Undegraduate research fellowships available

Oregon Sea Grant plans to support as many as four undergraduate students this year in conducting research related to ocean or coastal science, resources or public affairs, starting winter term of the 2007-2008 academic year.

Each fellowship will provide a resident tuition waiver (or partial tuition support for non-Oregon residents), a per-term stipend,  and modest travel and supply expenses, totalling a maximum of $9,000 per student for the academic year.   Fellows will be expected to work 10 hours/week on their research projects during winter and spring terms and 20 hours/week during the summer.  The deadline for applications is Oct 31, 2007.

More information is available here.

Grad student sought for legislative internship

Oregon Sea Grant is looking for a graduate student to assist the Oregon Coastal Caucus in enhancing legislative knowledge and planning related to the Oregon coast and its communities.

Candidates for this position should possess a strong interest in coastal and marine public policy, effective communication skills, the ability to be flexible, and a desire to learn about the Oregon legislative process. The intern will be expected to be objective on issues, maintain a non-partisan role, and be respectful of the legislators’ varied opinions.

This internship is currently available from Sept. 24 – Dec. 21, 2007. There is a high likelihood that the internship will be extended through the 2008 Special Session and beyond, contingent upon funding.

Read more and learn how to apply.

The application deadline is Sept. 26, 2007

Invasion of New Beach Grass Could Weaken Shoreline Protection

American beach grass (brighter green) infiltrates a dune at Cape KiwandaCORVALLIS, Ore. (Sept. 12, 2007)- An invasion of American beach grass is under way along the Oregon coast, threatening to change dune ecology and reduce the ability of dunes to protect roads, property and towns from coastal storms.

Sea Grant-funded scientists at Oregon State University have documented a slow but steady takeover by this beach grass, an invasive species. They found that protective “foredunes” covered by the new grass species are only about half as high as those created by the European species of grass that were formerly dominant.

(Read more …)

Sea Grant Director Announces Retirement

Oregon Sea Grant director Dr. Robert E. Malouf has announced he will retire Feb. 1 after 16 years leading the marine research, outreach, and education program based at Oregon State University (OSU).

Oregon Sea Grant is the largest of OSU’s institutes and programs. Malouf has had overall responsibility for all of Sea Grant’s activities, including its competitive grants, the Visitor Center of the OSU Hatfield Marine Science Center, and very active programs in communication, education and extension. Oregon Sea Grant employs more than 40 people on a budget that exceeds $5 million in state and federal funds annually.

Under Malouf’s leadership, Oregon Sea Grant has been consistently ranked as one of the very best Sea Grant programs in the nation in formal reviews. The last review (in 2005) put it simply: “Dr. Malouf has set a high standard for this program, and it has been met.”

The national review panel further cited the program as demonstrating several national “best management practices,” including strategic planning, decision-making, and program integration, all articulated and developed by Malouf.

The national recruitment and selection process for Malouf’s successor has recently begun. It is chaired by the OSU Associate Vice President for Research, Rich Holdren.

A native of Montana, Malouf’s affiliation with Oregon Sea Grant started in the program’s first year, 1968, when he received support as a new OSU master’s student in Fisheries. After earning his Ph.D. in Fisheries from OSU he joined the faculty of the Marine Sciences Research Center of the State University of New York (SUNY) at Stony Brook. While there from 1977 to 1991 he taught courses in marine fisheries, shellfisheries, and aquaculture. In 1987 he was named director of the New York Sea Grant Institute; he held that position until he succeeded Oregon Sea Grant’s original director, William Wick, on Wick’s retirement in 1991.

For more than 10 years Malouf served as a member of Oregon’s Ocean Policy Advisory Council and chaired the Council’s Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee. He has had numerous leadership positions with other state and national organizations.