Pressures of climate change and human development are challenging New Hampshire’s coastal and watershed communities to solve current problems and innovate new strategies to protect the future of our coastline. From sunny-day nuisance flooding to changing agricultural and fishery conditions – our communities and economies are in need of diverse, multi-disciplinary approaches to solving problems.
A new training and development program from New Hampshire Sea Grant aims to bolster our workforce – with a focus on early and mid-career professionals – to address these coastal needs. New Hampshire CoastWise is a year-long, cohort-based immersion program for professionals working on coastal resilience and marine resource management issues in the state. Designed to build new skills and stronger networks, CoastWise seeks to cultivate an engaged and diverse workforce to better tackle the challenges facing our coasts (including upland watersheds) to support more engaged and impactful coastal research across disciplines.
"We see CoastWise as a way to nurture and expand the pathways for New Hampshire students and early career professionals to continue to work here in the state to support resilient coastal ecosystems and communities," explained Lisa Wise, co-leader of CoastWise and Climate Adaptation Program Manager for NH Sea Grant and UNH Extension.
New Hampshire CoastWise will forge connections between students, researchers, practitioners, and decision-makers around the state to build a more resilient and sustainable future. Throughout the year, CoastWise participants will come together to attend workshops and spend time in the field – learning about coastal issues, building a repertoire of skills, networking with peers and partners, and gaining first-hand knowledge of and connections with the stakeholders and communities across the state.
COMING SOON!
In the coming weeks, CoastWise will open to applications from students, researchers, and practitioners in New Hampshire to participate in the first offerings from August 2021 – July 2022. Participants from any discipline that addresses challenges around coastal resiliency and resource management are eligible to apply. For its inaugural 2021 program, CoastWise will be accepting applications for two cohorts: early-career (those with less than five years of experience or education) and mid-career (those with more than five years).
“Whether new to the state, transitioning from education to the workforce, or seeking to broaden their knowledge base, we’re excited that CoastWise will provide the space for early and mid-career professionals to deepen connections and further ground their work in the New Hampshire context,” said Dr. Lindsey Williams, co-leader of CoastWise. “We hope that CoastWise will help create connections that participants carry with them throughout their careers.”
We’re excited that CoastWise will provide the space for early and mid-career professionals to deepen connections and further ground their work in the New Hampshire context.
Lindsey Williams, Ph.D., co-leader of CoastWise
The New Hampshire CoastWise team envisions a more engaged, diverse, and impactful research, extension, education, and practitioner community that confronts challenges faced in the Seacoast, Gulf of Maine, and beyond, for today and tomorrow.
“CoastWise is an immersive program based on listening, learning, and building connections to equip and inspire participants to engage in multidisciplinary and multi-approach projects that will address coastal and marine issues,” said NH Sea Grant Director Dr. Erik Chapman. “These issues are immense. Experiential, networked programs – like CoastWise – will help us envision and take meaningful steps to improve our relationship with coastal and marine ecosystems.”
GET UPDATES
For specific program questions, email the CoastWise team at: CoastWise.Info@unh.edu.
Cover image: Tim Briggs, NH Sea Grant
CoastWise logo design: Colleen Mitchell, UNH Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping
