Category: Director’s Note

Dear Friends and Colleagues,   Field data collection has always been central to coastal sciences and engineering. Coastal systems are highly complex, making field observations essential to understanding the processes that drive them and to developing effective, sustainable solutions. Fieldwork also connects researchers directly with the environments they study and with the communities most affected by […]

Building on a strong foundation  Dear CCS community,  It has been just a couple of weeks since I had the great honor of stepping into the role of director of CCS and I have already been deeply impressed by the commitment and drive of the CCS community to make key contributions to solving today’s big coastal challenges.     CCS is known for its cutting‑edge research, effective outreach and close collaboration with academic, […]

International school program focuses on science that serves society Dear Colleagues and Friends, I recently had the honor to serve as an instructor at the Global Ocean Oxygen Decade – Ocean Acidification Research for Sustainability (GOOD–OARS) International Summer School, held Nov. 4–11, 2025, at the Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies in Penang, Malaysia. The […]

A retrospective on what makes CCS great Dear Colleagues and Friends, After nine months as interim director, my stint is ending as the search for the next director enters the final stages. It’s been a rewarding chapter, one that’s deepened my appreciation for the people who make this community what it is and for the […]

Celebrating our students: Past, present and future Dear Friends, As we head into the new academic year, I am reflecting on one of the most rewarding parts of working with the Center for Coastal Solutions (CCS): the incredible energy, curiosity and drive that our students bring to our mission of supporting healthy and resilient coasts. […]

CCS: Science for Global Ocean Action On World Ocean Day this year — Sunday June 8th — I sat in a UNESCO workshop in Nice, France on the eve of the UN Ocean Conference. This international gathering of world leaders, policy makers, scientists, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, practitioners and others provided an unparalleled opportunity to take the […]

A heartfelt thank you and exciting future ahead Dear Friends and Colleagues,  We sincerely appreciate everyone’s support during our Giving Day campaign on February 20. Whether you made a gift, helped spread the word, or cheered us on, we truly appreciate you. Your generosity and encouragement are essential to the work we do at the […]

New leadership and an unwavering commitment to our mission  Dear Friends and Colleagues,  I’m excited to introduce myself as the new Interim Director of the Center for Coastal Solutions. It’s a true honor to continue to work alongside such a dedicated and passionate team after serving for several years as an associate director of CCS. […]

Turning the page: New beginnings and continued impact Dear colleagues and collaborators,  As we close out the year, it is with a mix of sadness and anticipation that I share with you I will be stepping down from my role as director of the Center for Coastal Solutions, a role I’ve had the privilege of […]

It’s a wrap, folks A huge congratulations to four of our students in the environmental engineering sciences department on successfully defending their dissertations and becoming Dr. Hallie Fishman, Dr. Sara Swaminathan and Dr. Sydney Williams and to Yvanna Serra, for successfully defending her master’s thesis! What an incredible culmination of these students’ hard work, ingenuity, tenacity and grit.  Take […]