A team of Monmouth University computer science students has created a mobile app version of the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Data Portal that will allow Android and iPhone users to quickly search and view thousands of maps showing natural features and human activities at sea.

The group unveiled a beta version of the app and invited attendees to test it during a poster session at the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Forum, held May 18 at the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House in New York City. (Watch the video above for a demonstration.)

May 2023 graduates Nolan Beagell, Chelsea Spencer and Ava Taylor developed the iOS and Android apps as their capstone project as part of the Computer Science and Software Engineering Department’s CS-492 Senior Project course taught by Specialist Professor Dr. Raman Lakshmanan. The student team spent the fall semester gathering the requirements and defining a detailed design. This included researching the web Portal, gathering information from Portal Project Manager and Urban Coast Institute (UCI) Communications Director Karl Vilacoba, and the Portal’s developer, Ecotrust Senior Software Developer Ryan Hodges. In the spring the group’s attention turned toward implementation and testing of the apps.

The Portal is a free and publicly accessible GIS mapping and information site focused on ocean areas from New York through Virginia. It contains over 6,000 interactive maps showing shipping traffic patterns, marine life habitats, offshore wind infrastructure, fishing grounds, military training zones, shipwreck locations and much more.

The Portal has been used for a broad range of purposes, such as siting offshore wind projects, designing undersea telecom cable routes, Coast Guard studies on shipping lanes and anchorage areas, and marine science education. It is maintained by a technical team consisting of researchers from the UCI, Rutgers University, Duke University, the New York Department of State, and Ecotrust, under the guidance of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean (MARCO).

The team’s mission was to create a scaled-down version of the Portal’s mapping application (Marine Planner) that would be more compatible with mobile devices. The group’s design does away with some Portal tools that are more appropriate for desktop environments and focuses on making it simple for a user to view its map layers on a phone screen or tablet. As a replacement for the desktop version’s Bookmarks tool, the team created a “Favorites” function which allows users to save maps they’re interested in.

“If you’d like to add a map layer to your Favorites, which saves all your data so you can have easy access to a layer that you’d like to use [in the future], you can hit the heart and it will add it,” Beagell explains in the video demonstration.

The students designed the app so it would automatically present newly added maps on the Portal. As a result, the app’s maps would be in sync with the Portal presentations.

“We were floored by what an on-brand, easy-to-use product the team put together,” Vilacoba said. “We believe it could open up the Portal’s trove of ocean data to totally new user groups and use cases. For example, an angler at sea could use their phone to scan for nearby artificial reefs or shipwrecks, which wouldn’t have been possible before unless the boat had a computer aboard.”

“Projects like these help our students gain valuable real-world experiences in developing software solutions from start to finish and also to present at an event like Mid Atlantic Ocean Forum,” Lakshmanan said.

Vilacoba, Hodges and MARCO will continue to work with Professor Lakshmanan and Monmouth students to test and fine-tune the app, with public releases in the Apple’s app and Android’s Google Play stores in Fall 2023.

The Coastal Society (TCS) named Urban Coast Institute Director Tony MacDonald as a 2023 recipient of its Outstanding Service Award, presented for outstanding accomplishments in coastal management.

TCS is an international nonprofit organization composed of private sector, academic, and government professionals and students. The Society is dedicated to actively addressing emerging coastal issues by fostering dialogue, forging partnerships and promoting communications and education.

“It is always special honor to be recognized by your colleagues,” MacDonald said. “Over the years, TCS has provided me many opportunities to build professional and personal relationships that have aided me in my career. It was a particular privilege to serve as part of the TCS team that developed the Coastal Career Development Workshops named in honor of my colleague and friend Margaret Davidson. Her legacy lives on with next generation of coastal leaders.”  

In a statement recognizing MacDonald at is annual meeting on April 20, the organization noted, “Tony was a TCS Director from 2012 through 2014 and has been a speaker and a member of the organizing committee for TCS career workshops. His advocacy and enthusiasm for supporting the shared use of coastal resources exemplify the purposes of The Coastal Society.”

In addition to MacDonald, the Society presented the award to Geno Olmi, coordinator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Southeast and Caribbean Regional Collaboration Team.

The Urban Coast Institute’s (UCI) Heidi Lynn Sculthorpe Scholars program will provide funding for eight students and their faculty mentors to conduct five summer research projects on topics ranging from the development of an app that can simulate the risk of hurricane property damage in communities to threats faced by turtle populations in densely populated suburbs.

The Heidi Lynn Sculthorpe Scholars Program supports 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 dozens of hands-on research positions that provide real-world experience to students while helping make a positive impact in coastal communities.

The program also provides support for projects administered through the Monmouth University School of Science Summer Research Program (SRP) that advance the goals and objectives of the UCI. Two SRP projects being conducted by five student researchers will receive UCI grants this summer.

Summaries of this year’s projects are below.

Evaluating the Predation Risk of an Eastern Box Turtle Population Inhabiting a Suburban Island

Student Researcher and Major: Madison Patterson,biology

Faculty Mentor: Sean Sterrett, Ph.D., assistant professor of wildlife ecology, Department of Biology/Marine Environmental Biology and Policy Program

Building on previous research by the Sterrett Lab, the team will study the risk posed by predatory birds and mammals to Eastern box turtles using baited camera traps and artificial turtle nests deployed in Monmouth County’s Weltz Conservation Area, an open space area surrounded by commercial and residential development in Ocean Township.

Flood Designation Relative to Residential Real Estate Pricing

Student Researcher and Major: Julianna Rubinetti, information systems (masters student)

Faculty Mentors: Geoffrey Fouad, Ph.D., associate professor of geography, Department of History and Anthropology; and Tjeerd Boonman, Ph.D., specialist professor, Department of Economics, Finance, and Real Estate

The researchers will investigate the effect of three prominent risk designations (Federal Emergency Management Agency flood zones, First Street Foundation modeling, and National Flood Insurance Program claims) on property pricing in coastal and inland waterfront communities in Monmouth County.

Programming Application Development for Hurricane Risk-Based Assessments of Coastal Residential Communities

Student Researcher and Major: Johnathan Williams,computer science and software engineering

Faculty Mentor: Tom Herrington, Ph.D., UCI associate director

The student will develop a program for evaluating the risk of hurricane-related structural damage to residential building structures within a particular community and assessing the impacts in terms of financial loss estimates. The application will also allow users to enter data to explore how mitigation measures can reduce these risks and ultimately improve the community’s resilience.  

School of Science Summer Research Projects

Field Site Assessments and Sediment Transport Analysis for Tidal Marsh Island Restoration

Student Researcher and Major: Tyler Barkey, Alexis Baumgartner and Nicole Cappolina, marine environmental biology and policy

Faculty Mentor: Tom Herrington, Ph.D., UCI associate director

The researchers will collect data on waves, tides and currents adjacent to a tidal salt marsh in Barnegat Bay to determine how natural sediments move within the system and how effective depositing sediments on marsh islands can be for protecting nearby communities from sea level rise.   

Suburban Turtle Ecology and Conservation

Student Researcher and Major: Adriana Simancas and Richard Robinson, marine environmental biology and policy

Faculty Mentor: Sean Sterrett, Ph.D., assistant professor of wildlife ecology, Department of Biology/Marine Environmental Biology and Policy Program

The researchers will investigate the spatial ecology and density estimation of a suburban box turtle population using radiotelemetry and spatial capture-recapture techniques with the aid of a working scent dog. 

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 summer grants will be accepted through May 22 and proposals for fall grants will be accepted through Aug. 18.  
• 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 Thomas 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.

Browse the Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute’s 2022 Annual Report for a look back at its research collaborations, student support, campus engagement and other milestones throughout the year. Among the report’s highlights is an interactive “2022 Log Book” timeline feature which allows readers to scan QR codes to view related articles, videos and other multimedia online.

Options are available to read the report in PDF or digital flipbook formats below. To request a printed copy of the publication, email uci@monmouth.edu.

• Read as digital flipbook
• View or download PDF

A full-length recording and a series of short outtakes from the 16^th Annual Future of the Ocean Symposium can now be viewed on the event website. The Urban Coast Institute convened a panel of leading voices in marine science and policy on April 13 for a conversation on where the nation is succeeding and falling short in its efforts to catalyze innovation and action to address climate change’s impacts to our oceans, and how oceans can help to mitigate those impacts.

The symposium was held at Monmouth University’s Great Hall Auditorium and moderated by Emmy and Peabody Award-winning journalist and PBS host Jack Ford. Panelists included:

• Richard Spinrad, Ph.D., National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) administrator
• Margaret Leinen, Ph.D., Scripps Institution of Oceanography director
• Charlotte Hudson, Lenfest Ocean Program director
• Richard Murray, Ph.D., Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution deputy director and vice president for science and engineering
• Tashiana Osborne, Ph.D., climate change advisor, U.S. Agency for International Development via an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science & Technology Policy Fellowship

Urban Coast Institute Director Tony MacDonald was the featured guest on the March 31 Monmouth Weekly podcast, hosted by Monmouth University President Patrick Leahy and Specialist Professor Matt Harmon.

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You can also subscribe to the Monmouth Weekly podcast at:

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A panel of leading voices in marine science and policy will convene at Monmouth University on April 13 for a conversation on where the nation is succeeding and falling short in its efforts to catalyze innovation and action to address climate change’s impacts to our oceans, and how oceans can help to mitigate those impacts. 

Members of the public are welcome to attend the 16^th Annual Future of the Ocean Symposium, beginning at 4 p.m. at the Great Hall Auditorium. The event, hosted by the Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute (UCI), is free to attend and no registration is required.

Speakers will include Richard Spinrad, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) administrator; Margaret Leinen, Scripps Institution of Oceanography director; Charlotte Hudson, Lenfest Ocean Program director; Richard Murray, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution deputy director and vice president for science and engineering; and Tashiana Osborne, climate change advisor, U.S. Agency for International Development via an American Association for the Advancement of Science Science & Technology Policy Fellowship. The panel will be moderated by Emmy and Peabody Award-winning journalist and PBS host Jack Ford.

The world’s oceans are under enormous stress from climate change, having absorbed an estimated 90 percent of all of the excess heat from global warming and nearly one-third of the carbon dioxide emitted by human activities. As a result, scientists have observed significant changes taking place in marine environments including warming waters, ocean acidification, shifts in marine life habitats, retreating sea ice extents and an accompanying rise in sea levels. The symposium comes days after the Biden Administration released a first-ever, whole-of-government Ocean Climate Action Plan.

“While the ocean has borne an outsized share of the brunt of climate change, we are only beginning to recognize its potential as part of the solution,” UCI Director Tony MacDonald said. “For example, the greening of ports and shipping, a continued shift to renewable energy sources, and the restoration of submerged vegetation in our estuaries can all play a part in lowering CO2 levels. These actions also hold the promise for propelling new blue economy industries that create jobs, improve coastal resilience, and advance scientific knowledge of our ocean.”

Immediately following the symposium at 6 p.m., the UCI will host its Champion of the Ocean Awards reception, also in the Great Hall. This year’s honorees as National Champion of the Ocean will be Spinrad and Leinen, and State Coastal and Ocean Leadership awards will be presented to New Jersey State Sen. Bob Smith and American Littoral Society Executive Director Tim Dillingham. Tickets are required to attend the reception, with proceeds supporting the UCI.

The awards were established in 2005 to honor individuals who have undertaken actions and demonstrated sustained leadership that ensures coasts and oceans are clean, safe, sustainably managed, and preserved for the benefit and enjoyment of future generations. Previous honorees include ocean explorer Robert Ballard, marine biologist and explorer Sylvia Earle, ocean scientist and advocate Jean-Michael Cousteau, and former CIA Director and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta.

This event is made possible thanks to the generosity of the Leslie Hitchner Family. For more information, email uci@monmouth.edu or visit the event website.   

Jay Odell, a marine science and policy expert with over 30 years of experience working to advance sustainable fisheries and ocean health, has joined the Urban Coast Institute (UCI) as a fisheries and ocean conservation fellow. In this role, Odell will conduct policy research on climate change impacts to ocean ecosystems and fisheries management systems and will engage government agencies and ocean-dependent user groups.

Odell previously worked as a collaborator with the UCI to help advance the first-ever Regional Ocean Action Plan in the Mid-Atlantic. He and UCI Director Tony MacDonald also co-led the team that created and launched the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Data Portal in 2010. The Portal, which is available to the public, includes over 6,000 interactive maps showing offshore wind areas and infrastructure, shipping vessel traffic patterns, marine life distributions, commercial fishing grounds and more. Today, UCI Communications Director Karl Vilacoba manages the Portal project team on behalf of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean (MARCO). Odell will join the Portal team to improve data related to commercial and recreational fishing activity and marine life in the region.

Odell most recently worked at The Nature Conservancy, where he served in various positions over the course of 20 years leading large-scale habitat restoration, marine spatial planning, and marine conservation programs at state, regional and national scales. He previously spent 13 years with the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife on work including stock assessment, harvest management, and leading co-management activity with Treaty Tribes to develop and implement fishery management plans.

The UCI honored Odell and representatives of the Garden State Seafood Association and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council with Champion of the Ocean awards in 2015 for their roles in the designation of the 38,0000-square-mile Frank R. Lautenberg Deep-Sea Coral Protection Area. He will be focused on supporting new partnerships to achieve similar ‘win-win’ ocean management solutions in his new role with the UCI.

“We can use the same general problem-solving approach to address several different types of urgent ocean conservation challenges – habitat conservation, bycatch reduction, and accommodation of newer ocean uses like offshore wind power, to name a few,” Odell said. “When we gather ocean users and managers in review and open dialogue around trusted, shared information, good things tend to happen. The UCI is well-positioned to serve as an ocean solutions lab that can examine charged issues in coordination with state and federal agencies, but outside of the official government process, to help deconflict issues and identify consensus paths forward.” 

Odell received a B.S. in biology from The Evergreen State College in 1986 and a M.S. in wildlife and fisheries conservation from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 2003. His work will be funded by UCI external grants and contracts.

*Update: Deadline extended to April 7*

The Urban Coast Institute (UCI) invites Monmouth University undergraduate and graduate students of all majors to apply for 2023 Heidi Lynn Sculthorpe Scholars Summer Research Grants. The deadline for submissions is April 7.

Funding is available for projects proposed by 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 social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion as coastal communities adjust to a changing climate
• 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

Proposals must be submitted online through the Heidi Lynn Sculthorpe Scholars Summer Research Grants application site (Monmouth student/staff login credentials required). Science students should apply for summer research support through the School of Science Summer Research Program.

For more details and guidance, see application page or contact UCI Associate Director Tom Herrington (therring@monmouth.edu).

The Urban Coast Institute’s signature annual event, the Future of the Ocean Symposium and Champion of the Ocean Awards reception, will return on April 13. Visit the event page for full details.

This year’s symposium will have a theme of “Catalyzing Innovation and Action for Oceans and Climate.” The symposium will be held at Monmouth University’s Great Hall Auditorium beginning at 4 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

The Champion of the Ocean Awards cocktail reception will immediately follow the symposium at the Great Hall Versailles and Pompeii Rooms at 6 p.m. Tickets are required for the reception. Visit the event page for tickets and sponsorship opportunities.