COASTAL SCIENCE ASSISTANTSHIP PROGRAM
Background
The Louisiana Department
of Natural Resources (LDNR) Office of Coastal Restoration and
Management (OCRM) Coastal Restoration Division (CRD) has initiated
a new assistantship program called the Coastal Science Assistantship
Program (CSAP). This program provides stipends for up to three
years to Master of Science students both enrolled full-time at
Louisiana colleges/universities and involved in research relevant
to Louisiana coastal restoration efforts. The program will both
expose students to CRD activities and provide a potential avenue
for recruitment of new LDNR personnel (see below).
The Louisiana
Sea Grant (LSG) College Program will administer these assistantships
with funding provided by LDNR. The assistantships will be available
to all faculty pursuing appropriate coastal restoration-related
research at Louisiana colleges/universities to recruit
outstanding new graduate students. Up to four new students
will be funded each academic year based on evaluations of applications
submitted by faculty members. The maximum annual student stipend
is $20,000; allowable benefits may be applied to stipends as permitted
by the policies and procedures of the various institutions. The
total award (stipend plus benefits) will not exceed $25,000 under
any circumstances.
Program
Protocol
In October
of each year, LSG will release an announcement to the in-state
academic community soliciting applications for funding to support
graduate students involved in research relevant to restoration
projects in coastal Louisiana. Faculty at Louisiana colleges/universities
will be responsible for submitting applications (see application)
and research must be consistent with the CRD mission of offsetting
coastal wetlands loss. These applications will be due to LSG on
15 December.
After receipt
of applications, LDNR personnel will evaluate each for technical
merit and relevance to LDNR ongoing or proposed activities. Decisions
on award of the four new assistantships will be made by 30 January
of each year. This deadline should allow faculty sufficient time
to recruit new students during the winter and
early spring prior to the initiation of assistantship duties either
in the summer or in the fall.
Program
Requirements
Standard graduate assistantships,
both research and teaching, require the student both to be registered
as a full-time student and to apply a specified number of hours
per week (this may vary among institutions) during each semester
to either assistantship duties or thesis research. In addition
to these requirements, students recruited under this assistantship
program will be required to complete 240 hours of internship with
LDNR-CRD at mutually convenient times during their pursuit of
a master’s degree. To expose the students to the Department’s
various functions and activities, internships will involve work
either at the LDNR headquarters in Baton Rouge or at one of the
CRD field offices in New Orleans, Lafayette, and Thibodeaux. Students
will also be required to give an annual presentation on their
research findings to LDNR-OCRM personnel at a venue to be determined.
Participation of either
CRD or other LDNR personnel on student academic advising committees
is not required; however, LDNR will encourage participating institutions
to allow for that possibility consistent with existing policies
on status requirements for committee members. LDNR feels that
CRD personnel can serve as an invaluable mentoring resource to
the student awardees and that promoting interactions between the
Department and universities will be mutually beneficial.
Due to the budget process
in Louisiana state government, CSAP awards beyond the first year
will be contingent upon approval of OCRM budgets for succeeding
years. Students will be funded for the first year with the understanding
that the following two years will be funded based on both outstanding
performance of the student and state budget appropriations.
Program
Benefits
Benefits
to DNR
CSAP will allow LDNR to address two recurring problems: the lack
of funding for applied coastal ecosystem restoration research
and the lack of relevant work experience among CRD job applicants.
Funding these assistantships will allow CRD to direct scientific
research to answer questions about planning, designing, and constructing
coastal restoration projects, which will ultimately contribute
to program success. In addition, these assistantships will improve
the Department’s scientific credibility by developing relationships
among the students, the professors, their universities, and the
Department. These improved relationships will allow for greater
communication and participation in the state’s restoration
program. Finally, the program will provide valuable recruitment
opportunities to assist CRD with its recurring need for capable
employees with M.S. Degrees.
Benefits
to Student Awardees
In addition to monetary support for up to three years, participation
in the CSAP will provide students invaluable professional working
experience beyond that gained in traditional academia. The required
internship with CRD staff will offer on-the-job training that
promotes understanding of the Department’s daily activities
and of broader issues relevant to coastal restoration. This training
will make the students attractive job candidates to the Department,
thus increasing their opportunity for employment within CRD after
graduation. If not ultimately employed with CRD, students will
have been exposed to the issues of coastal land loss and will
hopefully remain engaged with the restoration effort in some other
capacity.
For
additional information, please contact either:
David
Nieland
Louisiana Sea Grant College Program
233 Sea Grant Building
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, LA 70803-7507
225-578-6373, dniela@lsu.edu
Joseph
“Wes” LeBlanc
Coastal Restoration Division DNR
617 North 3rd St, 10th Floor
POB 44027, Capitol Station
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-4027
225-342-4117, joseph.leblanc@la.gov
