At this year’s Gulf Conference (GulfCon), the Program for Local Adaptation to Changing Environments (PLACE) team shared a broad portfolio of work spanning community engagement, coastal modeling, education and resilience leadership development. Across multiple sessions, a common theme emerged: translating science into meaningful action while ensuring community voices remain at the center of resilience efforts.
Several members of our PLACE team also help lead the Community Outreach and Strategic Training (COAST) Resilience Institute, a Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium-supported program aimed at equipping local leaders with the science-based research to increase community resilience.
The PLACE team works with community partners, researchers, educators and funders working to strengthen resilience across the Gulf Coast. Several projects were supported by the Gulf Research Program (GRP), a Gold Partner of the Gulf Alliance, while others were made possible through additional partnerships and funding opportunities.
Centering community voices in coastal resilience
A particularly impactful session for our team was “Centering Community Voices in Coastal Resilience,” which featured a panel discussion titled “Beyond Engagement: Building Trust, Power, and Lasting Partnerships for Coastal Resilience.”
The session created an opportunity for community-based organizations to engage with GRP funders in conversations about their experiences, challenges and priorities. Rather than a one-way exchange of information, the discussion centered around lived experience and local expertise, creating space for authentic dialogue and relationship-building.
These conversations underscored an important reality: effective resilience efforts require more than community engagement. They require trust, shared decision-making and a commitment to elevating community perspectives throughout the process.
In many ways, this theme is carried out through the rest of our GulfCon presentations. Whether through educational tools, fellowship programs, scientific modeling or policy communication, each project reflected a commitment to ensuring that resilience work remains connected to the people and communities it is intended to serve.
Creative tools for communicating environmental change and impacts
One of our most interactive presentations, “Friendship Bracelets for Exploring Local Sea-Level Rise Data,” transformed complex sea-level rise projections into a hands-on learning experience. The activity was well attended and sparked meaningful conversations, demonstrating how creative approaches can make environmental data more accessible and engaging.
We also shared our Glass Roots initiative through the presentation “Recycled Glass Sand as a Pathway to Gulf Coast Stewardship.”Supported by GRP, this project explores how recycled glass can be repurposed to support both environmental and community engagement, highlighting the potential of place-based solutions to address local challenges.
Advancing science for decision-,aking
Several presentations focused on improving tools and approaches for understanding coastal risks and supporting informed decision-making. These included:
- A user-driven compound flood modeling effort designed to improve how flood risk information is developed and applied by communities and decision-makers.
- A poster on saltwater intrusion that highlighted a pilot program using community listening sessions to better understand local experiences, concerns and impacts
- “Cultivating Coastal Resilience Leaders on the Northern Gulf Coast,” which showcased fellowship-based leadership development and the preparation of emerging professionals working at the intersection of science and community engagement.
Together, these projects emphasized the importance of ensuring scientific tools and research products are shaped by, and responsive to, community needs.
Fellowship-driven innovation: An escape room
A standout example of this approach was an educational escape room developed by GRP-funded fellows as their capstone project. Presented by two fellows, the activity uses problem-solving and scenario-based learning to help participants better understand environmental change and coastal resilience challenges.
The project demonstrates how fellowship programs can foster creativity and generative practical educational tools to provide value long after the fellowship itself concludes.
Communicating changing environments and policy in a changing landscape
Another presentation, “Reframing Resilience: Translating Science into Palatable Pathways for Progress,” explored how language influences public understanding of environmental change. The discussion focused on communicating complex scientific concepts in ways that remain accurate while resonating with various audiences.
As conversations around environmental issues continue to evolve, thoughtful communication remains essential for building understanding, fostering collaboration and supporting informed action.
Looking ahead
Across all these presentations, the message was clear: building costal resilience requires more than data and models. It requires relationships, trust, communication and co-produced knowledge.
From fellowship-driven innovation and community listening sessions to creative engagement tools and policy communication, the PLACE team’s work at GulfCon reflected a shared commitment to supporting communities as they navigate environmental change and build more resilient futures.
Meet the author
Nina Davis
Habitat Resilience Specialist
Nina Davis serves as a habitat resilience specialist/extension associate with the Mississippi State University (MSU) Program for Local Adaptation to Changing Environments (PLACE) based at the MSU... Read more
Phone: 228-546-1004
Email: [email protected]