{"id":22745,"date":"2022-05-12T14:17:11","date_gmt":"2022-05-12T18:17:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/?p=22745"},"modified":"2026-02-25T15:53:17","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T20:53:17","slug":"monmouths-ajmera-serves-on-closing-panel-of-mid-atlantic-ocean-forum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/2022\/05\/12\/monmouths-ajmera-serves-on-closing-panel-of-mid-atlantic-ocean-forum\/","title":{"rendered":"Monmouth\u2019s Ajmera Serves on Closing Panel of Mid-Atlantic Ocean Forum"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-medium size-full wp-image-22751\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"188\" style=\"object-position: 48.865% 49.555%\" src=\"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2022\/05\/riya_ajmera_panel-300x188.jpg\" alt=\"Riya Ajmera\" class=\"wp-image-22751\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2022\/05\/riya_ajmera_panel-300x188.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2022\/05\/riya_ajmera_panel-1024x640.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2022\/05\/riya_ajmera_panel-768x480.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2022\/05\/riya_ajmera_panel-1536x960.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2022\/05\/riya_ajmera_panel-1120x700.jpg 1120w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2022\/05\/riya_ajmera_panel-560x350.jpg 560w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2022\/05\/riya_ajmera_panel-280x175.jpg 280w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2022\/05\/riya_ajmera_panel-320x200.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2022\/05\/riya_ajmera_panel-640x400.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2022\/05\/riya_ajmera_panel-1400x875.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2022\/05\/riya_ajmera_panel-360x225.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2022\/05\/riya_ajmera_panel-150x94.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2022\/05\/riya_ajmera_panel.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Riya Ajmera answers a question at the Mid-Atlantic Forum on May 6.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Monmouth University\u2019s Riya Ajmera provided a first-ever student perspective on the closing panel of the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Forum, hosted May 5-6 by the Mid-Atlantic Committee on the Ocean (MACO). The annual event gathers hundreds of professionals and stakeholders representing federal and state agencies, Tribal entities, marine industries, nonprofit research and advocacy organizations, and the public to collaborate on ocean planning issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the video below, Ajmera shared her takeaways from the two-day event\u2019s proceedings in a conversation with fellow panelists Mike Jones, environmental outreach program manager, U. S. Fleet Forces Command\/U. S. Navy; Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean Chair Kimberly Cole; MACO Tribal Lead Kelsey Leonard of the Shinnecock Indian Nation; Emily Shumchenia, director of the Regional Wildlife Science Collaborative for Offshore Wind; Jerry Barnes, marine affairs manager for Dominion Energy\u2019s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project; and Healthy Ocean Coalition Executive Director Sarah Winter Whelan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Video: Closing Plenary: 2022 Mid-Atlantic Ocean Forum\" loading=\"lazy\"  style='width: 500px; height: 375px;' src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2-HFnQUGuog?feature=oembed&#038;rel=0&#038;rel=0\"  allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>A rising senior majoring in Chemistry with a Concentration in Biochemistry\/Minor in Journalism, Ajmera <a href=\"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/2021\/10\/07\/student-qa-riya-ajmera-on-mitigating-offshore-wind-farm-impacts-on-marine-environments\/\">authored a white paper<\/a> in the fall that examined the nature and scope of risks to marine environments posed by offshore wind farm development in the Mid-Atlantic and science-based policy options that can mitigate harm to\u202fmarine species\u202fand promote\u202fmarine\u202fbiodiversity. Her research was conducted with support from the Urban Coast Institute\u2019s (UCI) Heidi Lynn Sculthorpe Scholars Program and guidance from Rechnitz Family\/UCI Endowed Chair in Marine and Environmental Law and Policy Randall Abate.<\/p>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"monmouth-presenters-at-forum\"><strong>Monmouth Presenters at Forum<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n<p>The Forum panels had several additional Monmouth connections, with presentations by alumna Tatiana Castro, UCI Postdoctoral Researcher Chris Haak and UCI Communications Director Karl Vilacoba. UCI Director Tony MacDonald also served as a facilitator throughout the event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-medium wp-image-22748\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"288\" style=\"object-position: 52.6925% 49.1625%\" src=\"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2022\/05\/castro-haak-300x288.png\" alt=\"Castro and Haak\" class=\"wp-image-22748\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2022\/05\/castro-haak-300x288.png 300w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2022\/05\/castro-haak-768x738.png 768w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2022\/05\/castro-haak-560x538.png 560w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2022\/05\/castro-haak-280x269.png 280w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2022\/05\/castro-haak-320x307.png 320w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2022\/05\/castro-haak-640x615.png 640w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2022\/05\/castro-haak-360x346.png 360w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2022\/05\/castro-haak-150x144.png 150w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2022\/05\/castro-haak.png 971w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Tatiana Castro (top) and Chris Haak speak at the Forum.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Castro, who graduated with a B.S. in Marine and Environmental Biology and Policy in 2016, detailed her efforts with the nonprofit Billion Oyster Project to restore oyster reefs in New York Harbor during a poster session highlighting the work of early career professionals and students. <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/JqkFsnlQ7YI\" target=\"_blank\">Watch a video of her presentation<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.midatlanticocean.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Castro_Poster.pdf\">view a PDF of her poster file<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Haak and Vilacoba both served on the Forum\u2019s \u201cSustainable Ocean Ecosystems\u201d panel (<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/-deI-GiKbIw\" target=\"_blank\">watch the panel<\/a>). Haak provided a presentation on fisheries habitat modeling research he is conducting with the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Vilacoba, who serves as project manager for the <a href=\"https:\/\/portal.midatlanticocean.org\/\">Mid-Atlantic Ocean Data Portal<\/a>, offered a glimpse of new and upcoming GIS maps on the site that depict marine life distributions and habitats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.midatlanticocean.org\/mid-atlantic-ocean-forum\/2022-mid-atlantic-ocean-forum\/\" target=\"_blank\">Information on the Forum, including a full list of panel videos and presentation files<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Monmouth University\u2019s Riya Ajmera provided a first-ever student perspective on the closing panel of the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Forum, hosted May 5-6 by the Mid-Atlantic Committee on the Ocean (MACO). The annual event gathers hundreds of professionals and stakeholders representing federal and state agencies, Tribal entities, marine industries, nonprofit research and advocacy organizations, and the public [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":86,"featured_media":17797,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22745","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-17 23:49:53","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22745","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/86"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22745"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22745\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28971,"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22745\/revisions\/28971"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17797"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22745"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22745"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22745"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}