Lightning Talks - Disasters and Disruptions

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.

Almost overnight, the COVID-19 pandemic presented a host of new challenges for conducting business as usual for natural and cultural resource managers. As organizations strive to accomplish tasks in this time of uncertainty, most have had to turn to technological solutions for safely convening groups of people to share knowledge and deliberate decisions. Assembling subject-matter experts and stakeholders to participate in structured, interactive workshops to assist resource managers in their work has been a common approach in contemporary resource management. Can this technique effectively make the leap to the virtual world? What are some best practices meeting organizers can implement to replicate the most important features of in-person workshops and accomplish their goals? Lessons learned from a recent series of facilitated interagency meetings to discuss sediment management information needs for Gulf Islands National Seashore will be shared for the benefit of others who may be grappling with how to proceed with their own meetings using virtual platforms. Using this real-life illustration, the meeting’s organizers will offer their insights into effective tactics and strategies for all phases of workshop planning and execution. Numerous tips will be shared that are useful for any facilitated meeting, but planning considerations for successful virtual meetings will be emphasized. While virtual meetings are not ideal for some situations, with time and attention, many agendas can make the leap so that managers can meaningfully engage partners in their work.

The University of Southern Mississippi Marine Education Center and the Walter Anderson Museum of Art teamed up to offer summer camp online during the pandemic. The camp was a pilot project to explore compelling ways of delivering art and science virtually. The partners chose the oyster as the topic. Each day the team linked one hour of online oyster science to one hour of interactive art with an hour offline spent in individual reflection and journaling. Content included oyster aquaculture, water quality, the oyster's history, and the geometric beauty of diatoms. The group faced several challenges, including attracting participants in a sea of virtual opportunities and keeping them engaged for three hours during each of the five days, with the expectation that they would work on their own during lunch and re-engage in the afternoon ready for art. It was a challenge to create rich, topic-specific, outdoor learning experiences. Producing them virtually on the water, subject to weather and connectivity issues, added complexity. Partners employed a variety of strategies to address challenges. They offered pre-registered participants a curated box of science materials and art supplies for the cost of shipping. This incentive, coupled with previous educational achievement of both partners, resulted in filling all twenty-five seats within 48 hours. Scheduling interactive art education in the afternoon encouraged all participants to return for the afternoon session. The team kept content delivery fast-paced, using tools that included presentations, virtual field experiences, demonstrations, and guests. In the morning, each day had a different educator present some aspects of oyster science. The afternoon featured a consistent art educator guiding students through the creation of outstanding art projects. By the end of the week, the educators and students were a cohesive, engaged group, and nobody wanted the week to end.