Goal 8: Graduate Education: Produce a Highly Trained Workforce in Marine and Coastal Related Sciences

8.1 Enhance graduate education in disciplines related to the coast and ocean by active participation in public and privately funded graduate programs. (Cato )

8.1.1 A minimum of two qualified applicants will be submitted annually to the Sea Grant John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship national competition. Over each five-year period, an average of one Knauss Fellow per year (of 30 nationally) will be from Florida.

8.1.2 At least one national Sea Grant Industrial Fellow candidate (of 2-4 per year nationally) will be successful every three years.

8.1.3 At least 30 percent of the annual Florida Sea Grant federal core program research budget will be used to support graduate students.

8.1.4 A minimum of five graduate students will receive scholarship funding through private funds in cooperation with the Aylesworth Foundation for the Advancement of Marine Science and the Old Salt Fishing Club.

8.1.5 One high school student will receive a college scholarship through the Chuck Skoch Florida Sea Grant Scholarship.

8.1.6 A minimum of two qualified applicants will be submitted to the NOAA Coastal Services Center Competition each time it is held.

8.2 A minimum of $600,000 per year in non-national Sea Grant CORE program funding will be received from extramural funding sources to support Sea Grant programs. (Director )

8.3 Florida Sea Grant will participate in National Strategic Investment, National Outreach and National NOAA/Sea Grant proposal competitions when available. Funding data will be analyzed to measure the success rate of Florida Sea Grant against the other Sea Grant programs. (Director )

8.4 At least 15 different academic disciplines and six different Florida universities and research laboratories will receive Florida Sea Grant funding in each proposal cycle. This can only be achieved through the encouragement of competitive proposals from many participants because peer review determines actual funding. At least six institutions participating in Florida Sea Grant will be visited each year to meet faculty and students to keep a high level of participation in Florida Sea Grant. Six faculty progress reports will be distributed annually to 800 faculty statewide to inform them of Sea Grant activities and opportunities. (Director )

8.5 An average of four Florida Sea Grant supported seminars will be funded annually as a way to increase the skills of faculty and students in ocean and coastal related academic disciplines. (Director PD-07-1)

8.6 Conferences, workshops and travel to conferences and workshops will be supported for Florida Sea Grant researchers and potential researchers and Florida Sea Grant Extension and Communications faculty. The activity will be supported when consistent with priorities in the Florida Sea Grant Strategic Plan: 2006-2009. (Director : PD-07-2)

8.7 Sea Grant Extension faculty will improve their content and process skills by attending a minimum of 8 days of in-service training workshops or conferences that support their individual educational programs (all agents).

8.8 Coordinate annual in-service training meeting for Extension faculty that provides a status report of on-going research and extension activities, and organizes program planning efforts. (Spranger )

8.9 Enroll in an ichthyology course offered by Florida Gulf Coast University during fall 2007. (Fluech )

8.10 Continue coursework toward Master’s Degree in Environmental Science at Florida Gulf Coast University. (Staugler )

8.11 Complete coursework and requirements for Master’s Degree in Agriculture Communications and Education from the University of Florida. (Verlinde )