Abstracts are now being accepted for the June 2-3 Sustainability in Teaching and Research (STAR) Symposium exploring the core themes of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the member countries of the United Nations in 2015. The SDGs call for a global partnership to work toward securing a more just and sustainable future for all peoples and the planet.
Through this multidisciplinary symposium, as a higher education institution, Monmouth seeks to create a collaborative knowledge platform through exploring pedagogical and scholarly innovations and projects addressing and seeking solutions toward ending poverty and inequality, protecting the environment, and ensuring education, health, justice, peace, and prosperity for all. The event will be held in-person at Monmouth University, with virtual options available.
Abstracts are due Jan. 15 and should be limited to 250 words. Please feel free to share the call for abstracts with colleagues in your respective network and professional groups and associations. Details and further information about the event, call for abstracts, and submission process may be found on the symposium website. Further inquiries may be directed to starsymposium@monmouth.edu.
The Oct. 28 “Documenting and Interpreting Superstorm Sandy” virtual panel explored some of the ways the disaster is being documented for the historical record and interpreted for the public — adding to our understanding not just of Sandy as a historic event, but contributing to conversations on themes including coastal resilience, climate change, environmental justice, public/private partnerships, and emergency preparedness.
Panelists
Professor Karen Bright, MFA: Department of Art and Design, Monmouth University. In 2019, Professor Bright created an art exhibition titledJust Beachy/After Sandy. The exhibit, installed in the DiMattio Gallery in Monmouth University’s Rechnitz Hall, was a public participatory art installment that highlighted the effects of Sandy and shared the stories of residents who were impacted.
Molly Graham: Oral Historian, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Molly is the oral historian for NOAA’s Voices Oral History Archives, where she collects, preserves and curates oral histories documenting historical environmental change and its impacts on fisheries, oceans and coasts.
Abigail Perkiss, Ph.D.: Associate Professor of History, Kean University. Perkiss’s new book, Hurricane Sandy on New Jersey’s Forgotten Shore (Cornell University Press, 2022) documents the uneven recovery of Hurricane Sandy along New Jersey’s coastline. This book is an outgrowth of a longitudinal oral history project, developed with Kean undergraduates, to tell the story of the relief and recovery efforts after the storm along the Sandy Hook and Raritan bays.
Moderator: Melissa Ziobro, Specialist Professor of Public History, Monmouth University. Professor Ziobro is the project lead for Tracking Sandy: Monmouth County Remembers, a multi-year effort to document the impacts of Superstorm Sandy in Monmouth County, New Jersey, via oral history collection and exhibits.
The panel was one of four free events offered by Monmouth University to examine the disaster from a wide range of historic, economic and environmental perspectives. The others were:
The Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute (UCI) and Department of History and Anthropology hosted the premier of the documentary film “The Jersey Storm: Sandy in Monmouth County” on Oct. 28 at the University’s Pollak Theatre. Directed by Adam Worth and produced by Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon, “The Jersey Storm” features never-before-seen footage taken in the aftermath of Sandy and interviews with the Monmouth County officials, first responders, and residents who lived through it. The film chronicles Sandy and the fortitude of the local heroes who sprang into action in its wake.
Monmouth Specialist Professor of Public History Melissa Ziobro provided guidance on the project and UCI Associate Director Thomas Herrington appears in interviews.
The screening was one of four free events being offered by Monmouth University to examine the disaster from a wide range of historic, economic and environmental perspectives. The others were:
The Urban Coast Institute (UCI) hosted a special conversation Oct. 27 on lessons New Jersey has apparently learned and not learned since Hurricane Sandy struck a decade go. “To Build or Not to Build: That is the Question – Lessons We Haven’t Learned 10 Years After Superstorm” was moderated by UCI Director Tony MacDonald and featured an expert panel consisting of New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette, Climate Central Senior Advisor Don Bain, and Federal Emergency Management Administration Region II Mitigation Division Director Michael Moriarty.
The speakers addressed how the state and communities should proceed given the new normal climate change, sea level rise, continued development and increased vulnerability in coastal areas, and the threat of more frequent and violent coastal storms. The panel talk was one of four events offered by Monmouth University examining the disaster from a range of historic, economic and environmental perspectives. The others were:
Shawn M. LaTourette was appointed by Gov. Philip Murphy the commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in 2021. LaTourette is responsible for formulating statewide environmental policy while directing programs that protect public health and ensure the quality of New Jersey’s air, land, water, and natural and historic resources. A lawyer and policymaker with more than 20 years of experience in environmental protection, LaTourette began his career defending victims of toxic exposure, including organizing and advocating for the needs of vulnerable New Jersey communities whose drinking water was contaminated by petrochemicals. He first joined the DEP as the chief legal and regulatory policy adviser to then-commissioner Catherine McCabe in 2018 and was elevated to DEP chief of staff in 2019 and to deputy commissioner in 2020. Since 2019, he has been responsible for running DEP’s operations while formulating policy and regulatory reforms to advance Gov. Murphy’s environmental, climate change and clean energy priorities. His diverse background — in protecting vulnerable communities, facilitating the development of infrastructure and public works, managing business risk, promoting conservationist policies and advocating for equity — has made him a leading force in policy, program and project development, especially those at the complex juncture of economic development, energy and environmental protection.
Don Bain
Don Bain, P.E., is a climate engineer and expert on climate change, adaptation and sea level rise. Dedicated to building a bright future in a dramatically changing climate, he is a highly accomplished business executive and management consultant. He has managed hundreds of projects and has experience working in 21 countries. As a consulting partner at Ernst & Young, he advised Fortune 500 clients. He has international executive experience, has led several technology and professional services companies in the U.S. and Europe, and was a board member at Robin Hood Ventures. Don is an expert on the implications of sea level rise and has advised municipalities on adaptation, risk management, economics and finance. He is an expert in rigorous greenhouse gas accounting and management methods. Don is a licensed professional engineer.
Michael Moriarty
Michael Moriarty serves as mitigation director leading a team creating more resilient communities by reducing future losses to homes, businesses, public buildings and critical facilities from floods, earthquakes, tornadoes and other natural disasters. His Mitigation Team focuses on breaking the cycle of recurrent disaster damage with responsibilities for New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The team helps reduce loss of life and property while building capability with state, local and tribal partners through a variety of programs, including the identification, analysis and mapping of risks, support to state and local floodplain management, coordination of the National Flood Insurance Program, environmental planning and historic preservation compliance and management of a robust pre-disaster mitigation grants program and a hazard mitigation grants program of more than $3.5B for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands for Hurricane Maria and more than $2 billion to New York and New Jersey for Hurricane Sandy.
Members of the Marine and Environmental Biology and Policy (MEBP) Club and Urban Coast Institute staff sailed to New York City aboard the R/V Heidi Lynn Sculthorpe Oct. 14 and 15 to take part in the SUBMERGE Marine Science Festival at Hudson River Park’s Pier 84. The group welcomed visitors aboard the vessel for tours, provided demos of the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Data Portal, and shared what it’s like to be an MEBP student conducting research at Monmouth University.
UCI Associate Director Tom Herrington was the featured speaker on Sept. 26 in a webinar series offered through the Rutgers Cooperative Extension entitled “Weathering the Storm: Increased Resiliency a Decade After Superstorm Sandy.” Herrington delivered the presentation “Beyond Recovery from Sandy: Setting the Stage for Future Community Resilience” (see video above).
In recognition of the 10th anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, the series is reflecting on how New Jersey has become more resilient to environmental impacts, with an emphasis on storms and extreme weather. The six-evening webinar series is free and open to all interested. Click here to register for one or more of the sessions or to learn more about the series.
The Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute (UCI) has received $1 million in state funding to establish the New Jersey Coastal Consortium for Resilient Communities (NJCCRC). The NJCCRC team of universities and the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium will work to identify research needs and fill knowledge gaps that enable the state and communities to make more informed decisions on coastal resilience actions and respond to climate threats.
New Jersey’s fiscal year 2022 and 2023 budgets each included $500,000 to support the NJCCRC and its work. The initial phase of the work, which commenced in September, is being conducted by experts from the Montclair State University Earth and Environmental Studies Department; the New Jersey Institute of Technology Center for Natural Resources; Rutgers University’s Institute of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences and Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve; the Stevens Institute of Technology Coastal Engineering Research Lab; the Stockton University Coastal Research Center; the UCI and New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium. Examples of the research to be carried out by the NJCCRC partners include:
The development of a framework for a real-time observing system that would monitor water conditions throughout the Barnegat Bay with a focus on measuring how the system is changing over time. A hydrographic model will also be developed that could draw on this data to predict how the bay’s circulation will change in the future.
Modeling how sea level rise is accelerating saltwater intrusion in the groundwater beneath marsh islands and whether steps such as sediment replenishment can protect the freshwater-dependent maritime forests that live in these environments.
Studies of how climate change is impacting the movements of sediments in coastal bays and along the shore and the effectiveness of beach dunes for improving coastal resilience in densely developed areas.
The funding was sponsored and supported by New Jersey State Sen. Vin Gopal, included as part of Gov. Phil Murphy’s proposed budget, and approved by the New Jersey Legislature.
“A decade ago, Superstorm Sandy exposed our coastline’s vulnerability on so many fronts,” Sen. Gopal said. “One of the keys to ensuring we’re in better position to withstand and rebound from future Sandys is to develop the fullest possible picture of the risks we face and what steps we can to take to address them. This funding will help marshal the expertise of six of New Jersey’s top universities for that purpose.”
In identifying the next phase and future work, the NJCCRC collaborators will work with state agencies and coastal stakeholders to determine research needs that should be addressed to inform an update of the 2020 New Jersey Scientific Report on Climate Change and to implement actions detailed in the 2021 New Jersey Climate Change Resilience Strategy and Coastal Resilience Plan. Additional universities and collaborators could join work on future projects as priorities and opportunities continue to be identified.
The NJCCRC will assemble an advisory panel with representatives from research organizations, nonprofits, local governments, private sector entities and other stakeholders who can provide input on its research priorities and work.
According to UCI Associate Director Thomas Herrington, the NJCCRC’s principal investigator, the collaboration has the added advantage of building closer working relationships among the state’s leading researchers on coastal resilience.
“In the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, all of the core NJCCRC partners were called upon by state and federal agencies to work together in support of New Jersey’s response and recovery efforts. That effort has already improved the resilience of our coastal communities and environments,” Herrington said. “Each of the NJCCRC partners has its own strengths that when combined can be amplified to reduce the risk of coastal hazards turning into natural disasters.”
Join Specialist Professor in Public History Melissa Ziobro’s Museums and Archives Management Basics students on Oct. 28 as they unveil a poster exhibit that pairs excerpts from oral history interviews with archival photos in order to document and interpret Superstorm Sandy’s impact on Monmouth County. The 16-panel exhibit will remain on display at Monmouth University’s Murry & Leonie Guggenheim Memorial Library through Dec. 9.
Over the summer, Ziobro completed 21 oral history interviews with homeowners, first responders, government officials, non-profit leaders, social workers, and others impacted by the storm, which made landfall in New Jersey on Oct. 29, 2012. The interviews, conducted in advance of the 10th anniversary of the storm, join 17 others she conducted for the fifth anniversary. Together, the recordings and transcripts create an invaluable record for generations to come, adding to our understanding not just of Sandy as a historic event, but contributing to conversations on themes including coastal resilience, climate change, environmental justice, public/private partnerships, and emergency preparedness.
The event, “Tracking Sandy: Monmouth County Remembers,” will begin at 3 p.m. at the library. Following brief remarks by Urban Coast Institute (UCI) Associate Director Tom Herrington, light refreshments will be served.
The recent oral history work was supported with a faculty enrichment grant through the UCI’s Heidi Lynn Sculthorpe Scholars Program.
The panel is one of four free events being offered by Monmouth University to examine the disaster from a wide range of historic, economic and environmental perspectives. The others are:
A 2021 CLONet training at Fletcher Lake in Bradley Beach.
ROI-NJ highlighted two UCI-supported programs at Monmouth University in its 2022 list of influencers in higher education. The publication annually profiles leading figures from New Jersey’s 74 higher ed institutions who’ve had the greatest influence and impact at their schools as well as within the business community.
For the first time this year, ROI-NJ included the category “They teach that in college?” which featured unique classes, programs and majors offered around the state. It included the Coastal Lakes Observing Network, led by Endowed Professor in Marine Science Jason Adolf and UCI Community Science Coordinator Erin Conlon, and Monmouth’s maritime archaeology course, taught by Professor of Anthropology Richard Veit and UCI Marine Scientist Jim Nickels.
Through CLONet, Monmouth faculty and students train and equip community volunteers to conduct water sampling at their local lakes and file their results to an online database for analysis. The story notes that CLONet has provided “students hands-on field experience while shedding new light on the causes of harmful algal blooms afflicting New Jersey lakes.”
Maritime archaeology students explore the underwater history of New Jersey through readings, lectures and fieldwork, including the use of side-scan sonar and camera-equipped remote operated vehicle technologies in area waters. “It is one of many offerings that bolster Monmouth University’s highly regarded marine and environmental biology and policy program and the Urban Coast Institute,” the article said. Watch our video below for a glimpse at the course.
ROI-NJ also recognized the following people and programs at Monmouth:
Registration is now open for a free Virtual Ocean Pavilion dedicated to raising the visibility of the ocean in advance of the U.N.’s COP27 climate conference, to be held in Egypt in November. The Pavilion will include virtual booths hosted by numerous exhibitors, including the Urban Coast Institute, and live events beginning today.
Visitors to the Pavilion will find:
An auditorium featuring live and on-demand events focused on forging unity and helping to raise ambition for ocean-climate action.
A General Discussion Chatroom where visitors can interact with fellow youth and other attendees.
Exhibition booths to chat with experts and take away information in your virtual delegate bag.
A range of live and on-demand content that can be explored on the road to COP27.
The Pavilion’s live events kicked off on Aug. 30 as part of Africa Climate Week. Translation into multiple languages is available through Wordly during live events.
UCI Director Tony MacDonald will participate in COP27 as an official observer. He previously attended COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, (see our COP26 Trip Journal) and COP21, where the famed Paris climate agreement was struck.
