Kelsey Gianou ‘12
Employer: NOAA
Position: NOAA Coastal Management Fellow
Location: Puget Sound, WA
During her tenure as an MRM student Kelsey produced both a written thesis as well as a mobile app available for public user. Her graduate work focused on aquatic pesticide management and database production. A copy of her thesis “Aquatic Pesticide Best Management Practices and Relational Database for the Protection of NOAA Trust Species” is available here.
Upon graduating from the MRM department Kelsey secured a position as a NOAA Coastal Management Fellow stationed at the Washington State Department of Ecology. As a fellow her project focuses on developing guidance to assist local shoreline planners in the promotion of appropriate “Green Shoreline” projects in Puget Sound. Green Shorelines involves the use of soft alternatives to hard structures on the shoreline for erosion control. Her fellowship products will provide guidance to local shoreline planners to help promote, incentivize, and improve the process of implementing Green Shoreline projects for private shoreline property owners. Read on to here what Kelsey has to say about settling into her current position as a NOAA Coastal Management Fellow:
“I am 8 months into my Fellowship at the WA Dept of Ecology and having a blast! The first few months were focused on settling into the office, learning about Puget Sound, the issue of shoreline stabilization, and talking to a wide variety of professionals to get a sense of what type of assistance I could contribute. I have since crafted a work plan and I’m happy to say that I’m moving along in developing guidance for local jurisdictions for implementing Green Shorelines. I’ve also tagged along on several site visits to wetlands and beaches, attended conferences and meetings, and have presented my fellowship at a few different gatherings. I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to interact with multiple stakeholders on the issue, including federal, state, and local government, architects, academic professionals, WA Sea Grant, extension officers, consultants, and shoreline property owners. The support that I have received from the employees and from local jurisdictions, consultants, and other organizations has been outstanding. It is a great working environment here at the Northwest Regional Office. Although my project is not without challenges, I remain optimistic that I’m creating something needed and will be utilized beyond the term of my fellowship. It is extremely satisfying.“
