Download Marine Sciences backgrounder

Marine Sciences at the University of Georgia: Research, Teaching and Service on
the Coast and at Sea
As Georgia’s most comprehensive research university and its only Sea Grant institution,
the University of Georgia is engaged in a range of research, teaching and service
activities in marine sciences.
The Department of Marine Sciences has faculty members engaged in biological,
chemical and physical oceanography, with special emphasis on coastal and estuarine
processes. It receives one of the highest levels of extramural research funding in the
Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, which is the oldest and largest college at the
University of Georgia. The department offers master’s and doctoral degrees and
participates in the undergraduate Interdisciplinary Studies Program and the Coastal and
Oceanographic Engineering Certificate Program. For more information, see
http://www.marsci.uga.edu/.
The UGA Marine Institute at Sapelo Island has been a center of near-shore ecological
research on salt marsh dominated coastal ecosystems since its founding in 1953. The
1,500-acre institute, which is located on one of Georgia’s least developed barrier islands,
supports ongoing research by resident and visiting researchers in a broad range of
disciplines and also provides access and facilities for college classes to experience field
research and gain an appreciation of the Georgia coast. For more information, see
http://www.uga.edu/ugami/.
Georgia Sea Grant combines research, education and outreach projects that identify the
components critical to the economic, cultural and environmental health of Georgia’s
coast and encourage citizens throughout the state to become good stewards of the
resources important to the coastal zone. Georgia Sea Grant does its work by channeling
funds from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration into local research,
education, and outreach and by encouraging collaboration among government, academia
and industry in responding to coastal needs. Over half of Georgia Sea Grant’s funds go
directly into scientific research on Georgia’s coastal resources. The remainder supports
the organization’s communications, education, outreach and administrative activities.
Georgia Sea Grant is part of the National Sea Grant College Program, a network made up
of 30 programs located in each of the coastal and Great Lakes states. For more
information, see http://www.marsci.uga.edu/gaseagrant/.
The Georgia Coastal Research Council provides mechanisms for improved scientific
exchange between coastal scientists and decision makers in the State of Georgia and
promotes the incorporation of best-available scientific information into state and local
resource management. The Council is not a policy organization, but rather seeks to
provide unbiased, objective information about scientific issues. The Council staff
members are located in the UGA Department of Marine Programs and are supported with
funding from a Coastal Incentive Grant from the Coastal Resources Division of the
Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the Georgia Sea Grant College Program and
the National Science Foundation. For more information, see
http://www.gcrc.uga.edu/about_GCRC.htm.
The University of Georgia Marine Extension Service works to increase the efficiency
of existing marine industries, to identify new industries that do not harm the environment,
and to increase public awareness and understanding of coastal ecosystems. The
coordinated programs of applied research, advisory services and education carried out
from offices in Athens and Atlanta and from facilities on Skidaway Island, Savannah and
Brunswick extend economic and cultural benefits throughout the state and region. For
more information, see http://www.marex.uga.edu/.