Student Team Competition on Coastal Resilience

Funding Agency:
North Carolina Sea Grant

North Carolina Sea Grant (NC Sea Grant) is accepting applications for the second Coastal Resilience Team Competition.  This program provides an opportunity for teams of North Carolina-based graduate and undergraduate students to conduct projects that will lead to more resilient habitats and communities within the NC Coastal Plain.

Each team will include two to four members, including at least one graduate student who will serve as the project lead, and at least one undergraduate. North Carolina Sea Grant strongly encourages proposals from teams that include students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and at Minority Serving Institutions, and/or students from traditionally underserved and underrepresented communities.

Deadline: Nov. 4, 2022

Agency Website

Areas of Interest

Each team will conduct research that addresses resilience in one or more of these areas:

Ecosystem Resilience

  • What are the impacts of higher and/or saltier groundwater levels on forest, agriculture, and/or coastal ecosystems?
  • How will changing precipitation patterns impact coastal stormwater management?
  • How will submerged aquatic vegetation communities respond to climate change?
  • What impacts do upstream conditions and management decisions have on downstream ecosystems and functioning?

 Community Resilience

  • How can coastal communities prioritize equity and engage underserved populations in planning for and implementing resilience and adaptation efforts?
  • How can local decision-making and policy integrate resilience planning?
  • What coastal infrastructure is most vulnerable, and what approaches can mitigate the risk? How can natural and nature-based infrastructure strategically enhance community resilience, and what are the barriers to implementation?

Economic Resilience

  • What aquaculture practices can buffer the industry against disasters and climate change impacts?
  • What are the costs to our coastal communities comparing: a) climate change planning and investment to proactively prepare for a disaster, and b) opting instead for post-disaster restoration and rebuilding?
  • How will the economic costs of climate change impact our state’s coastal communities; and, in particular, how will it affect different sectors and populations?

Additional research topics that relate to these three focus areas will be considered.

Eligibility Requirements

Project teams should be based around at a minimum a two-member team made up of a Graduate Student lead, and an Undergraduate participant.  This opportunity is only open to US citizens.  Teams may contain additional students, up to a maximum of 4 students.  The additional team members may be either graduate or undergraduate students.  Only graduate students in good academic standing, attending an accredited North Carolina university or college are eligible to apply.  Team members do not have to be located at the same institution.  The role of each team member must be clearly outlined as part of the application (see below).  NC Sea Grant expects team leads will be later-career graduate students to ensure they have the experience needed to oversee the project team and ensure the project is completed .

Funding Type

Grant

Eligibility

Grad/Prof Students

Category

Environmental & Life Sciences
Social Sciences

External Deadline

November 4, 2022