Three teams of coastal scientists, engineers, and planners are going head-to-head to see who can come up with the best ideas for creating a self-sustaining coast for Louisiana. That's the challenge posed by the Changing Course competition. Selection of these teams this summer completed a year-long process [pdf] that started with screening applications from over 21 groups. The eight strongest applicants were asked to prepare detailed proposals, which were reviewed last spring.

What do volcanoes, floodplains, conversations, hops, a Sound, the Bay, and sea level rise all have in common? The Association of State Floodplain Manager’s annual conference in Seattle included every one. Even the hops. Puget Sound view of the Olympics and geoduck harvesters. Snow-capped Rainier in all its glory in February.

The four Thiess International Riverprize finalists provided inspirational examples of creative solutions for river protection and restoration. The winner of the 2014 Riverprize was the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine, a group of committed and passionate individuals who have transformed the "Sewer of Europe" into a river with high water quality, migratory fish and restored floodplains. There were four very worthy finalists for the 2014 International Riverprize:

Participating in the International Marine Conservation Congress (IMCC) 3rd Annual Conference, August 14-18 2014 at Glasgow, Scotland … Picturesque landscapes are all around in the Scottish Highlands … I traveled to the International Marine Conservation Congress' (IMCC) conference in Scotland in part because I wanted to visit Scotland - land of Scottish brogues, whisky, and wild, mountainous landscapes!

Tracey Saxby and I traveled to Baton Rouge for a two-day training session for the Louisiana Sea Grant Discovery Integration and Application (LA DIA) scholars. Robert Twilley, Louisiana Sea Grant Director, and his staff helped us develop this training session.

Robert Twilley, Director of Louisiana Sea Grant, has initiated a nine month fellowship program called LA DIA, which is an acronym that stands for Louisiana Discovery Integration and Application. Conveniently, this also translates in French and Spanish to "The Day". Bill Nuttle and I from the Integration and Application Network (note the similar name) traveled to Baton Rouge for a 14 July 2014 meeting--an appropriate day for the kick off event, Bastille Day.

I attended the annual trustees and overseers meeting of the Sea Education Association in Woods Hole, MA on 22-23 June. This was my first meeting in some time, so it was good to see everyone again and get an update on the progress of S.E.A. in transforming their program to accommodate the changing market for study abroad college students. The new S.E.A. President is Peg Brandon and the Chair of the Trustees is Susan Humphris.

For the past 33 years, one of the seven wonders of the UMCES world has been the Colossus of Rhoades. The iconic Phyllis Rhoades has been a pillar of support for each and every faculty member submitting a proposal, obtaining the necessary support to build this institution, and managing their projects. Phyllis found no deadline too daunting, no agency too difficult, and no faculty too difficult to work with. The ancient Colossus of Rhodes is a statute of Helios, the Greek god of sun.

The Integration and Application Network held a retreat at the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center on the shores of Chesapeake Bay's Eastern Shore. The venue was spectacular, with views across marshes and open water in a sustainable building that included bamboo flooring, solar power, and skylights. Front row (L to R): Madeline Kelsey, Richard Tian, Rebecca Murphy, Jane Thomas, Zach Friedman, Caroline Wicks; Middle row (L to R):

I attended the Chesapeake Bay Executive Council meeting at the Maryland State House on 16 June 2014, followed by the press conference event for the signing of the new Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement on City Dock, Annapolis. Chesapeake Bay Executive Council meeting in Maryland State House … Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement event at City Dock, Annapolis.