In an effort to encourage students to further explore coastal management opportunities, we are supporting several interns this fall.
Introducing:
- Rodney Woods. Rodney is a student at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana. His internship project with Bayou STEM focuses on establishing and enhancing a sustainable partnership between community and the estuarine ecosystems of coastal Louisiana. Additionally, he is developing an educational program aimed at raising awareness about the importance of estuaries and their role in supporting local economies.
- Evita Garcia. Evita is a student at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida. She is working with Pinellas County on their oyster shell recycling collection project. She is also working on red tide sampling.
This program is funded by Equinor, USFWS and NOAA through our Gulf Star Program.
We are also supporting two microplastic sampling interns, Keely Colinger and Alexis Schmactenberger. They both helped implement sustainability-focused community education programs that included formal and informal education, cleanups, and other activities. Additionally, Keely was able to sample microplastics on a NOAA cruise for two weeks and process a month’s worth of samples. This project is funded by CITGO through our Gulf Star Program.