Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium's Integrated Engagement and Education Program 2024-2027

Abstract

The Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium’s (MASGC’s) Engagement and Education Program serves audiences across the bi-state region, including but not limited to, resource managers, fishers, aquaculture industry members, nature-based tourism leaders, government officials, attorneys, environmental contractors, industry leaders, students, educators and the general public. To serve these audiences, the program uses an integrated, team approach of 30 communications, education, extension, legal and outreach professionals based at six institutions. The program implements a matrix approach to address pressing coastal issues through 10 subprojects across the four focus areas of Environmental Literacy and Workforce Development, Healthy Coastal Ecosystems, Resilient Communities and Economies, and Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture. Although the team is dispersed across institutions, areas of expertise, focus areas and subprojects, team members work collectively and leverage expertise to implement engagement and education programming and collaborate on programmatic priorities, such as supporting MASGC’s research-to-application efforts, bi-state regional symposia, member institutions and other efforts.

Objectives

Objectives: This project includes the following broadly defined objectives: 

1. To provide integrated MASGC engagement and education (EnE) programming across the bi-state region and beyond. 
2. To enhance the awareness and application of MASGC-supported research through EnE programming. 
3. To grow the capabilities of the MASGC EnE program in all four focus areas to better serve coastal communities in Alabama, Mississippi, the region and the nation. 
4. To enhance two-way engagement and education with the target audiences that MASGC serves. 
5. To provide relevant and applicable programming for communities throughout the bi-state region. 
6. To build new partnerships with audiences and funding partners at local, state, regional and national levels. 
7. To support local, state and bi-state initiatives that increase the application of research in the region through leadership in classrooms, workshops, seminars, webinars, trainings, symposia and other methods of information dissemination. 

Methodology

The EnE team members listed in this proposal will offer all programs across both states and work as an integrated team of specialists and educators. Each member will serve as a subject matter expert and seek collaborations across specializations to enhance the collective impacts of EnE programs and activities. EnE team members will routinely collaborate with other team members included in this proposal or with other MASGC EnE team members supported through other funding sources to enhance their activities and/or connect target audience members with appropriate specialists. To facilitate and maintain cross-team and cross-state integration, the engagement director will lead activities and programming to foster collaboration across the EnE team, promote information exchange and meet the EnE program objectives.

All EnE team members will participate in an annual MASGC or Sea Grant regional retreat and monthly MASGC EnE Team Zooms. In addition, EnE focus area team leaders will organize activities or meetings with their team members to coordinate activities, share work, collaborate on proposals, support MASGC-supported researchers and contribute to reporting. In addition to the internal coordination and engagement amongst EnE team members, there are several activities that will be implemented across the EnE team. These include communicating opportunities and successes, providing legal research advisory services, leading the Bays and Bayous Symposium, engaging with communities, developing engagement and education plans for research projects, gathering feedback from audiences the EnE team serves, and supporting consortia member institutions. 

Anticipated Deliverables: Several cross-cutting deliverables will be completed during the performance period. 

They include: 

1. Develop at least six programs and agendas related to the 2024 and 2026 Bays and Bayous Symposia, MASGC EnE retreats, workshops and other EnE coordination events. 
2. Produce and implement at least eight engagement and education plans that are co-developed by MASGC-supported researchers and EnE team members. 
3. Expand MASGC-related EnE programs that meet target audience needs through extramural funding. Specific deliverables by EnE subproject are included in their respective subproject 90-2’s.

Rationale

The confluence of an increasing population, coastal driven economic growth, need for improved science literacy and high vulnerability of coastal communities and industries to disasters presents unique challenges and opportunities in the bi-state region. The Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium (MASGC) responds to the needs of coastal communities and industries through its mission to provide integrated university- and college-based research, education and engagement (communications, extension and legal) programs to coastal communities that lead to the responsible use of ocean and coastal resources in Alabama and Mississippi through informed personal, policy and management decisions. MASGC’s Engagement and Education (EnE) Program uses research discovery from projects that are directly supported by Sea Grant or other entities to conduct targeted programs for coastal communities, businesses and other groups to address concerns and problems surrounding the development, use and conservation of ocean and coastal resources. In addition, the program provides experiential education place-based classes and professional development opportunities for people from all demographics. Therefore, the program serves key audiences, such as k-12 students and educators, natural resource managers and professionals, commercial and recreational fishing industry members, aquaculture industry members, community planners, government officials, public and private practice attorneys, tourism professionals and the general public. The EnE program reaches these audiences through implementing programming in all four focus areas: Environmental Literacy and Workforce Development, Healthy Coastal Ecosystems, Resilient Communities and Economies, and Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture (Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, 2022). Alignment to MASGC Goals: This integrated Engagement and Education project will address all of MASGC’s Goals. Subprojects specify which goals will be met.