COASTAL SCIENCE ASSISTANTSHIP PROGRAM
Background
The Louisiana Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration (OCPR) continues its support for an assistantship program called the Coastal Science Assistantship Program (CSAP). This program provides assistantships for up to three years to support Master of Science students both enrolled full-time at Louisiana colleges/universities and involved in science or engineering research relevant to Louisiana coastal protection and restoration efforts. The program will both expose students to OCPR activities and provide a potential avenue for recruitment of new OCPR personnel (see below).
The Louisiana Sea Grant (LSG) College Program will administer these assistantships with funding provided by OCPR. The assistantships will be available to all faculty pursuing appropriate coastal restoration-related research at Louisiana colleges/universities to recruit outstanding graduate students. Up to four new students will be funded each academic year based on evaluations of applications submitted by faculty members. The annual award is $25,000 per student from which only student salary, tuition, and applicable registration fees/student benefits fees are allowable expenses. Travel, supplies, equipment, and other research-related costs are not to be charged against the assistantship.
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 coastal protection and restoration projects in Louisiana. Faculty at Louisiana colleges/universities will be responsible for submitting applications (see application) and research must be consistent with the OCPR mission of protecting coastal communities and offsetting coastal wetlands loss. These applications will be due to LSG on 15 December.
After receipt of applications, OCPR personnel will evaluate each for technical merit and relevance to OCPR 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 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 OCPR at mutually convenient times during their pursuit of a master’s degree. To expose the students to OCPR’s various functions and activities, internships will involve work either at the headquarters in Baton Rouge or at one of the field offices in New Orleans, Lafayette, and Thibodeaux. Students will also be required to give an annual presentation on their research findings to OCPR personnel at a venue to be determined.
Participation of OCPR personnel on student academic advising committees is not required; however, OCPR will encourage participating institutions to allow for that possibility consistent with existing policies on status requirements for committee members. OCPR feels that their personnel can serve as an invaluable mentoring resource to the student awardees and that promoting interactions between OCPR 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 OCPR 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 OCPR
CSAP will allow OCPR to address two recurring problems: the lack of funding for applied coastal ecosystem restoration research and the lack of relevant work experience among OCPR job applicants. Funding these assistantships will allow OCPR to direct scientific research to answer questions about planning, designing, constructing and evaluating coastal protection and restoration projects, which will ultimately contribute to program success. In addition, these assistantships will improve OCPR’s scientific credibility by developing relationships among the students, the professors, their universities, and OCPR. These improved relationships will allow for greater communication and participation in the state’s coastal protection and restoration program. Finally, the program will provide valuable recruitment opportunities to assist OCPR 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 OCPR staff will offer on-the-job training that promotes understanding of OCPR’s daily activities and of broader issues relevant to coastal protection and restoration. This training will make the students attractive job candidates, thus increasing their opportunity for employment within OCPR after graduation. If not ultimately employed with OCPR, students will have been exposed to the issues of coastal land loss and will hopefully remain engaged with the protection and restoration effort in some other capacity.
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