Northeast Sea Grant Consortium recognizes Redmond, Stancioff for outreach achievement
Two University of Maine employees recently received awards for outstanding outreach achievement from the Northeast Sea Grant Consortium.
Sarah Redmond, recipient of the individual award, is an extension associate with a focus on wild and cultured sea vegetables. A co-investigator on multiple research grants, including a NOAA Sea Grant research project with Susan Brawley, a professor of plant biology at UMaine, Redmond is working to develop new nursery cultivation techniques for five native macroalgae species.
She transfers research results, provides technical support, answers questions and shares information about research gaps and production bottlenecks to, from and among industry, researchers and resource management professionals through personal engagement and leadership roles in networks such as the Maine Seaweed Council.
Redmond has created, and manages, a native sea vegetable research and development nursery at UMaine’s Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research. She also has partnered with a traditional wild harvest sea vegetable company on an open ocean sea farm to cultivate the first crops of a new industry for Maine and the U.S.
The reviewers noted Redmond’s connections to research, as well as her broad scope of engagement including work with industry, state and federal agencies, schools and chefs.
Esperanza Stancioff, climate change educator with Cooperative Extension and Maine Sea Grant, accepted the award for a group project on behalf of the steering committee and others involved in the Northeast Coastal Ocean Acidification Network (NECAN).
Since it launched in 2013, NECAN has become the Northeast’s leading organization for the synthesis and dissemination of regional ocean acidification data and information. A partnership among government agencies, industry and the scientific community, NECAN serves as a conduit to provide guidance for regional research and monitoring. The group has engaged thousands of stakeholders across the region through webinars, reports, scientific papers and workshops.
Also present to accept the award were Julie Simpson and Judith Pederson of MIT Sea Grant, and Juliana Barrett and Tessa Getchis of Connecticut Sea Grant. Not present were Ru Morrison and Cassie Stymiest of the Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems, and additional members of the NECAN steering committee.
Stancioff and Redmond both are members of Maine’s Marine Extension Team, a partnership of Maine Sea Grant and UMaine Extension.
The reviewers considered the efforts by Stancioff and Redmond to be excellent applications of Sea Grant principles.
“Esperanza and Sarah are dedicated to their work on behalf of Maine’s coastal communities, which they conduct in the true spirit of collaboration,” said Beth Bisson, Marine Extension Program leader and assistant director for Maine Sea Grant. “It is an honor to have their work recognized by the Northeast Sea Grant Consortium.”
Jonathan Pennock, director of the New Hampshire Sea Grant College Program and chair of the Northeast Sea Grant Consortium, presented the awards during the biennial meeting of NOAA Sea Grant programs from New York and New England.