Ocean Policy Working Group at Duke

09/05/2021

Reminder that applications for OPWG Coordinators close Monday 9/6 @ midnight! We encourage first-years of all concentrations at the Nicholas School to apply, especially if you are interested in student leadership, making professional connections, and marine science/policy issues!

Thank you for your interest in joining the OPWG Board! You may apply to up to 3 different positions - please feel free to submit this form up to 3 times for each position. **Applications are due at 11:59pm on Monday, Sept. 6th!!** For questions about specific roles, email: - Administrative: Scott Be...

08/24/2021

Happy First Week of Classes! Interested in joining the OPWG board this year? Come chat with us at the Nicholas School Student Activities Fair this Friday 8/27 to learn more about the coordinator positions! Applications will be open shortly after.

07/20/2021

This summer, OPWG Outreach Coordinator Claire Huang is working with the Fisheries Conservation Lab at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center! Her research focuses on river herring, a group of anadromous fish (much like salmon) that live in the ocean but migrate annually to spawn in freshwater streams. Claire's project assesses whether large-scale dam removals help restore fish migratory paths and spawning habitat, using data on egg production, environmental DNA, and acoustic tagging. She is also interested in modeling how dam removal affects fisheries productivity in the Chesapeake Bay. While she may not be able to be in the field due to COVID, Claire is excited to work with the lab to publish and share the results of this study to inform future herring conservation. Her PI, Dr. Matt Ogburn, is also a Duke Marine Lab alum! 🐟🐟

06/28/2021

This week's coordinator feature is our Publication Coordinator, Rachel Earnhardt! Rachel is delighted to be the Coastal Resilience Stanback Intern with the Southern Environmental Law Center based in the Charleston, SC office. This summer, she is conducting research to support a range of projects about coastal resilience policy with a focus on equity. Her supervisor, the wonderful Jenny Brennan, is Duke MEM Class of ’17!

06/22/2021

Happy National Ocean Month! Curious what the OPWG Coordinators are up to this summer? 🌊

Our first feature is OPWG Seminar Coordinator, Juliette Lee! Juliette is interning with the Chicago Zoological Society at Mote Marine Lab. She is monitoring dolphin populations by conducting boat-based photographic and drone identification surveys to collect and record behavioral, location, individual, acoustic, and environmental data of the resident bottlenose dolphin groups, and additional data related to human-dolphin interactions. She is also conducting research on the relationships between distributions of dolphins and their prey and factors that affect fish community ecology by sampling fish communities through purse seining techniques and collection of other environmental data. Juliette will apply her new-found acoustic data analysis skills from this internship to her master’s project on ocean noise. 🐬🐬🐬

06/08/2021

Happy World Ocean Day!! 🌊🦑🐟⚓️ Here are some ways you can show love for our oceans today:

- Tune into the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation's Capitol Hill Ocean Week (6/8 to 6/10): https://marinesanctuary.org/capitol-hill-ocean-week-2021/

- Check out the upcoming Ocean Justice Forum initiative: https://www.oceanjusticeforum.info/

- Join a local or virtual World Ocean Day awareness event and beach clean-up: https://worldoceanday.org/events/

03/25/2021

To close out 2021 Ocean Policy Month, we're excited to welcome Ocean Conservancy's Nick Mallos and Jackie McGarry for a Lunch Seminar, tomorrow at 12:30pm! Come learn about how Nick and Jackie are combatting international issues of marine debris with the Trash Free Seas campaign and Global Ghost Gear Initiative. Hope to sea you there tomorrow!

Join the seminar here: https://duke.zoom.us/j/5815403847
Read more about our speakers: https://sites.duke.edu/opwg/events/lunch-hour-seminar-series/
FB Event page: https://fb.me/e/GzLiwupL

03/19/2021

Career Trek is starting soon! Join us here:
https://duke.zoom.us/j/92205437944?pwd=VzVKc2JzdDV6VEpuNWxkNC80VGxPZz09

03/14/2021

Join us THIS FRIDAY 3/19 at 11:00am for OPWG's annual Career Trek! This year's panel features professionals from the private, academic, and government sectors in ocean/coastal management. You will get the opportunity to speak with our guests more informally and personally in the speed networking portion of the event!

Zoom link to join: https://duke.zoom.us/j/92205437944?pwd=VzVKc2JzdDV6VEpuNWxkNC80VGxPZz09 (Passcode: 702573)
Read more about our guests here: https://sites.duke.edu/opwg/events/lobbying-trip/

Following the event, OPWG and The Coastal Society, Duke University Student Chapter will host a friendly coffee break to chat about upcoming student career development opportunities!

02/27/2021

Get your wetsuits ready for an ENTIRE month of ocean policy events! OPWG will be hosting an event every Friday in March, from panel speakers to professional development opportunities.

The series will begin next week with the 2-day 2021 Spring Symposium: Water Stories, followed by our annual Career Trek. The month will close out with a Lunch Seminar with two speakers from the Ocean Conservancy. Stay tuned for Zoom link information for each event!