Four graduate students from the University of Georgia and Georgia Southern University have been selected to lead year-long coastal research projects through Marine Extension and the Georgia Sea Grant Research Traineeship. Now in its fifth year, this program has supported 30 students since 2019, providing undergraduate and graduate students with a unique opportunity to address real-world challenges facing Georgia’s coastal region.

Independent projects must align with one or more of Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant’s four areas of focus: healthy coastal ecosystems, sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, resilient communities and economies, and environmental literacy and workforce development .

Under the guidance of university mentors and in collaboration with Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant specialists, students not only conduct independent research, but also share their findings with coastal communities.

“The internship is an invaluable experience for early career professionals, giving them the chance to develop critical skills in project management, communication and problem solving,” says Mark Risse, director of Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant. “By addressing the challenges identified by coastal communities, they are building a solid foundation for their future careers in environmental research, policy and management.”

Jack Robider will graduate with an environmental engineering degree from UGA this fall and go on to pursue a bachelor’s degree in civil and environmental engineering. His research focuses on developing a hydrodynamic flood model for Glynn County and Brunswick, Georgia, a region highly susceptible to flooding due to its low elevation and proximity to the coast.

The model Robider is building will estimate the depth of flooding from the storms and overlay it on Brunswick’s communities, infrastructure and Superfund sites to assess potential damage from flooding and contamination. This work is important because it helps identify flood-prone areas, supports infrastructure resiliency planning, and addresses aggravated environmental threats, such as contamination from septic systems and Superfund sites.

Mark Hoog is pursuing a Ph.D. in environmental science from Georgia Southern University. His research focuses on studying the genetic diversity and differentiation of American alligators in the Okefenokee Swamp, using genetic markers to identify population structures.

Understanding these genetic patterns is crucial to wildlife management because it helps determine the overall health and resilience of the population. By combining genetic data with demographic information, the study will provide a comprehensive picture of population health, supporting better decision-making for ecosystem management and conservation efforts.

Skylar Fox is a master’s student working toward a degree in biology at Georgia Southern University. She studies the impact of human disturbance on restored coastal sand dunes on Tybee Island, Georgia.

Sand dunes provide critical ecosystem services, such as storm protection, but are vulnerable to damage from high foot traffic, even on designated trails that cross the dunes and connect parking lots to the beach. Fox collects data on sand movement and vegetation to compare the health of the dunes on the trails to undisturbed dune areas. The findings will help inform coastal cities on how to minimize human disturbance and effectively protect dune ecosystems.

Zachary Gordon is a master’s student in biology at Georgia Southern University. His research investigates the threat of saltwater intrusion into freshwater habitats on Sapelo Island, which is increasing due to climate change and coastal development.

The island’s history of canal modifications, which were dug to drain marshes for agriculture, facilitated the movement of saltwater inland, impacting freshwater wetlands. Gordon will study these channels, as well as freshwater wetlands that are disconnected from these channels, using data logging, leaf decay rates and biological assessments to track water movement, habitat functionality and ecosystem health. Findings will be shared with the local community facing these challenges in hopes of understanding how to address them.