www.usc.edu/org/seagrant
Organization Type:
Government Agency, School/University, Non-Profit
Mission:
The Sea Grant Program at the University of Southern California has served the Southern California coastal region for over 25 years, funding research, transferring results to government agencies and user groups, and providing information about marine resources, recreation and education to the public. Sea Grant research and outreach projects have covered a broad spectrum of areas, with particular emphasis on topics related to the "Urban Ocean," USC Sea Grant's thematic focus.
Competition for coastal resources -- for ports and harbors, coastal recreation, fisheries, petroleum, waste and sewage disposal, and others -- generates a need for accurate and timely information on which sound management decisions can be based. USC Sea Grant supports projects addressing the issues and opportunities of Los Angeles and other metropolitan areas near, using, and benefiting from the sea. In many cases, project results can be applied to other cities facing similar urban resource and management issues.
USC Sea Grant sponsors research projects concerned with a variety of topics. Our research emphasis on the urban ocean has yielded important information about sewage disposal at sea, particularly from the White's Point Sewage Outfall off the Palos Verdes peninsula, the presence and survival of viruses in the coastal ocean, the planning issues associated with the expansion of the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and topics associated with marine recreation and tourism, among many others.
To extend the findings of our research, USC Sea Grant provides information to the public, government, business and academia through our Outreach Services. Staffed by professionals in both marine policy and natural science, we sponsor workshops and conferences, provide curriculum materials for marine education, foster minority education in the sciences, write and publish a variety of outreach documents about marine topics and translate the results of scientific research into terms useful to the Southern California community.
Contact:
Phyllis Grifman
University of Southern California, Sea Grant Program
University Park, AHF 209
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0373
Phone: (213) 740-1961
Fax: (213) 740-5936
seagrant@usc.edu
Geographical Focus:
Local, Regional
Counties Served:
Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura
Activities:
Research, Education, Policy, Water Pollution Prevention
Topic:
Wetlands, Kelp Forest, Islands, Beaches, Rocky Intertidal, Water Quality/Storm Water Runoff, Bay & Estuary Habitats, Open Ocean/Oceanography
Educational Resources:
Curriculum, Outreach Program, Field Trip, Publications, Newsletter, Website
Education Programs:
• Island Explorers Program: hands-on activity-based curriculum with field trip component for upper elementary and middle school students
• Portions of the Island Explorer Program available online
• Online interactive activities
• Research publications on urban ocean issues
• Parent/child education program
• Island Explorers Newsletter
• Email listserve for teachers
• Field Trips for interested teacher’s classes, to USC Wrigley Marine Science Center, Catalina Island.
• Girls Summer Science programs, middle school and high school, held at the Marine Science Center on Catalina Island.
Target Audiences:
K-12, Adult, Teacher, Non-Formal Educator, University Student, General Public
Other Languages:
Wet and Wild curriculum in Spanish
In-Service Training:
Teachers, Students/Interns:
Teacher workshops, Sea Grant Trainee program for selected graduate students. Island explorers program for interested schools.
Internship Opportunities
