National Sea Grant College Program

The National Sea Grant College Program is a program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) within the U.S. Department of Commerce. It is a national network of 30 Sea Grant Colleges and universities involved in scientific research, education, training, and extension projects geared toward the conservation and practical use of the coasts, Great Lakes, and other marine areas. The program is administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and is based in Silver Spring, Maryland.

There are 30 member institutions, called Sea Grant colleges, many but not all of which are located along the coast. The program was instituted in 1966 when Congress passed the National Sea Grant College Program Act.

Sea Grant colleges are not to be confused with land-grant colleges (a program instituted in 1862), space-grant colleges (instituted in 1988) or sun-grant colleges (instituted in 2003).

Contents

History of the Sea Grant College Program

At a 1963 meeting of the [[American Fisheries Society, a University of Minnesota professor, Athelstan Spilhaus, first suggested the establishment of Sea Grant colleges in universities that wished to develop oceanic work.[1] Two years later, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives passed the National Sea Grant College and Program Act of 1966. The Act allowed the National Science Foundation (NSF) authority to initiate and support education, research, and extension by:

Encouraging and developing programs consisting of instruction, practical demonstrations, publications, and otherwise, by Sea grant colleges and other suitable institutes, laboratories, and public and private agencies through marine advisory programs with the object of imparting useful information to person currently employed or interested in the various fields related to the development of marine resources, the scientific community, and the general public.[2]

Participating institutions

A map showing the locations of and links to the institutions involved with the program is available from the NOAA here.

Pacific Region

Southeastern Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Region

Mid-Atlantic Region

Northeast Region

Great Lakes Region

See also

References

  1. ^ Jim Murray and Bruce Wilkins, The Philosophy: What do we do?, in Fundamental of a Sea Grant Extension Program
  2. ^ National Sea Grant College and Program Act of 1966.
  3. ^ http://groups.ucanr.org/UCSGEP/ UC Sea Grant Extension Program (accessed Dec. 31, 2008)
  4. ^ http://www.flseagrant.org/

External links