Kathleen Patterson

North Carolina Sea Grant��������s communications team has crucial responsibilities in the implementation of the program vision cited above. A partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the state of North Carolina, North Carolina Sea Grant is one of 34 such programs across the nation. In 2022-23, our communications team will meet ongoing needs along with unique conditions that North Carolinians currently face. The program focuses on: research to support resolution of state, regional, and national coastal resource-management challenges; outreach via extension and communications teams, who support the development and transfer of resulting technologies and applications and highlight collaborations with local partners; internal program management, including grants administration; and educational programs that support a strong knowledge foundation for the academic community, government officials, businesses and industries, K-12 teachers and students, and the public.

Recognized as a credible information broker within the state and across the nation, North Carolina Sea Grant is increasingly called upon to provide vital, scientific answers to coastal problems. The program funds cutting-edge research at acclaimed universities, shares expertise of a top-notch cadre of extension specialists and relays information via a corps of professional communicators. Because of its nonadvocacy role and status as a thought leader on difficult topics, Sea Grant is known for presenting scientific data and bringing together varying viewpoints for discussions. By participating in a host of issues, the team monitors environmental and societal changes shaping coastal North Carolina, and thus is in a perfect position to focus communications projects that reflect connections among topics traditionally treated separately.

Recognized as a credible information broker within the state and across the nation, North Carolina Sea Grant is increasingly called upon to provide vital, scientific answers to coastal problems. The program funds cutting-edge research in acclaimed universities, shares expertise of a top-notch cadre of extension specialists and relays information via a corps of professional communicators. Because of its nonadvocacy role and status as a thought leader on difficult topics, Sea Grant is known for presenting scientific data and bringing together varying viewpoints for discussions. By participating in a host of coastal issues, NCSG monitors the environmental and societal changes shaping coastal North Carolina, and thus is in a perfect position to develop and focus communications projects that reflect the connections among what traditionally have been treated as separate topics.

The North Carolina Sea Grant College Program integrates three university functions ? research, education and outreach ? into a program focused on the coastal resource needs of communities, agencies, businesses and individuals. The applied American higher education approach of taking discoveries, demonstrations and experiential knowledge to the prospective user via outreach is the model by which the program seeks improved understanding and appreciation of the coastal ocean and sustainable use and development of its resources. Thus, it is our mission and honor to join other coastal and Great Lakes states in a network of Sea Grant universities charged with meeting the needs of society in our home states, our regions, and the nation as a whole. North Carolina Sea Grant (NCSG) program activities in North Carolina began with an institutional planning and project grant in 1970. With the establishment of the 16-campus University of North Carolina system in 1972 and involvement of Duke University via a consortial arrangement, NCSG programs engaged all senior institutions of higher education in the state, and became the nation?s 12th recognized Sea Grant College in 1976. This proposal, for the 41st through 44th year of continuous support, is in response to verified and important needs in coastal North Carolina, the region and nation. It reflects NCSG?s best judgment and estimate of coastal resource and development trends currently taking place, and emerging issues that North Carolina and its people will face in the future, tempered by the availability of talent within the university, and the realities of funding from federal, state and local sources.

Recognized as a credible information broker within the state and across the nation, North Carolina Sea Grant is increasingly called upon to provide vital, scientific answers to coastal problems. Sea Grant communicators utilize a diverse array of tools, formats and strategies to disseminate sound, science-based information. The public now calls upon many sources of information ? television, the Internet, newspapers, magazines, radio, video, and varied printed and electronic products. Thus, North Carolina Sea Grant must focus a portion of its efforts and budget on communications products to meet the increased demand for information. Providing clear and accurate coastal information is the duty of everyone in Sea Grant ? including extension specialists, management and researchers. But the Sea Grant communications team has the fundamental responsibility to provide our staff and researchers professional advice, counsel and training on strategies and techniques for effective and efficient information transfer. Coastal newcomers seek information about their new environment. Longtime residents need to know the effects of development on the environment ? and in the case of many families, on their livelihood. The region faces many problems: eutrophic rivers and estuaries; declining fish stocks; habitat loss and degradation; and conflicts among user groups. Coastal resource managers and policy-makers need science-based information as they juggle economic growth and preservation of the natural resources that make the region attractive. North Carolina Sea Grant stands ready to provide cutting-edge research findings, offer assistance through a top-notch cadre of extension specialists, and relay information via a corps of professional communicators. Because of its nonadvocacy role, Sea Grant increasingly is called upon to provide vital, scientific answers to coastal problems; sponsor conferences/forums on controversial issues; and take a role in resolving conflicts among resource user groups. By participating in a host of coastal issues, Sea Grant monitors the environmental and societal changes shaping coastal North Carolina, and thus can better focus communications projects on specific topics.

Objective: North Carolina Sea Grant will develop a pair of brochures to encourage participation in the NC Oyster Shell Recycling Program; and also participate in planning/reviewing the content of a new DVD on oyster shell recycling. Approach: Each brochure will be approximately 3.75 x 8.5, printed in color on both sides. Brochure 1 Target Audience: recreational fishing groups, consumers and general public. Brochure 2 Target Audience: restaurant owners/managers; county officials in solid waste, health departments, and commissioners; and private waste companies. The brochures will cover various topics, such as: the process of recycling the shells and the value of the restored reefs to the ecosystem and fisheries. The consumer guide will provide more general information about oysters. The second brochure will have more details about the logistics of recycling larger amounts of oyster shells. Sea Grant will work with the NC Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) and NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services ?Got to be NC Seafood? on the brochure content as well as the review of footage, dialogue, and final editing of the DVD. The products will be integrated as chapters on the DMF Oyster Shell Recycling Program?s webpage as well

North Carolina Sea Grant communicators educate the public by sharing timely scientific research and policy deliberations on coastal and marine issues. By working with Sea Grant extension staff and researchers, communicators translate unbiased, technical reports into language useful to all who use, manage, protect and value marine and coastal resources.

North Carolina Sea Grant: Science Communications Fellowship 2009-10 Principal Investigator: Kathleen M. Patterson Start Date: Sept. 15, 2009 End Date: Dec. 30, 2010 Objective: To provide professional training and experience in sharing scientific information developed through research projects funded by the North Carolina Fishery Resource Grant (FRG) and Blue Crab and Shellfish Research (BCSR) programs. Methodology: The fellow will work with the North Carolina Sea Grant communications and extension professionals, and research project investigators to share study results through a variety of formats. Products may include, but not be limited to: abstracts for print and Web formats; news releases for general media and trade press; stories in Coastwatch magazine and Sea Grant newsletters; ?how to? publications known as blueprints; longer documents, such as manuals; online content; and scripts for broadcast products. The fellow may also work with investigators to edit scientific articles presented to academic journals. Rationale: The FRG and BCSR programs are generating important new information that needs to be shared with a variety of audiences. The science communications fellow would help define targeted audiences and then develop the most appropriate format or formats needed. Background: Fisheries issues overall are of great importance along the North Carolina coast ? and the economical and environmental value of fisheries and coastal habitats resounds across the state. In particular, blue crabs have traditionally been the most valuable commercial fishery. Weekly Schedule: The fellowship will require a set schedule of hours in the North Carolina Sea Grant headquarters in Raleigh. The exact schedule ? no less than 20 hours and no more than 40 hours per week stating in September 2009? will be determined once the fellow has been selected. The fellowship will end no sooner than Aug. 15, 2010. Applicants: This fellowship is open to graduate students enrolled in North Carolina universities at time of application, as well as those who have graduated in 2008 or 2009. Students earning degrees from North Carolina universities are eligible, as are North Carolina residents earning graduate degrees elsewhere. The ideal fellow will have demonstrated ability to understand complex scientific data and translate those results into terms understandable to the general public. Applicants must submit: ? A statement of goals, with emphasis on what he or she expects from -- and can contribute to -- the fellowship experience; ? Resume or vitae; ? Two writing samples: one for a general audience and one for a technical or otherwise targeted audience; ? Two letters of reference, one of which is from a major professor; and ? Copy of transcripts ? with confirmation that official transcripts have been requested. Search Committee: The Search Committee will include: Sea Grant communications director; and Sea Grant director, who has final hiring authority. Stipend: The fellow will receive a total package that will be based on factors including the number of hours worked. The package may include a mix of stipend, tuition and other university fees if the fellow is a student. Location: The fellow will work on the campus of NC State University in Raleigh. Some travel to the North Carolina coast and to at least one regional or national meeting is anticipated. Sea Grant has extension offices in Manteo, Morehead City and Wilmington. Supervision: The Sea Grant communications director provides direct supervision. The Sea Grant writer/editor may also make assignments. Scope of Work: An initial work plan overview will be developed with the fellow in Fall 2009 to identify specific major assignments. The fellow will meet regularly with the communications director and Sea Grant director to review and update the plan. Because of the deadline nature of news releases and magazine operations, the work plan will be fluid. The fellow will work with the North Carolina Sea Grant communications and exte

The project objective is to provide professional training and experience in sharing scientific information developed through research projects funded by the North Carolina Fishery Resource Grant (FRG) and Blue Crab Research (BCR) programs. The fellow will work with the North Carolina Sea Grant communications and extension professionals, and research project investigators to share study results through a variety of formats. Products may include, but not be limited to: abstracts for print and Web formats; news releases for general media and trade press; stories in Coastwatch magazine and Sea Grant newsletters; ?how to? publications known as blueprints; longer documents, such as manuals; online content; and scripts for broadcast products. The fellow may also work with investigators to edit scientific articles presented to academic journals. The FRG and Blue Crab research programs are generating important new information that needs to be shared with a variety of audiences. The science communications fellow would help define targeted audiences and then develop the most appropriate format or formats needed.

North Carolina Sea Grant will have a lead role in using the Hurricane Floyd 10-year anniversary as a focus for public attention on coastal storm and flood-related research, new warning systems and procedures, and recognizing the role of community and state resiliency in light of disasters.