Advancing conservation and environmental justice through NOAA fellowship

AIP graduate Briana Yancy '21 of Bowie, Maryland, was named a fellow by the National Sea Grant College Program and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship Program matches fellows with “hosts” in the legislative and executive branches of government for a one-year paid immersive policy experience in the Washington, D.C. area. Since February 2023, Yancy has been working in NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Lab. Her experiential learning took place at Bronx Zoo. Read more

Letter to the editor and call to action

GFP graduate student Marianna Doolittle of Napoleon, Ohio, wrote an opinion piece titled "Litter Bugs Me, Do Your Part," and it was published in her hometown newspaper, the Northwest Signal.

"While a little piece of litter here and there may not seem like much, it's actually polluting a very important resource we all depend on: our water supply," she writes. "You can make a difference. You have the power to enact change. Take care of our most precious water source. Our lives depend on it." 

Doolittle's letter is available through a newspaper subscription.

Using habitat boards to discover wildlife

AIP graduate student Emily Horne of Cincinnati, Ohio, was published in the Environmental Education Council of Ohio fall 2023 newsletter. Horne, who works as an environmental educator for the Greenacres Foundation, wrote the article as part of her master's coursework. In "How Habitat Boards Can Help Build Wildlife Connections with Students" she explains how habitat boards—usually made up of metal or composite roofing, wood, and other materials—can give a safe place for animals to hide while allowing them to be visible without needing to trap them. "Participants of all ages are consistently amazed by what is found under these boards," she writes. "Many times students who come back ask to lift them up again and again. This simple tool has made many kids go from scared of these creatures to excited to see them over and over." Horne's experiential learning takes place at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. Read more

Restoring natural shorelines in Michigan

GFP graduate student Madeline Khuri is working to restore natural shorelines in her hometown of Alpena, Michigan. Last month she was part of a team that installed 300 feet of temporary fencing to help re-establish dunes in Lake Huron's Mich-e-ke-wis Park. Native grasses and wildflowers which will be planted later will help filter stormwater runoff and will make for a healthier Lake Huron. Khuri draws on her past experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer in Zambia, an Earth Expeditioner in Guyana and India, and as current Community Education Project Manager with Huron Pines to be a stronger educator and a change-maker in her local community. "I felt that the GFP was the perfect next step for me as I continue on my career path," says Khuri. "Getting to be part of an action-based program like the GFP has helped me gain a broader global perspective and inspire local action, which has been extremely beneficial to my community." Read more