PENNSYLVANIA MOVES FORWARD ON SEA GRANT STATUS

Pennsylvania is half way in its progress to attain full college status within the National Sea Grant College Program. Sea Grant is part of NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Beginning in March 1998 as a “project,” Pennsylvania Sea Grant has now advanced to “coherent area program” status. The program is now working to achieve the last step prior to formal designation as a Sea Grant College.

“Sea Grant, through its local and regional infrastructure, serves a critical role in meeting NOAA’s mission goals of ecosystem based management and protection of our marine and coastal environment,” said retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator.

“Pennsylvania has made great progress and we are pleased that it is expanding,” said Ronald Baird, director of the National Sea Grant College Program.

Pennsylvania Sea Grant is headquartered at Pennsylvania State University.

Now that Pennsylvania Sea Grant has the designation as a Coherent Area Program, assuming satisfactory performance, it is assured of continuing financial resources and expanded programmatic and geographic responsibilities.

NOAA’s National Sea Grant College Program began in 1966. It now has 30 Sea Grant colleges and programs in hundreds of universities nationwide, as well as Puerto Rico, Korea, and Indonesia. Sea Grant’s primary mission is to promote the wise stewardship of coastal resources.

Pennsylvania Sea Grant serves two coastal watersheds, Lake Erie and the Delaware Estuary, and works to increase public awareness of and develop solutions for coastal-related environmental and economic issues.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through research to better understand atmospheric and climate variability and to manage wisely our nation's coastal and marine resources.

On the Web:

NOAA: http://www.noaa.gov

Sea Grant at: http://www.seagrant.noaa.gov/colleges/colleges.html

Pennsylvania Sea Grant Online: http://www.pserie.psu.edu/seagrant/seagindex.htm