OCN 4106- Mitigation and Restoration of Coastal Systems

Course Description– Introduces current activities in mitigation and restoration of coastal systems. Integrates lectures, guest speakers and field trips in a case-study format to demonstrate the process of restoration planning. Students develop a mitigation plan for a hypothetical development project.

Role and Innovations- I have served as both an instructor and a teaching assistant for this course under the leadership and design provided by the late Dr. Elizabeth Irandi-Hyatt at Florida Tech. The course covered marine and estuarine emergent and submerged habitats and featured guest lectures from field scientists. This course involved several field trips to local ecosystems and involved a project for half the semester which could entail a hands on research project, a lesson plan, or a research proposal. Students conducting hands on research participated in living shoreline planting and invasive species removal on spoil island BC-47 in collaboration with the Department of Environmental Protection’s Aquatic Preserve Office.