Florida Sea Grant Biennial Competitors Awards Funds to Eight Analysis Initiatives – Cyber Tech

Florida Sea Grant’s analysis initiatives are awarded on a biennial foundation for 2 years following a rigorous evaluate course of in accordance with the Nationwide Sea Grant Competitors Coverage.  The competitors is designed to assist assist this system’s utilized analysis and academic obligations drawing from fields associated to ocean and coastal assets. Supported analysis can span varied disciplines together with, pure or social sciences, engineering, planning and design, science communication, coverage and authorized evaluation, structure, enterprise, training, arts, and humanities.  

This yr’s competitors awarded 8 initiatives as much as $200,000 every till 2026. The funded analysis initiatives assist wholesome coastal ecosystems, resilient communities and economies, and sustainable fisheries and aquaculture. 

The matters addressed in Florida Sea Grant’s funded work purpose to supply modern options to rising and ongoing points in Florida. Our eight funded initiatives cowl a variety of matters together with – residing shorelines, hurricane resilience, marine algae, inexperienced options, methane emissions, aquaculture, and pink tide. 

2024-2026 Awarded Analysis Initiatives

Dr. Carrie Adams, Affiliate Professor on the College of Florida, leads a venture enhancing residing shoreline (LSL) design and planting. Regardless of rising curiosity, restricted plant materials availability hinders implementation alongside the Atlantic US shoreline. The venture goals to develop seed-based steerage by way of collaboration with nurseries, practitioners, hazard-prone communities, and college students. Knowledge assortment consists of FSG agent and nursery wants assessments, addressing plant materials challenges. The analysis explores seed-based manufacturing strategies, quantifying elevated plant provide advantages. This initiative guides ecosystem-based approaches for managers, contributing to coastal shoreline enhancement and restoration

Dr. Christopher Daly, Assistant Professor at Florida Gulf Coast College, leads a analysis venture assessing Hurricane Ian’s impression on the Southwest Florida coast and predicting future storm impacts. The venture focuses on Sanibel, Fort Myers Seaside, Naples, and Lovers Key State Park to tell coastal resilience choices. Ongoing information assortment entails UAV-flown LiDAR and ground-penetrating radar, complemented by numerical modeling with XBeach. The analysis identifies weak coastal areas, guides resilience methods and administration choices, and shares findings with municipalities and the general public by way of workshops, aiming to safeguard the area’s socioeconomic well-being from future storm impacts

Dr. Nicolas DiLorenzo, Professor on the College of Florida, leads a analysis venture that explores the potential of marine algae as a sustainable protein supply for livestock, aiming to scale back enteric methane emissions and tackle challenges in meals manufacturing. Collaborating with business companions, Netuno, USA Inc. and Two Docks Shellfish, LLC, the analysis will assess algae’s viability by way of the cultivating and harvesting of algae within the Tampa Bay space, with the harvested macro algae present process in vitro incubations to simulate varied dietary results. Promising algae might be grown in managed circumstances earlier than testing on Angus crossbred heifers at NFREC, evaluating each efficiency and methane emissions. Algae-based feed components supply an opportunity for farmers to scale back greenhouse gasoline emissions whereas sustaining livestock productiveness. Nonetheless, additional analysis is required to optimize formulations, assess long-term results, and tackle scalability and cost-effectiveness challenges.

Dr. Amal Elawady, Assistant Professor at Florida Worldwide College, leads a analysis venture addressing vulnerabilities in elevated properties to excessive winds, emphasizing challenges in design tips and retrofitting present buildings. The venture introduces a community-guided engineering framework, fostering early-stage engagement with multi-sector stakeholders to grasp priorities, significantly in underrepresented and underdeveloped communities. Knowledgeable by neighborhood enter and wind tunnel testing research, the analysis goals to develop an economical architectural gadget that minimizes the impression of wind hazards on coastal elevated homes. The proposed experimental program additionally enhances lately revealed design provisions for wind results on elevated coastal properties.

Dr. Razieh Farzad, Assistant Professor on the College of Florida and Seafood Security Extension Specialist for Florida Sea Grant, leads a analysis venture centered on enhancing sustainable native seafood manufacturing by using developments in mobile agriculture to create cell-cultured fishmeal with a dietary profile corresponding to marine-based fishmeal. Tilapia serves because the animal mannequin to evaluate the consequences of cell-cultured fishmeal on fish manufacturing. The venture additionally investigates aquaculture producers’ potential acceptance of this method. To guage sustainability implications, an evaluation will evaluate marine-based and cell-cultured fishmeal manufacturing strategies. Given the value instability of fishmeal and anticipated will increase in aquaculture manufacturing, this analysis gives insights into another protein supply for aquafeed manufacturing. 

Dr. Michelle Gaither, Assistant Professor on the College of Central Florida, leads a analysis venture that advances monitoring methods for dangerous algal blooms in Florida. The state invested some huge cash to enhance monitoring and mitigation, however these efforts depend on precisely figuring out species. Latest challenges, like new dangerous algal bloom (HAB) species, elevated distribution of problematic species, and simultaneous HAB occurrences, have made this identification tough. In collaboration between UCF and FWC/FWRI scientists, the analysis entails the event of an optimized molecular toolkit for the correct and environment friendly detection and quantification of HAB taxa throughout the state. 

Dr. Kai Lorenzen, Professor on the College of Florida, leads a analysis venture that goals to develop good follow tips to make scientific {and professional} steerage out there to all stocking initiatives.  Stocking is used for fisheries enhancement, however it typically falls in need of delivering vital advantages and might negatively have an effect on naturally recruited shares. Evaluating and managing stocking packages is essential. The venture goals to sort out this concern by making a community of marine enhancement scientists and practitioners. It entails gathering and synthesizing statewide marine stocking information, creating user-friendly instruments for modeling, evaluation, and visualization to tell and assess stocking initiatives, and bettering information assortment and evaluation protocols.

Dr. Prashant Singh, Assistant Professor at Florida State College, leads a analysis venture advancing fast seafood identification assays for on-site detection of commercially vital seafood species. Given the challenges of seafood misrepresentation in america, the analysis focuses on creating standardized assays examined at seafood processing amenities in collaboration with business consultants and processors. The research’s outcomes embody the standardization and software of assays for figuring out six essential Gulf species, resembling black grouper, pink drum, pink grouper, pink snapper, yellowtail snapper, and royal pink shrimp. These developments purpose to safeguard the financial pursuits of home seafood stakeholders and foster collaboration between the business and academia.

For extra data on these and different ongoing Analysis and Program Improvement initiatives, go to our newly launched venture explorer device.