Insider News

National Sea Grant College Program
Response and Integration Team
National Sea Grant Office (NSGO) Executive Director, Jim Murray is serving as committee chair of the Response and Integration Team (RIT), which has been organized for the purpose of assessing the range of recommendations from the National Research Council Committee Evaluation of the Sea Grant Program Review Process (NRC Report, 2006). The RIT is comprised of two members from the Sea Grant Association (President, Paul Andersen and Past-President, John Kramer) and two members from the NSGO (Murray and Nikola Garber). The RIT has appointed three sub-teams (strategic planning, program assessment and NSGO operations) each comprised of two members from the Sea Grant Association and NSGO. The National Sea Grant Review Panel will also be providing advice on how best to address the address the recommendations of the NRC. Murray will serve as liaison between the RIT and Review Panel to ensure communications between the two efforts.

National Office Welcomes Ralph Rayburn (TX Sea Grant) and Sharon Walker (MS-AL Sea Grant)
Over the past few years, Sea Grant programs have asked the National Sea Grant Office (NSGO) to draw upon the network to help address priorities at the national level. To this end, the NSGO is delighted to announce that Ralph Rayburn and Dr. Sharon Walker have just joined the National Office (part-time) in order to support national extension and educational undertakings. Ralph Rayburn will serve in an Extension Program liaison capacity to help with special projects. He will work with high-level partners including FEMA, collaborate with the network in determining the future of fisheries extension enhancement, and help organize a search process for the program leader for extension for the National Sea Grant College Program. Dr. Sharon Walker’s duties will include representing the Sea Grant Education Network on the NOAA Education Council, helping develop a Sea Grant National Strategic Plan, assisting the NOAA Office of Education with ocean literacy issues, ensuring that the Gulf of Mexico Alliance’s education activities are aligned with NOAA’s education priorities, and more.

National Sea Grant Review Panel Meeting
The Panel met February 20-22 at the office of the Consortium of Oceanographic Research and Education. Panel website: http://www.seagrant.noaa.gov/leadership/review_panel.html

NOAA 200th Anniversary
Planning for a NOAA 200th event in the Gulf of Mexico is well underway. The event will be held April 13-14 at Dauphin Island, Mississippi. A GEOSS industry roundtable (facilitated by Sea Grant) will be held on Friday the 13th with a Discovery Day: Discovering 200 years of NOAA festival to be held on Saturday. Numerous NOAA offices in the Gulf will participate, including Sea Grant.

NOAA Science Advisory Board Working Group
A working group of the NOAA Science Advisory Board has been appointed for the purpose of providing advice to NOAA to strengthen, coordinate, organize and improve its extension, outreach and education activities to fully engage its constituents. The working group consists of ten members and has excellent Sea Grant representation, including four members from the National Sea Grant Review Panel and Dr. Jeff Reutter (OH Sea Grant Director).

NOAA Spotlight Article
Michigan Sea Grant provided the winter "In the Spotlight" story for NOAA.  The title of the article is: "Michigan Sea Grant project enhances habitat for native lake sturgeon." To read the article, please visit:  http://www.oar.noaa.gov/spotlite/2007/spot_sturgeon.html