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 annual student stipend is $25,000;
student benefits, tuition, and other fees (if applicable) must
be paid from money allotted in the stipend. The total award will
not exceed $25,000 under any circumstances. LDNR requests that
overhead (F and A) charges not be applied to these awards.
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. Note: Please route your application through
the proper department, school, or college channels for appropriate
signatures and include the routing sheet with your completed application.
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:
