Corbett's Corner
We are excited to present the winter issue of CoastLines, our electronic newsletter filled with exciting information from across ECU Integrated Coastal Programs and the Coastal Studies Institute. Winter seemed to come quick this year, but spring really is right around the corner...time is flying by, a product of the many exciting things happening across our organization. For me, the winter season provides an opportunity to pull back a bit, the cold pushing me inward…indoors for warmth and a bit of inward reflection, guidance for the next year. It is hard not to be thankful for all my great friends and colleagues across our ICP family. You have helped us build this coastal enterprise and we are truly making a difference across our region. There have been plenty of challenges along the way, but by working together, we have moved forward. This issue provides some evidence of this forward momentum. This growth has not been without adversity, but again, it is our strong bond and commitment that allows us to move forward together.
We dedicate this issue of CoastLines to one of our own, Anja Sjostrom, taken too early from our coastal family and the scientific community. Anja, a Ph.D. student in the Integrated Coastal Sciences program, was a beacon of light around CSI. She had an infectious smile and a can-do bubbly attitude… someone you wanted to be around because she made you feel better as a person! We miss her around CSI and send love to her family and friends around the world…She truly epitomized the interdisciplinary scientist we are training students to become and also strive to be ourselves. In her memory and to honor her work, we have set up a memorial scholarship to support students like Anja who want to come to the coast to learn and work with coastal communities. Please consider donating to this scholarship in support of Anja and the legacy she was creating!
It is never easy finding your next step after such a tragedy, but we have embraced the same spirit and passion that Anja projected each day and continue to break boundaries in coastal research. We are excited to welcome a new cohort of ECU undergraduate students to ECU’s Outer Banks campus as part of the Semester Experience at the Coast, thrilled to introduce you to a new faculty member that joined our ranks here on the coast, and eager for you to learn more about our ongoing research and the impact we are having across our region.
So, as I write my “Corbett’s Corner” on this TWOsday- that’s right 2/22/22, celebrating a unique palindrome and considering the luck it could bring- I am thankful to be a part of a growing interdisciplinary coastal organization that is supported by an Institution that focuses on creating positive change across our region. I am also grateful for all the support and interest of our coastal community (that means you)! Please look for ways to get involved with and contribute to ICP in the coming weeks and months. Consider supporting our mission and programming through ECU’s Pirate Nation Gives (March 23, 2022), check out our Meet the Scientist series, or sign up your daughter, son, or grandchild for one of our summer youth camps. There’s something for everyone!
Thank you for your support. We hope to see you all soon!
Reide
REMEMBERING ANJA SJOSTROM
The ECU ICP family is saddened by the sudden loss of Integrated Coastal Studies Ph.D. student Anja Sjostrom in January, and we dedicate this edition of our newsletter to her memory.
To know Anja was to feel an immediate warmth when she entered the room. She seemed to have an ever-present smile and was always among the first to lend a helping hand or offer a listening ear...all of this while blazing her own trail through the Ph.D. program and beyond.
Anja was a beloved member of our ECU coastal community and was fully immersed in all that the Outer Banks had to offer. There is no doubt that her compassion for others combined with her extraordinary interest in marine environments and her love for the earth enabled her to excel in her studies while also making connections with all those around her.
Anja’s work embodied CSI’s mission. In her own words, she wanted to “work with partners across multiple research institutions, agencies, and communities on complex coastal issues.” She was particularly interested in how climate change impacts highly migratory fish species and the coastal livelihoods and ecosystems that depend on them. Anja felt that enrolling in the Ph.D. program would help her make a difference in coastal communities and was delighted by the thought of future inter- and transdisciplinary collaborations.
In honor of the legacy she left behind and in memory of her tenacious spirit, the Anja Sjostrom Memorial Scholarship in Coastal Science has been established. The scholarship will provide support for students enrolled in the Integrated Coastal Sciences PhD, Semester Experience at the Coast, or other interdisciplinary programs hosted by ECU’s Integrated Coastal Programs.
We extend our most sincere thoughts to Anja’s friends and family during this difficult time. While we mourn the loss of Anja this winter, we find comfort in knowing that she left an impact on whomever she encountered. Her dedication to her studies, her perseverance, her sense of adventure, her joie de vivre...they all live on and inspire the folks of CSI, ECU ICP, and beyond.
This spring, the ECU Outer Banks Campus and the Coastal Studies Institute welcome Pirates back to the coast! Twelve “coasties” made the move from Greenville to Manteo and are participating in the Undergraduate Semester Experience at the Coast program. This undergraduate residential program provides students with small classroom settings that allow for field-based experiences and the unique opportunity to participate in research that is happening at the Coastal Studies Institute. As soon as they arrived, students quickly engaged in the Outer Banks community and are making the most of their time here on the North Carolina coast.
The Semester Experience at the Coast allows students the ability to choose their own adventure. In addition to their coursework, six students are participating in internships during their time here on the coast. Their positions range from on campus research assistantships to on-the-job experience with community partners like the NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island. These positions allow students to explore potential careers in coastal science, while providing many of them with experience that they hope to carry with them to graduate school or that first post-university job.
In addition to their academic studies, students spend their free time exploring Manteo and different historic locations on the Outer Banks. During the week students can find themselves playing soccer with their classmates or studying together in the common area of their dorm-style facility. On the weekends, larger trips are organized for students to check out all that the Outer Banks has to offer. This includes trips to Nags Head Woods and the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Over spring break, many students hope to participate in a local surf camp – an essential element for those that are seeking to understand what it means to be a true Outer Banks’er!
In the years to come, the faculty and staff at the Coastal Studies Institute are eager to expand the program. This includes both the number of students that participate and the types of classes and opportunities that students can participate in at the coast. “One of the most exciting aspects of this program is that any student at ECU can participate,” shares Alex Nolte, University Program Associate on the ECU Outer Banks Campus. Nolte continues, “Whether you are a science major, or studying art, you can come out to the coast and truly get something out of this program.” It is safe to say that the 2022 Semester Experience at the Coast program is off to a great start, and we are looking forward to a great semester here at the Coastal Studies Institute.
Faculty Highlight
Dr. Eric Wade
This January, the Department of Coastal Studies at East Carolina University welcomed Dr. Eric Wade as the newest faculty member at the coast. ECU’s Integrated Coastal Programs prides itself on its interdisciplinary nature, and Dr. Wade certainly adds to the collaborative atmosphere that has been cultivated by the researchers on the ECU Outer Banks Campus.
Originally from Belize, Wade grew up in a small fishing and hunting village, with a population of 1500 or less. Growing up where fishing is an important part of the culture is one of the main impetuses behind Wade’s interest in learning and exploring the social dimensions of the fishing industry. Wade received his bachelor’s in Marine Biology from UNC Wilmington and both his master’s and Ph.D. in Fisheries Science from Oregon State University. Now Wade finds himself back in North Carolina eager to continue his research on both the local community and beyond.
As a social scientist, Wade seeks to answer the question: what are the drivers and feedbacks behind fishing stakeholders’ behaviors and decisions? To investigate this simple, yet complex question, Wade draws from theories and ideas from the fields of behavioral economics and social psychology. “I look at fishers’ mental models or how they conceptualize or think about a topic, their attitudes and perceptions, social networks, their decision strategies, and ultimately their behaviors,” Wade notes. “My research is primarily focused on small-scale fisheries in the Caribbean, where some of my projects have looked at decision-making strategies in Jamaica, fisheries management reform in Belize, readiness to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in the Western Central Atlantic, and sense of place in Panama.” While Wade’s interests certainly have international reach, the Coastal Studies Institute acts as an exceptional place to conduct research.
The fisheries industry and fishing communities on the Outer Banks provide unique opportunities for research as they continue to experience rapid change.
“I look forward to partnering with my colleagues within the department and broader ECU and NC community to obtain a coupled understanding of the social and ecological adaptive strategies at play,” Wade explains.
While the dynamics of the fishing industry in North Carolina are unique, it is facing similar problems as many others regionally and worldwide, making the local fisheries an important part of the global picture Wade is painting.
“The Outer Banks and CSI together represent the ideal place for me to continue my research program. The inherently interdisciplinary nature of the institute makes it an exciting place to collaborate with other scientists who are at the cutting-edge of their fields to answer fisheries management questions at the local, regional, and international scale.”
The Coastal Studies Institute and ECU’s Integrated Coastal Programs share in Wade’s excitement for him to be back in North Carolina. When he isn’t investigating fisheries, one can catch Dr. Wade exploring all that the Outer Banks has to offer, or perhaps even playing volleyball right on the beach!
RESEARCH FOCUS
Researchers from CSI and NCSU Test Underwater Energy Harvesting Kite at Lake Norman
Based at the Coastal Studies Institute, the North Carolina Renewable Ocean Energy Program (NCROEP) seeks to use renewable ocean energy wisely and effectively while contributing to North Carolina’s Blue Economy. As a result, NCROEP helps to support interdisciplinary researchers within the UNC System and their projects to advance marine energy solutions. One such example is an underwater energy harvesting kite being developed by researchers at NC State and East Carolina Universities.
After successful tow testing in the NCSU pool in Spring 2021, members of the NCSU Underwater Kite Consortium (led by Dr. Chris Vermillion’s Control and Optimization for Renewables and Energy Efficiency (CORE) Lab) ventured to North Carolina’s Lake Norman last Fall to further test their one-tenth scale underwater energy harvesting kite. The consortium team was supported by the labs of Drs. Matthew Bryant, Kenneth Granlund, and Andre Mazzoleni, as well as CSI’s Oceanography and Marine Hydrokinetic Energy Ocean Lab led by Dr. Mike Muglia. Through the testing at the lake, the team was excited to validate the performance of the kite and corresponding control system over much larger runs than are possible in the NCSU pool, this time while being towed by a boat in the lake.
“So, how does the kite generate energy?”, one may ask. By flying the kite in a figure-eight pattern, the underwater kite can achieve velocities during a cross-current flight that far exceed the speed of the current. During this cross-current flight, the attached cable experiences high tensions that far exceed the tensions seen under stationary operation. The mechanical work done by spooling out tether under these high tensions is converted into electrical energy by a generator. When the cable is under less tension, the cable recoils, and a much more limited amount of energy is used to keep the kite on its track; the ultimate result, however, is net-positive power production.
Photo: Members of the Lake Norman testing team deployed the kite from the side of the boat before each test. Once the kite was in the water, the boat went underway and kept a steady speed to simulate a flowing water current.
The underwater energy harvesting kite still has a long road ahead before it can be used for grid-scale purposes; however, it has gained significant attention as a viable renewable energy solution for near-term blue economy applications. For one, the power generated by the kite is significantly higher than that generated by a comparable stationary energy harvesting system such as a fixed underwater turbine. Furthermore, because of its dynamic design, the kite system may also be utilized in spaces where other renewable energy devices cannot.
This latest round of testing Lake Norman provided validation for the model and is a significant step in the process of creating a full-scale kite system. The project as a whole, if successful, will be a huge step for the blue economy and the future of renewable energy technologies. The two lab groups have more testing planned this winter, spring, and next fall.
NC RENEWABLE OCEAN ENERGY PROGRAM UPDATES
The Final Countdown to the Waves to Water Prize Drink Stage Finale Is On!
It’s the final countdown. Showtime. The home stretch. The finish line is near. However you’d like to phrase it, the Waves to Water Prize DRINK Finale is just around the corner. In just one month, the remaining four teams will arrive in the Outer Banks to put their devices to the test.
Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) and administered by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the Waves to Water Prize is a five-stage, $3.3 million competition. The prize kicked off in mid-2019 and challenged competitors to design, refine, and build their wave-powered desalination devices in hopes of providing better access to clean drinking water for remote coastal communities and for disaster relief efforts.
As if the innovation and potential technological advances weren’t exciting enough, CSI and Jennette’s Pier were selected to host the DRINK Finale and have been gearing up for the event ever since.
NREL, the Coastal Studies Institute, and Jennette’s Pier bring different aspects to this project. “The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has been developing renewable energy technology for decades,” said Scott Jenne, a research engineer at NREL who is the principal investigator of the competition. “The Coastal Studies Institute has a breadth of experience deploying technologies in the ocean and recovering those systems, really understanding how to develop systems that can survive the harsh conditions of the ocean,” he said. "Finally, Jennette’s Pier provides a great location for us to test these systems in a way that the public can access them, making for a great outreach event.”
In preparation for the DRINK Finale, folks from CSI, Jennette’s Pier, NREL, and DOE have spent hundreds, maybe even thousands, of hours coordinating the event. Most notably, two test deployments have occurred in the last year, the first of which was a simple buoy deployed last spring.
The second test deployment occurred in February and was much more involved. A team of NREL engineers, led by Jenne, developed their own hydraulic and electric reverse osmosis wave energy converter (HERO WEC) to pump seawater to the pier. A reverse osmosis unit and large tank were placed on the end of the pier so that the water could be desalinated and then collected for quality testing. Ocean water at Jennette’s Pier usually has a salinity of 28- 32 parts per thousand (ppt), but to be considered drinkable by the World Health Organization, the desalinated water must have a reading of less than 1 ppt. Even at that number though, the water would still taste salty to humans. So, the cleaner, the better!
Through both trial deployments, the planning teams had their work cut out for them. Not only did they have to wait for good weather and fair seas, but they had to hoist the test articles with a crane over the side of the pier and into the water. Then, divers and personnel in small watercraft towed the device to its designated anchor site. All of this was done in reverse once it was time to pull the article out. During the deployment and retrieval processes, additional team members watched for vessels and marine mammals that may come too close to the test area, and still others talked to curious bystanders on the pier. In the end, each of the test runs helped the crew to establish and refine the protocols necessary for smooth deployments during the DRINK Finale.
“For the Waves to Water Prize, we are using HERO WEC as a system to help understand how to set up the prize and provide the divers an opportunity to install this type of system before the actual event,” said Jenne. “This allows us to ensure that the event goes smoothly and fairly for all competitors.”
Now that most logistics have been finalized, the four competing teams will arrive in late March to assemble their devices and pitch their designs to investors. Then they will anxiously await a to-be-determined five-day, good-weather window for their devices to finally be deployed at Jennette’s Pier.
Members of the public will be able to see the devices from the beach and have the opportunity to watch them be deployed from the pier. Additionally, staff from CSI, Jennette’s Pier, NREL, and DOE will be at the pier hosting public events and school groups for ocean-oriented activities most days in April. For the most up-to-date information about Waves to Water Prize events happening locally, be sure to follow CSI on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
NCROEP Director Reflects on Experiences with Veterans Advanced Energy Fellowship
As part of the 2021-2022 Veterans Advanced Energy Fellowship, Captain George Bonner, Director of NCROEP, has been working closely with fellow veterans and leaders in the energy sector. Cohort members meet monthly with energy policy leaders and discuss key challenges with energy transitions and national security. In December, Bonner led a discussion with the cohort and Dr. Julia Nesheiwat on the changing Arctic and energy security. Dr. Nesheiwat’s leadership in national security advisor roles includes serving as the 10th Homeland Security Advisor and the U.S. Arctic Research Commission. Over the coming months, Bonner will be developing a policy paper on maritime transportation decarbonization as well as planning a community education event for veterans on opportunities in energy transitions.
“Through the Veterans Advanced Energy Fellowship, it has been a tremendous opportunity to work with other veterans leading innovative solutions in the energy sector,” shares Bonner. “We are all applying our diverse backgrounds and skills from military service to address energy challenges, and we are united by our continued commitment to serve our nation.”
And in case you missed it...
CSI was recently named a founding partner of the new national DoE Atlantic Marine Energy Center!
It is no secret that the Coastal Studies Institute’s partnerships reach across the world. These partnerships contribute, at least in part, to the success of the institution, and CSI’s newest collaborative endeavor does not fall short of these lofty expectations.
INTRODUCING...
NANCY RUNDHAMMER
Nancy Rundhammer joined CSI in October 2021 as the Assistant Director of Research and Administration. This position provides critical support to CSI and the Executive Director and post-award support for researchers across ICP. Throughout her professional career, she has worked in the administrative sector both domestically, in the US, and internationally. More recently, she supported NC State faculty as a Research Administrator. Nancy’s personal interests include exploring cultures, traveling, keeping fit, cooking, and creative endeavors whenever possible.
Getting to Know Nancy... In Her Own Words
On her favorite place she's traveled and why... This is a hard one for me. After 18 years of living overseas, there are lots of choices! For visiting, Bali is my favorite! Balinese culture is a fusion of spiritual and human endeavors. Work stops when important life events occur! Even daily sunsets draw families to the beach to take a pause and enjoy nature's glory. For living, France is top on my list! The French do work-life balance well! Work hard, eat great food, and vacation are priorities! I love French history and culture! We lived close to Versailles, and regular walks in the gardens there were a true favorite!
On her job... My role within CSI encompasses a variety of priorities including, Strategic Budget Management of State and external funding also including research dollars; Strategic planning; developing Policies, Procedures, and best practices; planning for campus development; and of course, "other duties as assigned". Day-to-day work at CSI is exciting and challenging and the fact that Faculty and Staff are passionate about their work here fuels my own passion to provide the administrative support to propel CSI's leading-edge research and community engagement further.
On the coolest thing about CSI... Seeing science in action and its real-world impact. I also appreciate our CSI community's focus on working together for local and world initiatives that make a difference.
ALUMNI ACCOLADES
Coastal Resources Management, recently updated to the Integrated Coastal Sciences, Ph.D. alumna Dr. Jen Cudney (2015) recently published another paper as a result of her dissertation work studying the migration, local movement patterns, and management strategies for spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthus). While the spiny dogfish was the main focus of her graduate research, there was much to uncover along the way. Cudney and her co-author’s most recent publication, Development of a continental shelf acoustic telemetry array to support behavioral research of fish in a high energy ocean environment, identifies and discusses acoustic array design considerations for high energy ocean environments.
In much simpler terms, acoustic telemetry arrays are like fancy sets of fish-finders. They can be deployed for long periods of time to collect data on fish behavior, specifically their movements and migrations. Though these practices have been in place for decades, at the time of the authors’ initial study of the overwintering of spiny dogfish off of Cape Hatteras, NC, it seemed that the most organized efforts occurred within contained, calmer, and more accessible environments such as rivers and estuaries. Furthermore, while some studies had been done in marine environments, they found there little was published as it pertained to the specifications of anchoring systems, deployment and retrieval strategies, and equipment maintenance schedules for arrays sitting in the open ocean. Without such insight, Cudney and her colleagues were left to trial and error while designing and maintaining the acoustic array for their initial spiny dogfish study. Thus, the aforementioned publication details their efforts and findings from the process.
Among their most notable findings, Cudney and her colleagues found that an anchor system comprised of a cement block, a danforth anchor, and galvanized chain kept the elements of the acoustic array in place and stood the best chance against the harsh conditions off the coast. While they acknowledged that some researchers may be able to make use of navigational buoys for mounting platforms, they were not a suitable solution for the nature of their spiny dogfish study.
Upon subsequent deployments of their acoustic array throughout the study, the authors found that it was more feasible to utilize a system which could be easily deployed and retrieved from a vessel instead of having to rely on a dive team. Using divers meant having to wait for the perfect ocean conditions while working time was still limited by the amount of time divers could spend at depth.
Finally, the team of researchers report that monthly maintenance of their equipment was optimal. The time in between servicing was long enough for the equipment to collect data undisturbed and maximize the time and money in their budget while also short enough to ensure the equipment continued to operate properly and did not accumulate significant biofouling to interfere with measurements.
In addition to these three main practical findings, the authors recommended actively involving the local fishing community to gain support and increase deployment area awareness; investing both time and resources from the beginning to mitigate issues that might occur later; and budgeting as much as possible to accommodate for equipment maintenance, especially if sites are offshore.
“[Jen’s] initial work has really been the cornerstone of future work along the east coast of the US for other researchers interested in how to moor acoustic transmitters in the ocean, and determining how fish migrate past Cape Hatteras,” shares Cudney’s former advisor, Dr. Roger Rulifson (ECU Biology).
Cudney’s interest in migratory species continued well after she completed the CRM Ph.D. program in 2015. She now works for the Southeast Branch of NOAA’s Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Management Division.
Renewable Ocean Energy Classroom Kits Coming Soon!
Teachers and educators, this one is for you! As a part of the Waves to Water Prize, the Public Engagement and Outreach team at CSI has assembled kits and instructions to build model wave energy converters (WEC).
What the WEC?! A WEC device is a type of point absorber deployed in marine settings. Depending on its design, a WEC can convert the kinetic energy of waves into mechanical or electrical energy.
During the final DRINK phase of the Waves to Water Prize hosted at Jennette’s Pier in April 2022, featured WEC devices will use the energy from waves to power desalination units, and thus provide a potential product for disaster relief scenarios.
Each of the self-contained kits we've designed includes all the materials and instructions needed for students to build their own small wave energy converters and understand the principles behind their operation. Teachers need only request a kit then return it when finished!
But wait, that’s not all! As an added bonus, CSI will cover the cost of shipping. Reserve your spot now and request a kit by sending an email to kellama19@ecu.edu.