agencies, resorts, and businesses. Statewide an estimated 6,000 people cleared trash and debris.

Cigarette butts continue to be the number-one item found on the coast, followed by debris associated with recreational activities (bottles, cans, plastic ware, and fast food containers) and boating activities (ropes, nets, buoys, and fishing line).

Fireworks debris continues to be a problem in the Myrtle Beach area, as is styrofoam in the Charleston area. Some unusual items found this year included several bicycles, many tires and car parts, a boat and boat parts, a propane tank, a lawn mower, clothing, a hair dryer, an old Polaroid camera, cell phones, a calculator, fake vampire teeth, an alarm clock, mattresses, a microwave, and a big-screen TV.

Special thanks go to Joanna Murray, College of Charleston communications student, who helped Susan Ferris organize the Sweep on the coast.

Beach Sweep/River Sweep is part of The Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup, and is organized by the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium and S.C. Department of Natural Resources. South Carolina ranks fifth worldwide in the number of volunteers, saving taxpayers nearly $300,000 each year, using calculations provided by Independent Sector, a coalition of non-profits based in Washington, D.C. The next Sweep is scheduled for Saturday, September 18, 2004. Detailed coastal results and photos can be found at http://www.scseagrant.org under the Education section.

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Consortium secures nearly $4 million in grants

The S.C. Sea Grant Consortium has recently secured grants totaling $3,828,206 during the past several months for both new and continuing programs.

The grants support studies by faculty and students in South Carolina research institutions, addressing issues such as effects of land-use on coastal ecosystems, coastal erosion and sources of nourishment sand, ocean science instruction, harmful algal blooms and algal toxins, and coastal ocean monitoring systems.

Continuing grants:

“South Atlantic Bight Land Use - Coastal Ecosystem Study (LU-CES)” – NOAA Coastal Ocean Program Office – $1,200,000 – July 1, 2003 to June 30, 2004 (Year 4 of 5) – M. Richard DeVoe (S.C. Sea Grant Consortium). Involves faculty and students from University of South Carolina, Clemson University, Marine Resources Division-SCDNR, as well as from several Georgia universities.

“Urbanization and Southeastern Estuarine Systems (USES)” – NOAA Coastal Ocean Program – $682,837 – August 1, 2003 to July 31, 2004 (Year 14 of 15) – F. John Vernberg (University of South Carolina). Involves faculty and students from University of South Carolina and NOAA-NOS Charleston Laboratory.

“SC/GA Coastal Erosion Study - Phase II” – U.S. Geological Survey – $500,000 – September 1, 2002 to August 31, 2004 (Year 4 of 5) – M. Richard DeVoe (S.C. Sea Grant Consortium). Involves faculty and students from Coastal Carolina University, College of Charleston, University of South Carolina, and Georgia Institute of Technology.

“Cooperative Program in Fisheries Molecular Biology (FISHTEC)” – NOAA National Ocean Service – $388,500 – September 1, 2003 to August 31, 2004 (Year 11 of 12) – M. Richard DeVoe (S.C. Sea Grant Consortium). Involves faculty and students from Marine Resources Division-SCDNR and University of South Carolina.

“Southeastern Center for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence: A Systematic Approach to Forming Ocean Science Education Partnerships” – National Science Foundation (with partial funding provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) – $370,000 – September 1, 2003 to August 31, 2004 (Year 2 of 3) – Lundie Spence (S.C. Sea Grant Consortium). Involves a host of university, public school, agency, and non-profit institutions.

New grants:

“Southeast Regional Association for Coastal Observations (SERA-COOS): Building a Regional Association framework for the Coastal Ocean Observing System of the Southeastern United States” – NOAA Coastal Services Center - $98,979 – October 1, 2003 to September 30, 2004 – M. Richard DeVoe (S.C. Sea Grant Consortium). Involves the principles representing the existing coastal ocean observing systems located off the coasts of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. “South Carolina Shrimp Industry at a Crossroads: The South Carolina Sea Grant Fisheries Extension Program” – NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (through Clemson University) - $64,000 – August 1, 2003 to July 31, 2004 – Robert Bacon (S.C. Sea Grant Extension Program).“Expanding Existing Surveillance Systems to Include Pfeisteria, Other Harmful Algal Blooms, and Marine Toxins in South Carolina” – Centers for Disease Control - $523,890 – September 1, 2003 to August 31, 2004 (Year 1 of 3) [awaiting official notification] – M. Richard DeVoe (S.C. Sea Grant Consortium). Involves faculty and students from Marine Resources Division-SCDNR, University of South Carolina, S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, NOAA-NOS Charleston Laboratory, and Medical University of South Carolina.

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S.C. Sea Grant-Nominated Students Awarded Fellowships

Susannah Sheldon, Rebecca Shuford and Noel Turner have been chosen to receive Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowships for 2004. Nominated by the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium, the students were selected from a pool of 60 candidates submitted by Sea Grant College Programs nationwide. Selection criteria include academic performance, letters of recommendation, career interests and work and volunteer experience.

Sheldon, a recent graduate with a M.S. in environmental studies from the College of Charleston, has been placed as a legislative fellow in the office of Senator Daniel K. Akaka, D-Hawaii. Senator Akaka currently serves on the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, and he is a ranking member of the Subcommittee on National Parks. Sheldon will assist Senator Akaka and his staff to compose floor statements and speeches, respond to constituent letters and draft legislation on natural resource, ocean and energy issues.

Shuford, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of South Carolina, is completing her doctoral work at the Laboratoire de Sclérochronlogie des Animaux Aquatiques in Brest, France. She has been placed as an executive fellow in the International Fisheries Division within the Office of Sustainable Fisheries at NOAA Fisheries. Shuford will help develop international fishery policies, as well as national plans-of-action and international agreements for the conservation of living marine resources.

Turner, who is pursuing a M.S. in marine biology from the College of Charleston, has been placed as an executive fellow in the NOAA Office of Legislative Affairs, which acts as a liaison between NOAA and the U.S. Congress. Turner will field and respond to Congressional inquiries on NOAA issues, conduct briefings for both Congress and NOAA leadership and develop legislative language for ocean, coastal and atmospheric initiatives.

Each Sea Grant program may nominate up to five individuals for the Knauss Fellowship, and this is the first time that South Carolina had three students chosen to serve as fellows. “I am very pleased three graduate students from South Carolina universities were selected for this year’s class,” said Rick DeVoe, executive director of the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium. “These students will have the unique opportunity to serve as Knauss Fellows during a time when the U.S. Ocean Commission will have released its recommendations on the future of federal ocean policy to the President and Congress.”

To further the education of tomorrow’s leaders, the National Sea Grant Office has sponsored the Knauss Fellowship program since 1979. The fellowship brings a select group of graduate students to the nation’s capital where they work in the federal government’s legislative and executive branches. Students learn about federal policy regarding marine and Great Lakes natural resources, and lend their scientific and policy expertise to federal agencies and congressional staff offices. The fellowship is named after Dr. John A. Knauss, one of Sea Grant’s founders, former NOAA administrator and former Dean of the Graduate School of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island.

“Once again, S.C. Sea Grant has recommended outstanding fellowship candidates, three of whom have been selected in a highly competitive process to spend a year in Washington, D.C. working with marine policy in both the Legislative and Executive branches,” said Nikola Garber, Knauss Fellows program manager. Thirty-three students from across the nation will participate as Knauss Fellows during 2004.

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