The Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute (UCI) will provide funding for four students and their faculty mentors to conduct summer research projects through its Heidi Lynn Sculthorpe Scholars program. In addition, a UCI Faculty Enrichment Grant has been awarded to Associate Professor Meghan Delaney to advance her research on ecotherapy, which focuses on contact with nature as a method for element of counseling.

Heidi Lynn Sculthorpe Scholars grants support students and faculty of all disciplines in pursuing their passions for marine and coastal issues through experiential research. The program provides grant opportunities for student researchers and faculty mentors to conduct projects of their own design that advance the UCI’s mission and Monmouth’s Strategic Plan. Each year, the program funds several hands-on research positions that provide real-world experience to students while helping make a positive impact in coastal communities.

Student Summer Research Grants

The Anomaly of Coral Reef Conservation

Student Researcher and Major: Audrey Copeland, marine and environmental biology and policy

Faculty Mentor: Rechnitz Family/UCI Endowed Chair in Marine and Environmental Law and Policy Peter Jacques

Analysis will focus on the comparative lack of ocean conservation measures being taken in the Caribbean relative to the critical importance that healthy reefs play in the region’s economy and ecosystems. 

Beachcomber’s Guide to the New Jersey Shore

Student Researcher and Major: Diederik Boonman Morales, marine and environmental biology and policy

Faculty Mentor: Professor Pedram Daneshgar, Ph.D., Department of Biology/Marine and Environmental Biology and Policy Program

A field guide will be created for beachgoers to learn about common organisms found along New Jersey’s beaches. The guide will include photos to aid with visual identification, short descriptions of each organism’s key characteristics, behavior, and habitat preferences, and more.

Social Impacts of Coastal Disasters in Randolph, N.J., During Hurricane Sandy

Student Researcher and Major: Bryana Ruiz, biology

Faculty Mentor: Rechnitz Family/UCI Endowed Chair in Marine and Environmental Law and Policy Peter Jacques

Using the Morris County municipality of Randolph’s experience during Hurricane Sandy as a case study, the researcher will explore how factors such as neighborhood history and social conditions can shape risk and vulnerability to climate hazards.

A Study of Invasive Species Persistence in the Presence of Pollution Using Nonautonomous Lotka-Volterra Models

Student Researcher and Major: Miriam Abecasis, mathematics and software engineering (double major)

Faculty Mentor: Assistant Professor Torrey Gallagher, Ph.D., Department of Mathematics

The project aims to develop mathematical models describing the effects of pollution, contaminants, and runoff on the spread and persistence of invasive species in New Jersey waterways.

Faculty Enrichment Grant

The Influence of Ecotherapy and EcoWellness on Counselor Burnout

Faculty Researcher: Associate Professor Megan Delaney, Ph.D., LPC, Department of Psychology

This research will probe whether practicing ecotherapy and fostering ecowellness can buffer against burnout in mental health professionals, and if so, what the associated factors are.

Additional Funding Opportunities

Monmouth University students and faculty are invited to apply now for additional summer and fall Heidi Lynn Sculthorpe Scholars funding opportunities. Grants available include:

• Faculty Enrichment Grants for the enhancement of existing curriculum, new curriculum development, research and scholarship, and team-teaching opportunities. Proposals for fall grants will be accepted through Aug. 22.  
• Mini-Grants are also available to faculty and students for conference fees, symposia, guest speaker honoraria, equipment and supplies, and other needs to be determined on a case-by-case-basis. Applications can be submitted at any time and are reviewed on a rolling basis.

Those interested may apply via the UCI Funding Opportunities page on the MyMU Portal (Monmouth University sign-in credentials required). For more information, contact UCI Associate Director Tom Herrington at therring@monmouth.edu.

These opportunities have been made possible through the generous support of many corporate and private donors. If you would like to make a tax-deductible gift to the UCI, please use our Give a Gift Now form.

When art imitates life, will it breed more life? An experimental collaboration between the Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute (UCI) and Department of Art and Design aims to find out.

On Earth Day, Associate Professor of Art Kimberly Callas and students Marcos DeJesus, Eliana Duarte, and Victoria Rivoli delivered a presentation on their work creating 3D-printed sculptures that mimic the shapes of reefs that are commonly found in Mid-Atlantic waters. These sculptures will soon be placed in the UCI’s aquaculture tanks at Naval Weapons Station Earle to learn whether oyster larvae are any more likely to colonize them than the cinder block-shaped oyster castles or other materials that have been used to build an artificial reef off the facility’s shores. 

Callas and the students began studying reef shapes in the fall, consulting UCI Coastal Resilience and Restoration Practitioner Meredith Comi and Marine Biology Technician Amanda Boddy for insights on how to make them lifelike. They initially created a group of small prototypes with soft materials like clay and foam that were 3D scanned and manipulated digitally to add texture and refinements. Once the digital models were 3D printed, students made rubber molds of them and cast them in a concrete material that is ocean safe. The pieces were then scaled up to craft a group of harder sculptures of varying sizes that attendees at the presentation could touch and feel.

Comi said the sculptures will be placed in the tanks over the summer and monitored with the help of a team of marine and environmental biology and policy students. The shapes and textures that are most successful will be reproduced as larger marine concrete versions in the 30-pound range – hefty enough to withstand the pounding of the waves and currents, but light enough for the team to handle.

“It has been such a rich experience for my students to participate in this collaboration and work with scientists to come up with these ideas that are actually going to be involved in research and shore protection,” Callas said.

The research being conducted at the Earle reef is restoring the environment while producing valuable data on the power of nature-based solutions for improving coastal resilience. Oysters are famous as nature’s water purifiers, with one adult capable of filtering excess nitrogen and pollutants from 50 gallons per day. As the reef structures accumulate sediment and become further armored by the oysters and other organisms growing on them, they can also serve as “speed bumps” that blunt the force of waves and prevent erosion. Funding for the research was secured by Congressman Frank Pallone and is administered through Office of Naval Research grant N00014-24-1-2035.

UCI Associate Director Tom Herrington said the sculpture project will serve as an opportunity to experiment with new shapes, sizes, formations and textures to determine if they provide any advantages for shore stabilization. 

“The living laboratory gives us a chance to test these ideas in the natural environment by measuring wave energy across the reef, changes in the currents, and how the shoreline changes over time,” Herrington said. “What we’re trying to understand is not only what geometries work best, but also what topographies work best. The partnership with the Art Department and Kimberly’s students has allowed us to think outside the box.”

The talk was held in the Great Hall Pompeii Room as part of Monmouth University Student Scholarship Week. Click here to view a research poster (PDF, 100 MB) summarizing the students’ process for creating the sculptures.  

A team of Monmouth University computer science students has created a mobile app version of the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Data Portal, giving users access to a sea of coastal and ocean maps wherever they may be. The app is available for free download on Google Play and the Apple App Store. 

The Portal (portal.midatlanticocean.org) is a publicly accessible GIS site containing over 6,000 interactive maps showing vessel traffic patterns, marine life distributions, commercial fishing grounds, recreation hot spots, offshore infrastructure locations, and much more. Maintained by the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean (MARCO) – a partnership of five states from New York to Virginia working to enhance the vitality of the region’s ocean ecosystem and economy – the site has become an influential tool for informing ocean management decisions and a valuable educational resource. However, due to the complexity of its GIS web app (called “Marine Planner”), the Portal has limited compatibility with smaller handheld devices. 

May 2023 graduates Nolan Beagell, Chelsea Spencer and Ava Taylor set out to build a solution during a senior project course taught by Specialist Professor Raman Lakshmanan. As part of the course, teams can choose a capstone project from a pool of ideas proposed from external clients. Urban Coast Institute (UCI) Communications Director Karl Vilacoba, who manages the Portal technical team, and Ecotrust Senior Software Developer Ryan Hodges, the site’s developer, floated a few possibilities related to the Portal, including developing new tools on the site and creating an app. The team picked the latter and collaborated with Vilacoba and Hodges to get it started.

The group unveiled a beta version of the app for users to test and share their feedback at MARCO’s 2024 Mid-Atlantic Ocean Forum in New York City. MARCO was impressed by what it saw, and the organization provided grant funding to the UCI to finish the job.

Under the direction of Lakshmanan, Taylor was contracted after graduation to continue her work along with Monmouth computer science senior Anjali Narang. The duo refined the technology out of the Computer Science and Software Engineering Department’s Mobile Apps and AR/VR Lab in Howard and Edison Halls, with Taylor leading the iOS version’s development and Narang the Android product.

Although some advanced maps and capabilities from the desktop site are currently not available on the app, it does contain new functionalities that are unique from the Portal. Among them are a GPS indicator that shows where you’re located in real time on the map, the ability to swipe right to unlock commands, and options  to select “favorite” or “active”  layers, which serves as a simple alternative to the Bookmarks tool on the desktop site. Taylor and Narang said many design choices were made to put an iPhone and Android twist on what the Portal does.

“The user experience on a phone is much different than a computer, so we wanted to replicate instinctual movements, icons, and things you’d find on other apps we were familiar with,” Taylor said. “We wanted to take the website and give it that iPhone feel. We grew up with this technology and knew what would feel intuitive for a user.”

Their faithful attention to the details of iPhone and Android products led them to make the versions slightly different. For example, certain button icons and color conventions that are commonly found on one or the other were adopted.

“I’ve worked on three apps for Android that were all based on an iOS app, and every time it would look slightly different,” Narang said. “If I tried to make it look exactly the same, it just wouldn’t feel right.”

Lakshmanan said the project was the most rewarding his students have ever worked on in terms of delivering the full experience of creating a product for a client and advancing it to the market. The team viewed their opportunities to collaborate with a seasoned software developer in Hodges and to enhance the product based on constructive input from multiple in-person conferences and MARCO meetings as particularly valuable. 

“They got to learn what it takes to get real products out into the field,” Lakshmanan said. “You can’t teach that in a class, per se. A project like this that gives them the best hands-on experience.”

MARCO is excited about the potential new audiences and uses of its data that the app will unlock.

“Using the MARCO app, a beachgoer can browse our maps, for example, to identify something interesting they see offshore, or a family out fishing on their boat can look for nearby reefs or wrecks,” MARCO Executive Director Avalon Bristow said. “Uses like these were limited in the past because people would have needed a computer and Internet access.”

More information about the app and instructions for using it can be found here. If you have questions or feedback on the app, please email portal@midatlanticocean.org. 

Update 4/4: The deadline for submissions has been extended to April 18.

The Urban Coast Institute (UCI) invites Monmouth University students of all majors to apply for 2025 Heidi Lynn Sculthorpe Scholars Summer Research Grants. The deadline for submissions is April 18.

Funding is available for projects proposed by undergraduate and graduate students that will be completed under the guidance of a faculty mentor, or projects proposed by a faculty member that will be completed with the support of student researchers. All proposals relevant to the mission of the UCI will be considered. Some specific topics of interest to the UCI include:

• Enhancing Consideration for comprehensive community wellbeing as Coastal Communities adjust to changing coastal hazards
• Impacts of sea level rise on coastal environments and communities
• Environmental and social issues related to offshore wind development
• Social impacts of coastal disasters
• Coastal ecosystem adaptation planning
• Financing resilience
• The blue economy and blue tech
• Marine and environmental arts and humanities
• Furthering the UN Decade of the Ocean Sustainable Development Goals at the international, national and local levels
• Urban ocean issues and opportunities
• Sustainable fisheries in a changing climate

Proposal applications, instructions and more information can be found on the Heidi Lynn Sculthorpe Scholars Summer Research Grants application site (Monmouth student/staff login credentials required). Completed applications should be submitted to UCI Associate Director Tom Herrington at therring@monmouth.edu. For additional questions, email therring@monmouth.edu.

The Global Ocean Forum (GOF) and Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute (UCI) hosted the third edition of their Ocean and Climate Action webinar series, “Sustainable Blue Economy,” on March 4. The session gathered leading international experts to explore the development of a blue economy that sustainably utilizes ocean and coastal resources while emphasizing economic growth, social inclusion and environmental preservation.

The webinar was moderated by GOF Executive Director Miriam Balgos and UCI Director Tony MacDonald and included the following panelists (scroll down for bios):

• Cynthia Barzuna, Ocean Action 2030 Coalition Director, World Resources Institute
• Cary Anne Cadman, Regional Environment Manager, Latin America and the Caribbean, World Bank
• Jérémie Adlerfligel, Third Secretary, Permanent Mission of Monaco to the United Nations in New York
• Nigel Bradly, Chief Executive Officer, EnviroStrat; Policy Advisory Board Member, Global Ocean Forum
• James Merchant, Marine Natural Capital Analyst, Marine Conservation Society

The webinar was the final installment of an Ocean and Climate Action series that the UCI and GOF are jointly organizing in alignment with the U.N. Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development Vision 2030. The webinars aimed to mobilize civil society around critical ocean and climate action identified in the report on Assessing Progress on Ocean and Climate Action 2022-2023 (“ROCA” report). The ROCA report highlights the need for a regenerative blue economy to support healthy ocean and climate systems. This webinar discussed the advancement of blue economy practices, explored the development of a sustainable and regenerative blue economy, and development of plans for sustainable ocean economies.

Click here to watch the first Climate and Ocean Action series webinar, “Catalyzing Party and Community Action on Ocean, Climate and BBNJ,” held on April 18, 2024. Click here  to view the second webinar, “Current Status and Future of the Global Plastics Treaty,” held on Feb. 4, 2025.

Panelist Bios

Cynthia Barzuna

Cynthia Barzuna is the director of Ocean Action 2030, a voluntary coalition dedicated to supporting countries in their aim of building a sustainable ocean economy through the development and implementation of Sustainable Ocean Plans. Members of Ocean Action 2030 are leading institutions that can provide the technical and financial assistance that countries may need to develop and implement their Sustainable Ocean Plans, where there is a match between country demand and member capacity. Currently, this coalition works with the countries that are part of The High-Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy (Ocean Panel), a unique global initiative by serving world leaders that is working to build momentum towards a sustainable ocean economy in which effective protection, sustainable production and equitable prosperity go together.

Cary Anne Cadman

Cary Anne Cadman is the blue economy coordinator for the Caribbean Region assisting World Bank clients to identify viable solutions to the myriad challenges faced in ensuring sustainable use of their environmental and natural resource base. Previously, she served as environment sector coordinator for the Pacific Islands and Indonesia providing technical leadership of the region and country’s multi-sectoral ocean economy, inclusive of oceanic and coastal fisheries, coastal ecosystems, nature-based tourism, marine pollution and green growth agendas as well as managing the 20-member Environment and Social Safeguards teams. Prior to that, she was the deputy regional safeguards advisor for Sub-Saharan Africa overseeing environmental and social risk mitigation and due diligence of more than 800 operations in 47 countries, including 17 Fragile States. Ms. Cadman has worked directly in more than 33 countries, including several Fragile States, across three regions (Sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia and the Pacific and Latin America and the Caribbean), leading regional, national and sub-national World Bank operations and high-level policy dialogue on forestry, fisheries, biodiversity, green growth, environmental risk mitigation and the blue economy. She has served on several advisory boards as lead strategist on blue economy and environmental risk management.

Jérémie Adlerfligel

Jérémie Adlerfligel is a Monegasque diplomat working at the Permanent Mission of the Principality of Monaco to the United Nations. After starting his career at the Department of External Relations and Cooperation, Jérémie focuses on issues relating to the protection of the environment, the ocean and the law of the sea.

Nigel Bradly, Ph.D.

Nigel Bradly is a natural resources, energy and marine specialist with 22 years experience in both public and private sectors around the world. Strategy development and execution has become a particular focus in the past 15 years and includes leadership roles in multiple acquisitions, mergers, divestments, restructuring, capital raising, execution of a public-private partnership, and creation of new businesses in the energy, primary, environmental, tourism, and financial service sectors.

James Merchant

James Merchant is leading the Marine Conservation Society’s work on natural capital, blue finance and the sustainable blue economy. Advocating for a sustainable blue economy that delivers sustainable growth, resilience and equity by protecting and enhancing our marine ecosystems. Creating socioeconomic analysis to inform decision makers and support ocean advocacy, including the long-term impact on society of a restricting bottom-contact fishing with the UK’s offshore benthic MPA network and the potential for blue job creation through ocean restoration. Co-host of a podcast series exploring various aspects of a sustainable blue economy. Chair of the UK Blue Carbon Forum Policy and Markets working group.

Moderator Bios

Tony MacDonald

Tony MacDonald is director of the Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute (UCI). He was previously the executive director of the Coastal States Organization (CSO) from 1998-2005. CSO, based in Washington, DC, represents the interests of the governors of the nation’s 35 coastal states and territories on coastal and ocean policy matters. Prior to joining CSO, Tony was the special counsel and director of environmental affairs at the American Association of Port Authorities, where he represented the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) at the International Maritime Organization on negotiations on the London Convention. Tony also practiced law with a private firm in Washington, DC, and served as the environmental legislative representative for the Mayor of the City of New York.

Miriam Balgos, Ph.D.

Miriam Balgos is executive director of the Global Ocean Forum and concurrent project manager-capacity development specialist of a GEF-funded project on Building and Enhancing Sectoral and Cross-Sectoral Capacity to Support Sustainable Resource Use and Biodiversity Conservation in Marine Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction. Formerly associate scientist at the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment, University of Delaware and the program coordinator of the Global Ocean Forum, Balgos led the Gerard J. Mangone Center for Marine Policy team in the organization and conduct of multi-stakeholder dialogues in integrated ocean and coastal management. Her research focused on integrated ocean and coastal management, marine protected areas, marine areas beyond national jurisdiction, and climate change adaptation. She co-authored and contributed to various publications including “A Comparative Analysis of Ocean Policies in Fifteen Nations and Four Regions” and co-edited the Routledge “Handbook of National and Regional Ocean Policies.” Miriam received a bachelor’s degree in fisheries and master’s in marine biology from the University of the Philippines, and a master’s in business administration and Ph.D. marine studies at the University of Delaware.

Student and faculty researchers at Monmouth University have recorded the first confirmation of the anemone species Actinia equina, also known as the beadlet anemone, on North American shores.

A common inhabitant of the rocky coastlines of the British Isles and Northern Europe, the anemone has found a new home which bears some similarities – the jetties that protrude into the waters of the New Jersey Shore. The team located the anemones on a half-dozen beaches from Long Branch to Manasquan in Monmouth County. Members of the public have reported possible sightings as far north as Long Island and south as Island Beach State Park.

“We don’t really have the kind of rocky ecosystems where they thrive here in the Mid-Atlantic, but they have invaded the human-made groins that were constructed decades ago for sand retention,” said Diederik Boonman, a senior marine and environmental biology and policy student at Monmouth. “The boulders provide the shelter, structure and food that make for a hospitable habitat in an otherwise sandy environment where they wouldn’t survive.”

Boonman first encountered the anemones while cataloging marine life in the intertidal zone at a beach near campus as part of a homework assignment. Neither he nor Endowed Professor of Marine Science Jason Adolf recognized what they were seeing, and a review of existing literature and databases didn’t turn up any likely matches known to live in the region. Around that time, a few other local beachgoers had posted pictures of similar specimens on a crowdsourcing website where nature enthusiasts and scientists can share information about wildlife and plants they’ve encountered. None were sure what they had found.

But Adolf and Boonman continued the search and consulted with anemone experts from around the globe, including James Carlton of Williams College and Craig Wilding of Liverpool John Moores University (U.K.). The group zeroed in on the likelihood that it was Actinia equina, but needed verification. A comparison of DNA samples from one of the New Jersey anemones and a native specimen provided by Wilding in England turned up a match.

“It is a privilege to work with motivated and enthusiastic students like Diederik to document important changes to the marine fauna of our region like this,” Adolf said. “The next step is to expand what we know about this anemone’s distribution and how it fits in with the local ecosystem.”

Although the species can be a variety of colors, the ones located in New Jersey have a blue ring at their bottom, pale green bodies, and matching green tentacles with blue tips. They are known as aggressive predators which use their tentacles to capture small fish, crabs and mollusks, then retract them and close up during low tide to conserve moisture. 

While their tentacles do produce a toxin to stun prey, they don’t pose a serious threat to humans and can’t penetrate the skin, Boonman said. They also tend to live in the crevices between the rocks, where bathers are unlikely to come in contact with them.

The researchers believe the anemones most likely arrived as hitchhikers aboard an international ship traveling to the Port of New York/New Jersey. They release clones into the water that can float and survive extreme conditions until they find a surface to cling to, Boonman said. These juvenile organisms may have been discharged in a ship’s ballast water or from an anemone living on a hull, then carried by the currents from the New York Harbor area to Northern Monmouth County.

Boonman and Adolf are working on a GIS map showing the locations of sightings in the area in an effort to track their spread. Anyone who sees one is asked to email jadolf@monmouth.edu with the date and location of the observation.

A study by the group, “First record of the sea anemone Actinia equina (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) on the Mid-Atlantic coast of the United States,” was published this month in the Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom.

The Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute (UCI) and Global Ocean Forum (GOF) hosted the webinar “Current Status and Future of the Global Plastics Treaty” on Feb. 4. The webinar assembled an international group of experts to explore the progress, as well as the failures, toward addressing plastic pollution on a global scale while assessing its various implications.

Panelists included: Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution Executive Secretary Jyoti Mathur-Filipp; Monterey Bay Aquarium Chief Conservation and Science Officer Margaret Spring; Ocean Voices Programme Head of Science Policy Research Marjo Vierros; and Center for International Environmental Law Senior Legal Campaigner (Upstream Plastics Treaty) Daniela Durán. The session will be moderated by UCI Director Tony MacDonald and GOF Executive Director Miriam Balgos. Scroll below for speaker bios.

The webinar was the second installment of an Ocean and Climate Action series that the UCI and GOF are jointly organizing in alignment with the U.N. Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development Vision 2030. The webinars aim to mobilize civil society around critical ocean and climate action identified in the report on Assessing Progress on Ocean and Climate Action 2022-2023 (“ROCA” report). The ROCA report reviews progress made on climate and ocean initiatives, making it a useful tool for discussion of strategies for achieving climate goals moving forward. Click here to watch the first webinar, “Catalyzing Party and Community Action on Ocean, Climate and BBNJ,” held on April 18, 2024.

The ROCA Report identified plastics as a key issue impacting global marine systems. Thus, the second webinar discussed the Global Plastics Treaty and explored its implications for the management of land-based marine pollution.

Panelist Bios

Jyoti Mathur-Filipp

Jyoti Mathur-Filipp is the executive secretary of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution and head of the secretariat. Prior to this assignment, she served as director at the secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity. She has held key roles in inter-governmental processes, leading the work on the new global biodiversity framework. With over 25 years of experience in international environmental diplomacy, she possesses extensive knowledge in environment, climate, and sustainable development networks. She began her career with UNDP and managed groundbreaking partnerships. Her diverse roles include consulting for UNFCCC and senior advisory positions at UNDP. Mathur-Filipp holds an MS and MBA and is an alumnus of esteemed educational institutions.

Margaret Spring

Margaret Spring joined the Monterey Bay Aquarium in 2013 to oversee its many conservation and science initiatives, including all ocean science policy work, the Seafood Watch sustainable seafood initiative and conservation research programs, including MBARI. From 2009 to 2013, she held leadership roles at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, first as chief of staff and then as principal deputy undersecretary for oceans and atmosphere. Prior to her tenure in the Obama Administration, Margaret led The Nature Conservancy’s California coastal and marine program. From 1999 to 2007, she served on Capitol Hill as senior counsel, then general counsel, to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, where she advised members of Congress on ocean and climate issues and helped develop legislation on major science and policy topics. She is a graduate of Duke University Law School and Dartmouth College.

Marjo Vierros

Marjo Vierros is the Ocean Voices Programme’s director of coastal policy and humanities research, which undertakes interdisciplinary research on oceans issues. She is also a senior associate with the Global Oceans Forum and a Research Associate with the University of British Columbia Nereus Program. Previously she coordinated the Global Marine Governance Project at United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability and undertook research with its Traditional Knowledge Initiative. With degrees in biology, oceanography and marine biology, her career has included work with research, conservation and United Nations organizations in countries in the Caribbean, North and Central America, Bermuda and the Pacific. Her research interests include ocean governance and marine biocultural diversity.

Daniela Durán

Daniela Durán is a senior legal campaigner focused on the upstream parts of the plastics treaty for the Center for International Environmental Law’s Environmental Health program. She is a Colombian campaigner, with relevant experience influencing national and international plastic policy. She worked as a public policy specialist for The Nature Conservancy, where she helped enhance the voices of Indigenous Peoples in international climate policy. She also served as a policy advocacy manager for MarViva Foundation, where she co-drafted and advocated for the approval of Colombia’s first law to reduce single-use plastic production. Daniela holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the Rosario University in Colombia, and a master’s degree in environment and development from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), where she was awarded the Chevening Scholarship for global leaders and researched the frames used for plastic pollution in national policies.

Moderator Bios

Tony MacDonald

Tony MacDonald is director of the Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute (UCI). He was previously the executive director of the Coastal States Organization (CSO) from 1998-2005. CSO, based in Washington, DC, represents the interests of the governors of the nation’s 35 coastal states and territories on coastal and ocean policy matters. Prior to joining CSO, Tony was the special counsel and director of environmental affairs at the American Association of Port Authorities, where he represented the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) at the International Maritime Organization on negotiations on the London Convention. Tony also practiced law with a private firm in Washington, DC, and served as the environmental legislative representative for the Mayor of the City of New York.

Miriam Balgos, Ph.D.

Miriam Balgos is executive director of the Global Ocean Forum and concurrent project manager-capacity development specialist of a GEF-funded project on Building and Enhancing Sectoral and Cross-Sectoral Capacity to Support Sustainable Resource Use and Biodiversity Conservation in Marine Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction. Formerly associate scientist at the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment, University of Delaware and the program coordinator of the Global Ocean Forum, Balgos led the Gerard J. Mangone Center for Marine Policy team in the organization and conduct of multi-stakeholder dialogues in integrated ocean and coastal management. Her research focused on integrated ocean and coastal management, marine protected areas, marine areas beyond national jurisdiction, and climate change adaptation. She co-authored and contributed to various publications including “A Comparative Analysis of Ocean Policies in Fifteen Nations and Four Regions” and co-edited the Routledge “Handbook of National and Regional Ocean Policies.” Miriam received a bachelor’s degree in fisheries and master’s in marine biology from the University of the Philippines, and a master’s in business administration and Ph.D. marine studies at the University of Delaware.

Since its launch in 2021, Love Blue Monmouth has organized two dozen cleanups at local beaches. The student club’s growth on campus was evident in its final event of the fall, when nearly 200 members of Monmouth University fraternities and sororities participated in a cleanup in Deal. We reached out to Love Blue Monmouth’s president, marine and environmental biology and policy student Katie Marshall, to learn more about its work, recent activities, and what’s next for the club. For details on upcoming cleanups, visit Love Blue Monmouth on Instagram at @lovebluemonmouth.

What is Love Blue Monmouth’s mission?

Our mission is to empower the students that live along the coastal communities near Monmouth University to take action against the pollution crisis along our shorelines. As a student organization, we create opportunities for individuals from diverse backgrounds to unite in the common goal of protecting the environment. We are dedicated to preserving our natural resources and advocating for solutions to combat climate change.

When we last checked in a year ago, Love Blue Monmouth had removed 921 pounds of trash from the beach in 15 events. What’s that count up to today?

Since our last update, Love Blue Monmouth has organized 10 cleanup events, removing a total of 850 pounds of trash from the shorelines with the help of 578 volunteers during the 2024 year.

After recent cleanups, you’ve been sorting the trash to take counts of certain items that were picked up. Can you tell us about the data you’re collecting and what you’ve discovered so far?

We’ve been collecting data on the types and amounts of trash we remove during our cleanups in order to better understand the environmental impact and identify patterns in the waste. By recording specific items, we can also raise awareness about the most common types of pollution along our shorelines. As we analyze this data, we’re noticing that plastics and miscellaneous debris (like broken items or random trash) make up the bulk of what we’re collecting. Everyday items like bottle caps, straws, and cans really highlight the ongoing pollution problem we’re facing. We also come across some unexpected items, like shopping carts and beach chairs, which just shows how unpredictable the types of trash can be on our beaches.

From your conversations with students, what do you think their main takeaways are from participating?

From speaking to students, the main takeaway is that they feel a sense of accomplishment knowing their efforts are having a real impact. They get a better understanding of climate change and why local policies matter when it comes to protecting the environment. We make sure the information we share is accurate and connects to what’s actually going on with the fight against climate change.

What’s next for Love Blue Monmouth? Do you see Love Blue Monmouth holding cleanups that are open to non-students?

My main priority right now is making sure our student volunteers stay safe. We also have limited supplies as a club, so we need to ensure we can properly support the students who are already involved. Moving forward, I would like to establish a consistent, regular schedule for cleanups that encourages widespread student participation. Once this is firmly in place, I hope to expand our efforts and invite more community members to join us in future cleanups.

What are the best ways to support and get involved with your work?

The best way to support Love Blue Monmouth right now is by coming out to our cleanup events and helping us make a real impact. Spreading the word about what we’re doing and raising awareness about the importance of keeping our environment clean is also key. Since we live so close to the beach and use it all the time, it’s really important that we take action now to protect it and make sure it stays healthy for future generations.

Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute Community Engagement and Outreach Specialist Rachel Forbes was recognized with the 2025 Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) Book Award Honorable Mention for her work on “Ecosocial Work: Environmental Practice and Advocacy.”

Edited by Forbes and Institute for Social Work and Ecological Justice Director Kelly Smith, the book examines the need for social workers to proactively engage with clients and communities and respond to the growing impacts of environmental injustices in the face of the accelerating climate crisis. The book encourages readers to consider how simultaneously protecting the planet while meeting the historical aims of the profession advances the values and ethical mandates social workers abide by. Designed to foster critical thinking, the book offers hope and possibility for a just environmental future.

Forbes was honored during a Jan. 18 ceremony at the 2025 SSWR Conference in Seattle, Washington. The SSWR lauded Forbes and Smith for for “outstanding scholarly contributions that advance social work knowledge.”  

The SSWR is the premier organization dedicated to the advancement of social work research. Its membership includes faculty in schools of social work and other professional schools, research staff in public and private agencies, and masters and doctoral students from around the world.

The book was published in 2023 by NASW Press, a division of the National Association of Social Workers. Read a review published in the Journal of Social Work in Mental Health.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is seeking candidates to serve as a community engagement fellow to support the Building a Climate Ready New Jersey project as part of the NOAA Coastal Resilience Fellowship Program. The fellow will support Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute (UCI) Associate Director Tom Herrington in coordinating the project’s Resilience Project Design Pipeline work.

The fellow will work to ensure that multiple education, engagement, and training activities are planned and implemented in conjunction with the other core activities of the Climate Ready New Jersey project. The fellow’s primary responsibility will be to work closely with Herrington and Rachel Forbes, the UCI’s community engagement specialist, to engage in the development of resilience projects for inclusion in the design pipeline.

Click here for full details on the fellowship and instructions for applying.