DIRECTOR’S UPDATE

New National Information System Requirements Input
With a new Planning, Implementation and Evaluation (PIE) system, dramatic changes on the technology front, and the need for a user-friendly, efficient and powerful information system, we are undertaking an effort to enhance or overhaul the existing National Information Management System (NIMS). Last week, we distributed questions throuh the SGA's Network Advisory Council (NAC) soliciting high-level input about your information management and reporting needs. Your input is critical to the requirements gathering process. Next week, NAC members or their designees will participate in a focus group teleconference to discuss system requirements and priorities. To see the questions (due July 23) visit:
http://www.seagrant.noaa.gov/other/admininfo/
network_input_for_national_info_system_requirements.pdf

Please read on for:

• Weekly Highlights
• Events & Announcements
• Sea Grant In the News
• Awards

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS

• Sea Grant Safe and Sustainable Seafood Supply Focus Team to Meet in October
  The Sea Grant Safe and Sustainable Seafood Supply focus team will hold its annual meeting (October 28 - 30) in conjunction with the Seafood Sciences and Technology Society of the Americas annual conference (October 26-28, 2009) in New Orleans, LA in order to take advantage of the discussions and aid the focus team with its future direction. Please mark your calendars.
  http://sst.ifas.ufl.edu/current.shtml
  

  Social Media Sites:

• Sea Grant Climate Change Network
  http://sgccnetwork.ning.com

• Sustainable Coastal Community Development Network
  http://sgsccdn.ning.com

EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Sea Grant Federal Funding Opportunities Published
  • 2010 NMFS—Sea Grant Fellowships in Marine Resource Economics
  • 2010 NMFS—Sea Grant Fellowships in Population Dynamics
  • 2010 Sea Grant/Regional Team Climate Engagement
  • 2011 National Sea Grant College Program Dean John A. Knauss Fellowship
  To learn more: http://www.seagrant.noaa.gov/funding/rfp.html

• Request for Proposals: NOS Gulf of Mexico Sea Level Rise
  NOAA/NOS/NCCOS/CSCOR is soliciting research proposals for projects of 3 to 5 years in duration for development of modeling and mapping tools in the Gulf of Mexico to better understand and predict the impacts of sea level rise on coastal ecosystems to support proactive coastal management and mitigation decisions. To learn more: http://www.cop.noaa.gov/stressors/climatechange/welcome.html

• Request for Proposals: FY 10 NOAA Climate Program Office Sector Applications Research Program (SARP)
  This competition will be announced soon. SARP funding is designed "to catalyze and support interdisciplinary applied research, outreach and education activities that enhance the capacity of key socio-economic sector and systems to respond to and plan for climate variability and change through the use of climate information and related decision support resources. " Interested Sea Grant programs should monitor the following web site for the full announcement:
  http://www.climate.noaa.gov/index.jsp?pg=./opportunities/opp_index.jsp&opp=grants
  
• Request for Proposals: National Marine Sanctuary Foundation Ernest F. Hollings Ocean Awareness Trust Fund
  The Foundation seeks to fund projects that educate and engage the public to increase their
  awareness of ocean issues and understanding of their relevance to future health and wellbeing. To learn more:
  http://www.nmsfocean.org/files/2009_NMSF_Hollings_Ocean_Awareness_Trust_Fund_RFP.pdf
  
• Call for Papers: American Meteorological Society
  AMS will hold its annual meeting January 17-21 in Atlanta, GA. The theme is "Weather, Climate, and Society: New Demands on Science and Services" - a perfect opportunity to showcase what Sea Grant has been doing to bring science-based information on climate to our users. The deadline for abstracts is August 3.
  http://www.ametsoc.org/MEET/index.html
  
• Sea Grant Directors E-mail List
  Please use this list when e-mailing Sea Grant Directors:
  oar.sg.dir@noaa.gov
  
• Annual Report Guidance
  http://www.seagrant.noaa.gov/other/admininfo/documents/2009%20annual%20report%20guidance.pdf
  
• National Information Management System (NIMS)
  New link: http://www.nims.noaa.gov
  

SEA GRANT IN THE NEWS

Send your press releases and stories to oar.sg.news@noaa.gov. All submissions are added to Hot Items and submitted to a variety of NOAA communications outlets.

Headlines & News Submissions:

• July 15: Oregon Sea Grant Article, Newport News Times (NOAA grant aims to provide jobs and remove derelict fishing gear)
  http://www.newportnewstimes.com/V2_main_page.php
• July 15: Michigan Sea Grant Article, Michigan Today ("Great Lakes:" Amazing Change)
  Multi-media piece featuring photos and background information from Sea Grant
  http://michigantoday.umich.edu/2009/07/story.php?id=7510&tr=y&auid=5077806
• July 16: Hawai'i Sea Grant Article, KHON2 News (Royal Majesties Commemorate 50th Anniversary of Scholarship-Dr. Darren Okimoto participated as a former recipient of the Crown Prince Akihito Scholarship)
  http://www.khon2.com/news/local/story/Royal-Majesties-Commemorate-50th-Anniversary-of/ctprYaZC_kiYq6sK6zRuwg.cspx?rss=2065
• July 17: Hawai'i Sea Grant Press Release (Hanauma Bay Education Program offers free July event)
  http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/seagrant/education/Hanauma/index.html
• July 17: National Sea Grant Law Center Press Release ("Offshore Renewable Energy: A Regulatory Primer")
  Basic information on regulatory authorities re. offshore wind, wave, tidal, and ocean thermal energy conversion projects.
  http://www.olemiss.edu/orgs/SGLC/National/offshore.pdf
• July 17: Maine Sea Grant Press Release (Working Waterways and Waterfronts National Symposium on Water Access, September 27-30, 2010, Portland, Maine)
  To help communities, organizations, businesses, and individuals address waterfront access challenges by showcasing successful models and tools from around the country. Contact Natalie Springuel: nspringuel@coa.edu
• July 17: North Carolina Sea Grant Article, Bioscience (New Technology For Recreational Fishing Data)
  Using the internet to conduct science & transforming a contemporary social e-networking mechanism into a science data-gathering tool.
  http://www.bioone.org/doi/pdf/10.1525/bio.2009.59.7.19
  See also: http://afsjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1577/C08-042.1?cookieSet=1 and
  http://www.ncseagrant.org/home/coastwatch/coastwatch-articles?task=showArticle&id=623
• July 20: Connecticut Sea Grant Wrack Lines magazine
  http://web2.uconn.edu/seagrant/publications/magazines/wracklines/springsummer09
• July 20: New York Sea Grant Press Release (Job Announcement: Associate Director of NYSG's Extension Program)
  http://www.seagrant.sunysb.edu/article.asp?ArticleID=357
• July 20: New York Sea Grant Press Release (VHS Education Inside the Beltway)
  http://www.seagrant.sunysb.edu/glsportfish/article.asp?ArticleID=368
• July 20: New York Sea Grant Coastlines newsletter ("A Delicate Balance")
  http://www.seagrant.sunysb.edu/article.asp?ArticleID=358
• July 20: South Carolina Sea Grant publication (New publication: Regulations for Deepwater MPAs in the South Atlantic)
  http://www.sccoastalinfo.org
• July 21: Rhode Island Sea Grant press release (Where NOT to Put a Wind Farm in Rhode Island Waters, August 6)
  http://seagrant.gso.uri.edu
• July 21: Ohio Sea Grant press release (Lake Erie Exploration Workshop Teaches Educators about Great Lakes Science)
  http://coseegreatlakes.net/weblog/
• July 22: Delaware Sea Grant At Sea newsletter (announcing the new College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment [CEOE])
  http://www.ceoe.udel.edu/atsea/index.html
• July 22: Washington Sea Grant press release (Graduate Students Earn Stints with State through Washington Sea Grant Fellowship Program)
  

AWARDS

• See 2009 Sea Grant Awards and Awards Archive

Questions: Contact Amy.Painter@noaa.gov
News or Awards Submissions: oar.sg.news@noaa.gov