Amber Westerbur and Melanie Perello
Amber Westerbur (left) and Melanie Perello. Amber is Melanie's mentor and the coastal program manager in Minnesota.

Managed by the NOAA Office for Coastal Management, the Coastal Management Fellowship offers on-the-job training for postgraduate students in coastal resource management and policy. Candidates are matched with state and jurisdictional coastal zone programs to work on select projects chosen by NOAA. Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant recruits and nominates students attending Illinois and Indiana universities.

This year, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant candidate Melanie Perello was matched with Minnesota’s Lake Superior Coastal Program to provide data, tools and resources to area practitioners and landowners tackling Lake Superior erosion in Minnesota. Perello comes to the fellowship from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, where she earned her doctorate in applied earth sciences. She holds a master’s degree in environmental science and policy from Plymouth State University and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Westminster College. Perello will start her fellowship in August.

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This Halloween, we’re diving into the eerie depths of the Great Lakes.Each lake has its own spooky story:🕯️ Lake Superior hides ghost ships beneath its icy waves...🦴 Lake Michigan whispers tales of vanishing beaches…🌉Lake Huron hides prehistoric hunting camps on a lake bottom ridge...🧪 Lake Erie bubbles with algal blooms that glow like potions...🦠 Lake Ontario was first to host strange creatures like the blood sucking sea lamprey. Never fear, we have resources to help you make these fascinating topics less frightening at iiseagrant.org/education.
IISG is seeking a talented and passionate person to join our team as a research & reporting administrator. This is an exciting leadership opportunity for someone interested in managing a competitive research portfolio and leading our annual reporting process to make a real impact on the health and vitality of our Great Lakes ecosystems and communities. The successful candidate will be responsible for overseeing our research competitions, spearheading data collection and reporting for our ~$5 million program, and supervising a small team of dedicated staff.Interested? Learn more at the link in bio.
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