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FELLOW NEWSNews for and about the NOAA FellowsIn This IssueFocus on FellowsRich BuzardAlexis CunninghamShanna WilliamsonFocus on theFellowshipSea Grant EndorsementsSpring 2020, Issue 84Upcoming Conferencesand EventsFocus on FellowsRich BuzardFellow Rich Buzard grew up in Kirkland,Washington, and stayed in his home state topursue a bachelor’s degree in environmentalscience at the University of Washington,Bothell. During his undergraduate years,the courses he took in natural hazardshighlighted how certain environmentalS OFC L A S 02 02–management practices could minimize82 01impacts of natural disasters, and he becameinterested in improving mitigation practices in vulnerable areas, especiallyalong the coast. He went on to earn his master’s degree in geology andremote sensing at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. While in Alaska,he completed a fellowship with Alaska Sea Grant and was encouraged toapply for the NOAA Digital Coast Fellowship.Rich’s fellowship is with the National States Geographic InformationCouncil, where he works with its member organization, the AlaskaDepartment of Natural Resources’ Division of Geological andGeophysical Surveys.His project is working to define flood risk categories for severalremote coastal communities in Alaska that currently have no formal floodanalysis. His work involves gathering any and all available informationon past flood events, estimating the height those floods reached usinggeospatial techniques, and determining the risk of coastal flooding thatcurrent infrastructure faces.Rich will complete this project with a few different products. He willproduce a publication of the methods for estimating heights of coastalflooding in Alaska communities. Two communities, Golovin and HooperBay, now have complete storm histories. These are accompanied by mapsthat show flood risk zones, categorized as minor, moderate, or majorflooding. Analysis has begun for several more communities that will becompleted over time by the division. He is also developing an online toolto visualize flood risk and share photos of flooding.Continued on Next Page
Focus on Fellows (Continued)OFSSC L A 2 02 0–2 01 8Focus onFellowsAlexisCunninghamRich setting up GPS for an aerial mapping survey over the Alaska Native Village of Golovin.The goal is for residents ofcommunities to use the mapsand online tool to visualize floodrisks. Weather forecasters canuse the language of the mapsto more easily communicateflood risk, while planners andstatewide hazard assessors canreference the methods paper forways to improve their own riskanalyses.Through the fellowship, Richhas had the opportunity to travelto several conferences, learn froma number of professionals, andalso have a lot of fun. The mostgratifying aspect of his work hasbeen filling critical data gapsfor communities, and dispellingsome uncertainty about their riskto flooding. When Rich is not atwork, he likes to go on hikes andbike rides, play games, and talkpeople’s ears off about his work.NOA A O f fice for Coast al Manage me ntRich recently accepted aposition with the Division ofGeological and GeophysicalSurveys as a coastal geologistII in Anchorage, Alaska. Hewill continue the work hestarted with the fellowship andis expanding to more coastalhazards projects. Down theroad, he plans to finish hisdoctorate at the Universityof Alaska, Fairbanks. Whenasked about future plans, Richexplained, “I will definitely bestaying in my current profession,and on the West Coast wherethe volcanoes are.”Fellow Alexis Cunningham’slove for the coast started on theChesapeake Bay in Maryland,where she spent time exploringand kayaking in local riversand streams. It wasn’t untilhigh school, after discoveringRachel Carson’s 1962 classicSilent Spring, that she realizedher passion for coastal andenvironmental issues.Alexis obtained her Bachelorof Science in political scienceand environmental sciences atCabrini University. She thenearned her Master of Science inwater science and policy at theUniversity of Delaware, whereshe studied the effects of adaptivemanagement on the ChesapeakeBay’s total maximum daily load.Following her master’s degree,Alexis became a NOAA DigitalCoast fellow with the Associationof State Floodplain Managers andthe Coastal States Organization.Spring 2020 Issue 84
Alexis’ fellowship was apartnership between these twoorganizations, where her projectfocused on the CommunityRating System—a voluntaryprogram of the Federal EmergencyManagement Agency thatincentivizes communities throughlower flood insurance rates toreduce flood risk by engaging inmitigation activities. While theCommunity Rating System createsmany opportunities for resiliencein coastal communities, evidencesuggests that many communitiesare neither participating in theprogram nor advancing their ratingscores. The cause may be the lackof local government resources, lowcommunity socioeconomic status, ora lack of federal support to coastalcommunities.Furthermore, floods affectcommunities and social groupsdifferently. By building on existingliterature and data analysis, Alexiswas able to assess socioeconomicimpacts in coastal counties andthe barriers to participating in theCommunity Rating System in themore vulnerable communities. Shewas also able to assess the reasonsfor the lack of adequate resourcesto mitigate flood risk, as well asthe lack of federal support andinteragency coordination across theU.S. regarding coastal resilience.Alexis’ fellowshipresearch culminated in policyrecommendations and a policyanalysis report on the CommunityRating System on behalf ofher host organizations. TheNOA A O f fice for Coast al Manage me ntAlexis and a colleague at the 2019 Coastal States Organization meeting in South Padre Island, Texas,on a site visit to SpaceX.recommendations are intended fornational agencies and organizations,as well as state and localgovernments and nongovernmentalorganizations. Ultimately, theserecommendations provide insightinto where these entities shouldfocus on implementing resilienceto improve the Community RatingSystem and general flood mitigationefforts for communities.Alexis says the most gratifyingaspect of her work has been theengagement piece. “Having theopportunity to connect and engagewith a variety of stakeholders hasbeen rewarding for me, becauseI’ve learned that listening to andacknowledging diverseviewpoints and inputs fromstakeholders and team membersis essential to improving coastalresilience,” says Alexis. “I think—personally—that is what is sounique about the Digital CoastFellowship: I had the ability andopportunity to reach any DigitalCoast partner and beyond that,their respective memberships. I wasable to tap into different realms ofexpertise to advance my knowledgeon flood mitigation efforts here atASFPM and CSO.”During her free time, Alexisenjoys long runs, being on the water,hiking and camping, and spendingtime exploring the city with friends.Alexis recently acceptedand started a position with theNOAA Office of Response andRestoration as a program and policyanalyst. There, she is supportingall divisions within the agency oncommunications and legislativeaffairs. We wish her the best of luckin the future!Spring 2020 Issue 84
Focus on FellowsShanna WilliamsonFellowShannaWilliamsonwas born andraised in theBronx, andthat is whereS OFC L A S 02 02–her interest2 01 8in geosciencesstarted. At 11 years old, she watched aseries of ocean and climate science-focusedtelevision shows, and decided then that shewould pursue a career in the field. Althoughher first thought was that she’d be a stormchaser, when she started her undergraduatedegree in the geosciences at SkidmoreCollege, she quickly found her niche inoceanography. She worked on some coastalfocused projects, loved it, and has beenfocused on the coastal zone ever since.Shanna went on to earn her master’sdegree in marine science from the VirginiaInstitute of Marine Science. She foundout about the fellowship program throughthe Virginia Sea Grant program early onduring her time at VIMS, and as she nearedgraduation, thought the fellowship was theperfect opportunity to continue to explorethe intersection between humans and thecoastal environment.Shanna’s fellowship is with the NationalAssociation of Counties. The overall goal ofher project is to get a better understandingof resilience efforts in the Gulf of Mexicoregion by assessing and raising awarenessof county coastal management policiesand disaster spending. Her project can bebroken down into three dominant goals:(1) Figuring out what the counties do toaddress mitigation, mainly by pullinginformation from their county hazardNOA A O f fice for Coast al Manage me ntmitigation and comprehensive plans;(2) Calculating an estimated returnon investment for a subset of thosemitigation efforts to demonstrate thevalue of mitigation at the local level; and(3) Creating a communication tool thatcounties may use at the local, state, orfederal level to highlight their resilienceefforts and the economic return onsome of those efforts.“The most gratifying aspect of mywork has been the people,” says Shanna.“Through this fellowship, I have beenable to make genuine connections withthe members of my cohort, the DigitalCoast Partnership, county officialsWhen not working, Shannahas enjoyed exploring the D.C. areaand loves to catch a show at theKennedy Center. She also regularlyattends church, goes to the movies,and explores new fitness classes(usually with a Groupon, since sheis on a fellowship budget). She alsonever misses a chance to go back tothe Bronx to hang out with friendsand family for the weekend.During her fellowship, Shannafeels like she has gotten more clarityon how she wants to move forwardin her career. At the Social CoastForum, Shanna attended a sessionand staff, and technical experts withincoastal management. It has been reallyrewarding to be connected with somany people across so many differentorganizations committed to addressingcoastal management issues withvarying perspectives and expertise. Ihave been able to travel frequently andestablish a network of colleagues andfriends (that often feel like family) thatI can reach out to for just aboutanything. I am so grateful for theDigital Coast Fellowship.”on coastal and marine education,where one of the speakersemphasized the importance ofeducation as a management toolfor the coastal and climate issueswe face globally. Shanna took thatmessage to heart and has becomeincreasingly invested in the manyforms that this managementapproach may take, and how shecan position herself to pursue thisniche as a career.A network of people in the coastal management space that feel more like family than anything else.Spring 2020 Issue 84
Focus on the Fellowship: Sea Grant EndorsementsT he NOAA Office for Coastal Management received 55 applications from 25 Sea Grant programs across thecountry for the 2020 Coastal Management and Digital Coast Fellowship Program.Four criteria determined the selection of 18 finalists: academic performance and the diversity of educationalbackground; endorsement by the applicant’s Sea Grant director; support from two letters of recommendation; andthe content of the applicant’s goal statement.A workshop to match fellowship hosts with fellows took place online from April 27 to May 1, 2020. Eachhost had at least one fellow mentor attend the placement workshop, and the 18 finalists attended. The workshopincluded an orientation, project proposal presentations, finalist presentations, finalist and host interviews, andfellow matching. Of the finalists selected, nine were placed with a host organization.This year, the hosts are a combination of state coastal management agencies and Digital Coast partnerorganizations. They include the Association of State Floodplain Managers (in coordination with the Coastal StatesOrganization), the National Estuarine Research Reserve Association (at Narragansett Bay Research Reserve), theNature Conservancy, and the coastal management programs in California (California State Coastal Conservancy),Delaware, Guam, Maryland, Texas, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The new class of fellows will be introduced in thesummer issue of Fellow News.For more information on the 2020 state projects, please visit the fellowship website at coast.noaa.gov/fellowship/coastalmanagement.html, and for more information on the 2020 Digital Coast projects, please visit the fellowshipwebsite at �s New on Digital Coast?Meeting Engagement Tools Quick Reference Guide: An effective meeting requires good planning,strong facilitation, and activities that help participants reach meeting goals. Follow the link below toexplore planning and facilitation tools and activities that can help ensure meeting tmlDigital Coast in Your State: The Digital Coast is a partnership effort and a community resource fororganizations that manage the nation’s coasts. These reports showcase usage statistics and top data,tools, stories, and resources for each state. They were recently updated with fiscal year 2018 ur-state.htmlNOA A O f fice for Coast al Manage me ntSpring 2020 Issue 84
NOAA Office for Coastal Management2234 South Hobson AvenueCharleston, SC 29405-2413Upcoming Conferences and EventsNOAA Office for Coastal Management TrainingJUNEJUNE7 to 11: Association of State16: Seven Best Practices forRisk CommunicationLive WebinarFloodplain Managers AnnualNational UST18: OpenNSPECTLive Webinar9: Capitol Hill Ocean Week weekSEPTEMBER29 to October 1: Restore America’s EstuariesFor more information on virtual and site-specific trainings, land Coastal States Organization SummitVirtualestuaries.org/summitCredits and InformationFellow News is published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office for Coastal Management to relay information about thefellowship program and provide a forum for information exchange among fellows, mentors, Sea Grant, and the office.Please send your questions and suggestions for future editions to ocm.fellowships@noaa.govEditor: Margaret Allen Communications Director: Donna McCaskill Copy Editor: Gerald Esch Graphic Designer: Daniella Fishburnecoast.noaa.gov/fellowship/news
community socioeconomic status, or a lack of federal support to coastal communities. Furthermore, floods affect communities and social groups differently. By building on existing literature and data analysis, Alexis was able to assess socioeconomic impacts in coastal counties and the barriers to participating in the Community Rating System in the
