Meet Sea Grant Experts Working for Healthy Coastal Ecosystems

Jenny Hofmeister, Ph.D.

Post-Doctoral Researcher, Scripps Institution of Oceanography - To keep endangered white abalone alive, California Sea Grant-funded researcher Jenny Hofmeister studies the ecology and behavior of southern California octopuses to address how we can outsmart the octopus—abalone’s most voracious predators in deep water.

"Predation is natural, but in order to successfully restore white abalone, we need to give them a head start."

Michael Wetz, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi - Michael's Texas Sea Grant-funded research focuses on the health of Baffin Bay, an impaired estuary in South Texas that experiences persistent harmful algal blooms and hypoxia. He integrates citizen science with experiments to identify key influences on water quality, information that is used to develop mitigation strategies.

"The community support for our research has been incredible. For nearly six years, we've worked hand-in-hand with community members. This support gives me hope that we can solve the challenges facing Baffin Bay."

Jessica Brown

Stormwater Specialist, Georgia Sea Grant - As lead of the Georgia Sea Grant Stormwater Program, Jessica works with coastal communities and decision makers to implement cutting-edge management strategies that treat polluted runoff and reduce flooding.

"Providing communities with the tools and knowledge needed to invest green stormwater infrastructure solutions will result in benefits to ecosystems, water resources, public health, and quality of life. We find solutions to the pollution.”