Welcome to the 2026 Coastal Science Research Symposium
June 9-11, 2026
College of Charleston
Rita Liddy Hollings Science Center
Symposium Featured Speakers
Neil Jacobs, Ph.D.
Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, and NOAA Administrator
Fred Holland, Ph.D.
Former Director of NOAA's Hollings Marine Laboratory
Thomas S. Mullikin, Ph.D., J.D.
Director, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
Emily Osborne, Ph.D.
Executive Director, South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium
Nancy Wallace
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Programs and Administration, NOAA OAR
Symposium Agenda
Day 1, Tuesday, June 9
| 8:00–9:00 | Registration, Networking, and Breakfast |
| 9:00–9:10 | Welcome and Overview Dr. Emily Osborne, Executive Director, S.C. Sea Grant Consortium |
| 9:10–9:40 | Dr. Neil Jacobs, Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, and NOAA Administrator NOAA’s Coastal Science Priorities: Advancing Research and Partnerships to Address Evolving Challenge |
| 9:40–11:10 Session 1 |
From Estuary to Economy: Fisheries Science that Guides the Future Dr. Michael Kendrick, SCDNR Refining Assessments of Reproductive Development in White Shrimp to Inform Management Decisions in South Carolina Dr. Daniel Sasson, SCDNR Understanding the Habitat Use and Movement of Blue Crabs in the Charleston Harbor Estuary Holly Funkhouser, SCDNR Engaging with Stakeholders to Improve Management of the Blue Crab Fishery in South Carolina Josh Kim, S.C. Sea Grant Consortium Overview of Sudden Unexplained Mortality Syndrome (SUMS) in Farmed Oysters Ashley Bobnar, SCDNR and College of Charleston Four Decades of Spatial and Temporal Trends on Marine Heatwaves and Marine Cold Spells in South Carolina Estuaries Alexandra Larson, College of Charleston From Tire to Toxic? Assessing Lethal and Developmental Effects of Tire Wear Chemicals on Sheepshead Minnow and Spotted Seatrout |
| 11:10–11:30 | Break |
| 11:30–12:30 Session 2 |
Signals in the Water: Monitoring Watershed Health and Translating Data into Action Dr. Amy Scaroni, Clemson University Sources and Patterns of Bacteria and Turbidity across the Edisto Island Watershed Cailyn Spedding and Piper Monk, College of Charleston SOS (Solutions on Septic): Identifying Resilient Solutions for Septic Management in Coastal South Carolina Dr. Till J.J. Hanebuth, Coastal Carolina University PFAS in the Pee Dee Watershed of South Carolina Beth Lewis and Hannah Quast, Town of Bluffton From Data to Decisions: Utilizing Microbial Source Tracking (MST) To Guide Watershed Management Decisions |
| 12:30–1:30 | Lunch and Networking |
| 1:30–2:00 | Dr. Emily Osborne, Executive Director of the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium Charting the Seas of Change: An Introduction to the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium |
| 2:00–3:30 | Poster Session 1 |
| 3:30–4:00 | Break |
| 4:00–5:00 Session 3 |
Bridging Science and Society: Education, Outreach, and Decision Support Tools Mara Duke Blatt, S.C. Aquarium South Carolina Aquarium’s Good Catch Program Elle Pestorius and Hailey Murphy, S.C. Sea Grant Consortium Marine Debris Challenge Melanie Thorn, College of Charleston Seeing Is Believing: Designing a Wetland Water Storage Capacity Dashboard Dr. Scott Curtis, The Citadel The Climate Awareness Engagement Academy for Small Businesses |
Day 2, Wednesday, June 10
| 8:00–9:00 | Registration, Networking, and Breakfast |
| 9:00–9:05 | Day 2 Welcome Landon Knapp, Assistant Director for Research and Partnerships, S.C. Sea Grant Consortium |
| 9:05–9:35 | Dr. Fred Holland, Former Director of NOAA’s Hollings Marine Laboratory Tidal Creek Habitats: Sentinels of Coastal Health |
| 9:35–10:40 | Panel Discussion: Supporting the Next Generation of Coastal Leaders: Student Perspectives on Sea Grant Opportunities Moderator: Nancy Wallace, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Programs and Administration, NOAA OAR Jesseca Kusher, Knauss Fellowship Alum Nora Walker, Sea Grant Graduate Assistant, and Competitive Grant Funded Mary Lide Wallace, Community Engaged Internship Alum Levi McKercher, Competitive Grant Funded Brianna Vann, Davidson Resilience Scholar |
| 10:40–11:00 | Break |
| 11:00–12:30 | Poster Session 2 |
| 12:30–1:30 | Lunch and Networking |
| 1:30–3:00 Session 4 |
Community-Centered Resilience: Planning and Adaptation Strategies Dr. Patrick J. Holladay, University of South Carolina Holding Ground, Rising Waters: Gullah Geechee Resilience to Coastal Flooding Sophia Truempi, S.C. Sea Grant Consortium S.C. Resilient Coastal Communities Collaborative Program Juliana Zadik, Beaufort County Building Capacity for Resilience in Beaufort County through Living Shorelines Dr. Jennifer Plunket, North Inlet-Winyah Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve From Maps to Vision: Developing Examples of Site-Specific Nature-Based Solutions to Increase Climate Resilience in Georgetown, South Carolina Dr. Norman Levine, College of Charleston Risks, Impacts, & Strategies for Coastal Communities (RISCC): Advancing Convergent Science to Support Climate Change Adaptation & Resilience Holly H. Blair, The Sustainability Institute Science in Service of Community: Baseline Characterization of Tidal Marsh Systems to Inform Community Flood Resilience Planning in Rosemont, S.C. |
| 3:00–3:30 | Break Student Headshot Session (by RSVP) |
| 3:30–4:30 Session 5 |
Tackling Marine Debris: Community Action and Innovative Solutions Morgan H. Chaudry, Clemson University Don’t Stop Retainin’: Microplastic Retention by Coastal Wet Detention Pond Sediments Dr. Barbara Beckingham, College of Charleston Magnifying Microplastics Monitoring with a Community Science Sampling and Analysis Program Kelly Thorvalson, S.C. Aquarium Our Marsh Counts, a Clean Waters Initiative in Murrells Inlet, S.C. Dr. William Strosnider, University of South Carolina Non-plastic Options for Coastal Environmental Resource Protection |
| 5:30–7:30 | Marine Debris Exchange, Mace Brown Museum Appetizers, Artist Showcase, Museum Tours, Cigarette Surfboard Showing |
Day 3, Thursday, June 11
| 8:00–9:00 | Registration, Networking, and Breakfast |
| 9:00–9:05 | Day 3 Welcome Dr. Emily Osborne, Executive Director, S.C. Sea Grant Consortium |
| 9:05–9:35 | Dr. Thomas S. Mullikin, Director, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources From Science to Stewardship: Translating Coastal Research into Resilient Policy and Sustainable Resource Management |
| 9:35–10:40 Session 6 |
Coastal Habitats in Transition: Tracking Marshes, Forests, and Wildlife Change Dr. Thomas O’Halloran, Clemson University Greenhouse Gas Dynamics During Recent Forest Mortality and Management Along the S.C. Coast Dr. Andrew Tweel, S.C. Department of Natural Resources Can Salt Marshes Adapt to Changes in Water Level? Akshit R. Suthar, Clemson University Functional Hydrology and Habitat Structure Regulate Waterbird Use in Historical Rice Field Impoundments in Coastal South Carolina Dr. Eric McElroy, College of Charleston Herpetofaunal Community Structure in Restored Longleaf Pine and Adjacent Mixed Forests |
| 10:45–11:00 | Break |
| 11:00–12:00 Session 7 |
Rethinking Runoff: Smarter Stormwater for Coastal Communities Dr. Sarah Waickowski, Clemson University Using Release Mechanisms with Rainwater Harvesting to Improve Coastal Stormwater Management Dr. Annie Bourbonnais, University of South Carolina Vegetation Enhances Nitrogen Removal in Stormwater Ponds in Coastal South Carolina Morolake M. Fatunmbi, Clemson University Machine Learning-Based Prediction of Equilibrium Phosphorus Concentration (EPC0) in Coastal Stormwater Ponds Under Limited Data Conditions Andrea Moreno, Town of Bluffton Implementing Regional Stormwater Standards the SoLoCo Way |
| 12:00–12:15 | Closing Remarks |
| 12:15–1:15 | Lunch and Networking |
Parking and Directions
Main Program: Rita Hollings Science Center (58 Coming St., Charleston, S.C. 29401)
Evening Program: School of Natural Sciences Building (202 Calhoun St., Charleston, S.C. 29401)
Paid Public Parking: George Street Parking Garage (34 St. Philip St., Charleston, S.C. 29401)
4 Minute Walk
Paid Public Parking: St. Philip St. Parking Garage (89 St. Philip St., Charleston, S.C. 29401)
7 Minute Walk
Upcoming Strategic Plan
The Consortium is developing its 2028-2031 Strategic Plan. Please view the draft in development and offer us your thoughts!
Questions
For additional questions, email info@scseagrant.org.