A Coastal Institute IGERT Project

CIIP Council

The CIIP will be administered by the Coastal Institute (CI) at the University of Rhode Island, a program under the Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs of the University. The CI sits at the same level as Colleges in the URI organizational flowchart.  This is important because the CIIP can draw students and faculty from a variety of colleges and departments on campus to achieve our vision of multidisciplinary approaches to environmental problem-solving in coastal ecosystems.

Peter August, the Director of the CI and PI of this proposal, will serve as the senior CIIP administrator and point of contact. He will manage the CIIP budget, carry out project reporting, and represent the CIIP at NSF functions. Dr. August will Chair the CIIP Council which will be the decision-making administrative unit in the CIIP. Professor Judith Swift will co-Chair the CIIP Council and co-administer the CIIP program.

The CIIP Council will:

• oversee project content and implementation,
• oversee resource allocation,
• admit new CIIP Fellows,
• conduct CIIP Fellow annual reviews,
• perform internal assessment of the CIIP,
• develop internship opportunities for CIIP Fellows,
• work to enhance the gender and cultural diversity of CIIP Fellows,
• and leverage new funds to support the CIIP.

We have designed the Council to be as small and nimble as possible, yet encompass the breadth of disciplines we require to achieve the goals of the CIIP program.  The individuals on the CIIP Council are Coastal Institute IGERT proposal PI's or major contributors to the development of the CIIP concept and proposal. They have a shared, common vision for the CIIP initiative.  Membership to the CIIP Council is, therefore, based on demonstrated commitment to making the CIIP a reality (we prevailed on our fourth IGERT proposal submission)! The Council has gender balance among its membership and includes individuals who are very active in enhancing the cultural diversity of the University community. The membership of the CIIP Council is:

Peter August, Coastal Institute, Co-Chair CIIP Council.  Dr. August's faculty appointment is in the department of Natural Resources Science.  He teaches classes and conducts research in landscape ecology and geographic information systems.  August will chair CIIP Council meetings and is responsible for the overall administration of the NSF IGERT grant.

Judith Swift, Co-Chair CIIP Council. Professor Swift's faculty appointment is in the Department of Communication Sciences. She is also a Professor of Theatre. Swift, along with Professor Foster (below), will develop and implement CIIP programming to teach our students leadership and communication skills in translating science to coastal policy. She will also play a leadership role in the design and conduct of the Fall class in multidisciplinary problem-solving.

Cheryl Foster, Professor of Philosophy.  Dr. Foster has just recently completed a tenure as the URI representative to the National Association of Fellowship Advisers (NAFA).  Professor Foster will lead our efforts to  recruit students of diversity and with Professor Swift, will develop the communication and leadership components of the CIIP program.

Arthur Gold, Professor of Natural Resources Sciences.  Dr. Gold is a watershed hydrologist and oversees the natural resource extension and outreach programs at URI.  Two of his current projects will serve as important integrating activities in the CIIP summer program; these are the URI Watershed Watch program to use citizen volunteers to monitor freshwater and estuarine condition in the state.  Professors Gold and Oviatt will design the summer science practicum course in the CIIP curriculum.

Candace Oviatt, Professor of Oceanography.  Dr. Oviatt is a marine ecologist and is leading much the research to establish a comprehensive monitoring program for Narragansett Bay.  With Dr. Gold, Professor Oviatt will design the summer science curriculum, much of which will involve on-the-water data collection.  Dr. Oviatt will represent the CIIP program to students and faculty in the marine science community at URI.

James Opaluch, Professor of Environmental and Natural Resource Economics.  Professor Opaluch will assist in the development of the Fall symposium in the CIIP curriculum which will occur in the Policy Simulation Laboratory which he directs and the Coastal Institute Auditorium.  Professor Opaluch will represent the CIIP program to the students and faculty in the coastal social science community at URI, especially in the areas of fisheries, decision-making dynamics, and land use policy. This is one of the largest Ph.D. degree programs for students studying the economic and social dimensions of coastal resource management policy.

Richard Burroughs, Professor of Marine Affairs.  Dr. Burroughs will assist in the development of the Fall symposium.  His research and teaching expertise is coastal governance and policy.  Professor Opaluch will represent the CIIP program to the students and faculty in the marine policy community at URI.  This is one of the largest PhD degree programs for students studying the social science and governance aspects of coastal management.

Student Representative.  We will include a past or current CIIP PhD student on the Council.  Their role will be to represent student interests and perspectives in the implementation of the program.

David Farmer (Assistant Dean David Smith as substitute), Dean Graduate School of Oceanography (GSO). Dean Farmer will ensure that CIIP programs and opportunities are communicated within his College at URI.  GSO is the academic home for many of the URI faculty engaged in coastal and estuarine science. 

Jeffrey Seemann (Assistant Dean Richard Rhodes as substitute), Dean of the College of the Environmental and Life Sciences (CELS).  Dean Seemann will ensure that CIIP programs and opportunities are communicated within his College at URI.  CELS is the academic home of most of the coastal environmental science and policy programs at URI.

home