Two Seahawks Receive NC Sea Grant Fellowship 

From sustainable energy to weather-resilient transportation infrastructure, two UNCW Seahawks will be using their marine science expertise to inform state government decision making. Kathryn Little, a Master of Coastal and Ocean Policy (MCOP) graduate student, and Aaron Ramus, an alumnus who earned his doctoral degree in Marine Biology, are recipients of the NC Sea Grant STEM Fellowship.

The NC Sea Grant Stem Fellowship provides students with the opportunity to spend one year working with high-level government agencies focusing on STEM-related policy topics.   

Little, who will graduate from the MCOP program later this year, will work full time with the NC Department of Transportation (NCDOT). After concluding her current internship with a public wastewater utility in September, Little will apply her interdisciplinary knowledge on climate change-response, sustainability and policy to aid NCDOT on resiliency projects such as railroad expansion for passenger trains and infrastructure that creates accessibility for vulnerable communities during extreme weather events. 

“These projects will involve getting in touch with communities that are both at the coast and the mountains and making sure we tailor solutions to what unique landscapes and people need,” said Little.   

Ramus , who completed his doctoral degree at UNCW this spring, was appointed to the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)’s State Energy Office to fulfill his fellowship. His research focuses on how human-caused changes in marine plant communities can affect the organization and functionality of coastal ecosystems, subsequently affecting people who benefit from these services. Ramus also studies mitigation strategies to manage the adverse environmental and socioeconomic effects of these changes.