Abstract
In 2020, the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium offered a Coastal Science Fellowship for Minority Undergraduates for the first time in an effort to broaden diversity in coastal sciences in the region. Fellows were recruited from historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in MS and AL to participate in a 10 week program. Each selected fellow received a stipend and allowance for room and board. Program mentors were recruited from across the MS-AL Sea Grant Consortium and received a stipend to support Fellow activities. Ms Remeya Ganesh from Mississippi Valley State (MS) and Ms. Shardeja English from Tuskegee University (AL) served as Fellows in 2020. Both were rising seniors. Ms. English was mentored by Dr. Eric Sparks and his team at the Mississippi State Coastal Research and Extension Center. Despite the COVID pandemic, Shardeja was able to work onsite and conducted a variety of field work including work on living shorelines, microplastics, and habitat restoration. Shardeja gained confidence and valuable experience in group work as well as insight into the graduate school application process. Ms Ganesh was mentored by Dr. Tina Miller-Way and the Discovery Hall Programs team at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL). Due to the pandemic and consequent delayed opening of summer programs at DISL, Remeya started her Fellowship working virtually on coastal science curricula but was onsite at DISL for the last month of the fellowship assisting in summer camp programs and outreach efforts. Remeya credits the program with helping her to teach effectively as well as learning about Gulf coast marine life. Despite their interest in health sciences careers, both felt they learned a great deal during the experience and that the Fellowship was valuable to their professional development. MASGC’s Coastal Science Fellowship for Minority Undergraduates will be offered again in 2021.
