Corbett's Corner
As we begin a new year, it is a great moment to reflect on what has been an outstanding year for both Integrated Coastal Programs and the Coastal Studies Institute. Across research, education, and outreach, our faculty, staff, students, and partners accomplished an incredible amount by advancing coastal science, expanding experiential learning, and strengthening connections between ECU and the communities we serve along North Carolina’s coast and beyond. The ECU Outer Banks Campus continues to be central to this work. It is a place where interdisciplinary research, hands on education, and public engagement come together in meaningful ways. From faculty- led research and student fieldwork to workshops, lectures, and community partnerships, the campus remains a powerful platform for advancing ECU’s mission and for preparing the next generation of coastal leaders. One of the highlights of this time of year is welcoming a new cohort of Semester at the Coast students to the Outer Banks Campus. These students bring energy, curiosity, and fresh perspectives, and we are excited to work with them as they engage with our campus, our research programs, and the coastal communities that surround us. Watching students learn in real time on the water, in the field, and alongside practitioners is one of the most rewarding parts of our work.
This past fall also offered the chance to reconnect with Pirate Nation™ beyond our campus. I had the opportunity to spend a couple of great days in the Wilmington area getting to know ECU alumni and friends, sharing updates on our coastal programs, and hearing firsthand how meaningful these experiences have been to them. Those conversations are a powerful reminder that the impact of our work extends well beyond the Outer Banks.
As we move forward, our transition continues to take shape, and we are excited about the opportunities it creates for deeper integration across the university, new partnerships, and continued growth of our coastal enterprise. None of this would be possible without the support of our alumni, partners, and friends. As Pirate Nation Gives approaches, I hope you will consider supporting the Coastal Studies Institute once again this year. Your generosity directly supports students, research, and community engagement at the coast and helps make all of this work possible. Here’s to another great year ahead. Reide
Student Section
OBXFS Capstone Research Review
Another season of the Outer Banks Field Site (OBXFS) has now come and gone, and an entire semester of research was distilled into a brief yet insightful public presentation before the thirteen students departed CSI to head home for their well-deserved holiday break. The celebratory 25th year of the UNC Institute for the Environment’s field site for undergraduates on the Outer Banks was overall a great success.
During CSI’s December installment of the Science on the Sound lecture series, the 2025 OBXFS participants highlighted the methods, findings, and conclusions from their nearly three-month-long Capstone research study, “Patterns of protection: Natural and social values of the Nags Head Woods maritime forest”. The Nags Head Woods Preserve is a highly revered maritime forest that spans the boundary of Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head, NC. Given its unique ecosystem and cultural importance to the local community, the OBXFS students wanted to investigate the levels of protection found in and around the Woods through both natural and social science lenses. The natural aspects of the project considered ecological processes, while the social science component considered human values and perceptions of Nags Head Woods. To conduct their study, the students surveyed six plots of land in the Woods to understand biological influences, and they interviewed 26 stakeholders, or users, of Nags Woods to better understand public use and value of the area.
The six plots that the students picked to assess were spread across Nags Head Woods. Moving from north to south, three sites were located near the sound side, while the others occurred toward the ocean in the eastern portion of the woods. At or near each study area, the students placed a wildlife camera along visible deer trails to record animal observations and a tower to collect salt spray. Additionally, they used the Carolina Vegetation Survey method to quantify canopy coverage, assess plant age and maturity, and identify the species composition.
Across the plots, wildlife sightings included raccoons, white-tailed deer, Virginia opossum, American robins, swallowtail butterflies, coyotes, lots of grey squirrels, and one bobcat. The students concluded that the local wildlife utilized the habitat and protection provided by the Woods. Additionally, the students observed 51 unique plant species, only two of which were invasive. They found loblolly pine, pignut hickory, and American holly to be the most common species among all sites; however, the distribution and abundance of these species varied from site to site. Based on the amount of salt spray collected at each site, the students concluded that salt spray blown from the ocean and the sound strongly influenced the vegetative composition and canopy cover in the Nags Head Woods Preserve. Specific sites received varying levels of protection from salt spray based on the amount of canopy cover at each site, as well as the topography of the immediate surrounding area. The students briefly highlighted nuances of each site in their public presentation and gave even greater detail in their final written report.
While tackling the natural science aspect of the Capstone project focused on quantitative measures of biodiversity and protection values, the human dimensions component incorporated a qualitative approach to understand users’ perspectives on the values of Nags Head Woods. To identify values and capture emergent themes across interviews, the students first had to transcribe and code each interview for prominent thoughts and feelings about Nags Head Woods.
Overall, as noted on page 71 of their written report, “Interviewees valued the Woods for the contributions it made to their lives, as well as the relationships they forged with nature and with others through nature.” More specifically, values captured in the interviews included recreation and leisure; biodiversity and habitat; mental wellness; social bonds; and preservation. Nags Head Woods overwhelmingly provides people with a sense of protection on multiple fronts, including protection from environmental stressors and social stressors, as well as from further land development in the area. However, differences in opinion emerged regarding the level of public access to Nags Head Woods. Those who live in the Woods believed it to have already lost a degree of privacy, while those who often visit the area did so for the serenity it offered. The juxtaposition of these opinions highlights the criticality of finding a balance between managed access and seclusion in the Nags Head Woods Preserve. Finally, it is worth noting that regardless of user type, many interviewees indicated a deep sense of moral obligation to steward and protect the Woods itself, further revealing what the students described on pages 73-74 of their report as a “self-perpetuating cycle [of] protection offered to the Woods, by the Woods, and through the Woods….”
The values and attitudes of people toward Nags Head Woods captured through the 26 interviews seemingly align with the management strategies chosen by the towns of Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head, in conjunction with The Nature Conservancy. Quantifying these perceptions through this study and continuing to do so in the future will allow managers to make the most informed decisions about land use going forward. “Between spending time in the Woods and in conversation with interviewees, the students amassed an impressive dataset. They brought remarkable analytical insights and interpretative skills to their analyses, which illustrate not only the multiple and interrelated values of the Woods, but the students’ own engagement with and awe of Nags Head Woods,” OBXFS Associate Director Dr. Linda D’Anna elaborates. The students recognize their study was narrow in scope, given the time constraints of the semester, and they are leaving behind some big ideas and believe the work is just beginning. Future steps could include continuing with the same methods over a longer period to include more seasonality and perhaps capture long-term changes in Nags Head Woods. Considerations of forest succession, local hydrology, and user impacts on the Woods could also further complement their project. While their ideas for future studies may be cut out for future researchers, the thirteen students of the 2025 OBXFS are proud of their work during the Fall semester and look back fondly on their time spent on the Outer Banks and in Nags Head Woods.
Internship Reflections
A personal account from Anna Nadolny, a junior at First Flight High School who interned with the CSI Education and Outreach team during the Fall 2025 Semester.
As an intern at CSI, I got to experience everything I could have dreamed of in an internship. From completing hands-on projects to meeting people who made me feel welcome and helped me reach my goals, CSI made this fall semester as perfect as it could be. This internship and the people at CSI will always hold a special place with me, and I will always be grateful for the time I spent here. Living in the Outer Banks has had a major impact on my life. I moved here four years ago, and living at the beach has proved very different from living in the Midwest. To say I fell in love with the ocean is an understatement. Moving here opened my eyes to many more opportunities and paths that I never previously had access to. Marine science is one of the only things that has really sparked my interest, which has only grown with my being so close to the ocean.
As a high school student, my goal for this internship was to learn more about the field I potentially want to pursue in college and to gain new experiences I would not otherwise have access to in high school. At the beginning of my internship, I chose between a few ideas for my overall project, and I also agreed to write a few stories for CSI digital publications. Under the mentorship of John McCord, Parker Murphy, and Lauren Kerlin, the project I decided upon involved building and designing three Standard Monitoring Units for the Recruitment of Larval Fishes, more commonly referred to as SMURFs. A SMURF is typically a cylindrically shaped cage filled with mesh that rests at the bottom of nearshore environments. It provides structure and therefore attracts larval fish. I placed each of the three SMURFs I made in a different location and monitored them regularly over the semester. I kept track of the size, number, and species of fish I found inside each SMURF, as well as the water quality at each location.
By the end of the semester, I found that the site by the dock at CSI in the Croatan Sound had the most fish recruitment over two weeks, and that Kitty Hawk Bay showed the least amount of recruitment. Throughout the fall semester, I have noticed that the weather and water quality played an important role in my data collection. At the Oregon Inlet site, the second time I collected data, I observed the highest number of fish in the SMURF. It had almost the same water qualities as the previous collection, except for the temperature, which was extremely cold. I also noticed there was a difference in biofouling between each location. The Oregon Inlet SMURF showed major biofouling with marine algae throughout, and the SMURF by the CSI dock had silt covering everything. Finally, the SMURF situated in Kitty Hawk Bay exhibited no biofouling and was otherwise unremarkable.
The process of retrieving data and comparing sites has opened my eyes to the true unpredictability of the ocean. Over the semester, I gained a better understanding of the different directions data collection and scientific research can take me. Doing an experiment for the full semester led to many different questions and conclusions, and it showed me how important it is to consider all the aspects that can change during an experiment.
Learning is a huge part of life. I have realized that the more adventures I have, the more I learn. Being able to conduct scientific research and pick a project about something that interests me was an amazing experience. At school, I’ve never gotten to pick my assignments, and it has been extremely hard to find something that excites me enough to consider doing it for the rest of my life. I hope to graduate early in December 2026 and would like to attend the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. I plan on studying marine sciences and possibly computer sciences, too. Overall, I found that completing this internship provided me with an opportunity to find what I am most passionate about, and it helped drive me to learn and study marine science. It was truly, from the bottom of my heart, an amazing experience being an intern at CSI. I strive to learn new things every day, and CSI definitely helped me achieve this goal. I will always cherish the time I had there, and I am beyond grateful for everyone I met at CSI who helped me along the way.
Faculty Highlight
Dr. Teresa Ryan: For Her, It's Personal
In the last five years, Dr. Teresa Ryan’s life has been as dynamic as the ever-changing coast she calls home. Ryan, who first joined the ECU Department of Engineering in 2013, moved to Kill Devil Hills in 2021 to serve as a key connector between ECU’s Greenville and Outer Banks campuses and to act as a bridge between the Department of Engineering and the Coastal Studies Institute. She saw it as the perfect place for her ongoing research which, impressively, has been continuously funded by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) since 2015. Over the years, Ryan, who leads the Acoustics and Vibrations Lab, has investigated how environmental conditions, like sea state, temperature, wind, and humidity, affect sound transmission over water. This research provides further insight into how someone on shore might perceive a distant noise source such as a boat or a busy highway, given the conditions at the time. In addition to gaining a better understanding queries like this, Ryan has also successfully provided engaging opportunities for her students to pair their knowledge with hands-on experiences through summer field intensives. Ryan, her colleagues, and students, have helped fine-tune acoustic models with the data they collected, yet they also discovered a slight hiccup in the process. As it turns out, there is an unpredictable variability to turbulence that can’t be explained with current technology and tools. So, with her newest ONR grant, which runs through 20207, Ryan isn’t investigating just the weather’s influence on sound propagation now. She’s also considering how water can mask sounds further. In other words, “A lot of noise comes from the water itself- choppy conditions, crashing waves along varying shorelines. Our next task is to understand how these combined acoustics might actually hide the sounds of noise sources much further away,” says Ryan.
Not only has Ryan’s primary research question transformed in recent years, but so has her role at ECU. Since maintaining a presence on the ECU Outer Banks Campus, Ryan has been promoted from associate professor to professor and also currently serves as Chair of the Engineering Department at ECU. While she wears many hats and her day-to-day duties have shifted, her passion to mentor students and provide personalized attention does not waver. While Ryan acknowledges that higher education institutions are generally facing challenges, she is excited by the fact that the return on investment for an engineering degree is still high, and thus compelling to students. As Chair, she has made it her mission to bring awareness to the Department of Engineering at ECU through several outlets, including, what she calls, a “grassroots marketing and outreach” organization led by ECU engineering students. Not only are the students highlighting what they love about the engineering program at ECU, but they are also engaging with the community through K-12 programming and other fun, public-friendly initiatives. True to ECU’s mission, the Department of Engineering is facilitating regional transformation. As for Ryan, working in the Department of Engineering pleases her because it also feels personal. She sees a big, sprawling, fun campus in Greenville, but nestled within is the engineering department, which can provide small class sizes and individualized attention. This hidden-in-plain-sight, close-knit community of faculty and students foster a family atmosphere, which Ryan believes is the “secret sauce” to their success. Given the similar feel of the ECU Outer Banks Campus, it is no wonder why she feels so at home in both locations. Though life looks different than it did five years ago, Ryan remains a bridge between campuses and optimistic about future collaborations amongst faculty in both places and for her students.
Research Focus
New NSF Grant Could Reveal an Ocean of Possibilities
A new, collaborative National Science Foundation research grant awarded to Dr. Mike Muglia and his colleagues aims to shed light on small-scale oceanographic processes in the southernmost waters of the Mid-Atlantic Bight, a region that includes the eastern U.S. continental shelf area from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Muglia leads the Oceanography and Marine Hydrokinetic Energy Lab at the Coastal Studies Institute. The project team, led by Dr. Anthony Kirincich at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in conjunction with Dr. Harvey Seim (UNC- Chapel Hill) and Muglia, seeks to understand how eddies, fronts, and wind forcing affect the exchange of water masses, nutrients, and pollutants across the continental shelf at the shallower, narrower southern end of the Mid-Atlantic Bight.
The funding will enable the team to collect observations of ocean surface currents with coastal, land-based, high-frequency radar systems and assess the data alongside satellite-based images and in situ water column samples taken by the OOI’s Coastal Mid-Atlantic Bight (MAB) Pioneer Array. The array, currently positioned off the Outer Banks, consists of a variety of oceanographic observing equipment, buoys, and other mobile apparatus. Together, the elements of the array collect physical, chemical, geological, and biological data that can, in turn, provide insight for tracking, predicting, managing, and adapting to changes in the marine environment.
To put it simply, “We will examine the space and time scales of small-scale features over the southern Mid-Atlantic Bight shelf and their impact on exchange across the shelf via a multi-faceted observational approach,” says Muglia. Within the area of study, water circulation and stirring are quite complex and are dictated by a myriad of factors such as wind conditions, topographic effects, the varying location of the Gulf Stream, and plumes of both fresh and saline waters from the Chesapeake Bay and Albemarle/Pamlico Estuarine Systems. The resulting environment provides a unique opportunity to study the exchange of heat, salt, and biologically important nutrients across the shelf.
The research team will utilize a high-frequency radar (HFR) system to assess fine-scale, spatially varied movement of water across the study site. The system, which consists of an antenna network, operates by transmitting high-frequency radio waves toward the ocean surface. The radio waves are reflected off the ocean surface by ocean waves. Subsequently, the system uses the Doppler-shifted, returning radio waves to measure the speed and direction of flow of the water moving through and around the study area.
The team will employ the HFR systems for three years and hourly ocean surface current measurements received from them, with other datasets from satellites and the Pioneer Array. Combining the many observations will provide the most holistic snapshot of exchange and the associated influences like eddies and fronts, as well as the mixing of different water masses across the southern Mid-Atlantic Bight.
The results of their work will improve understanding of small-scale oceanographic processes by providing insight into the characteristics and drivers of water stirring and exchange at finer scales over the southern Mid-Atlantic Bight. Their findings may also reveal critical information about biologically important exchange- for example, the transport of larval fish- across the shelf, as well as carbon transfer to the deep ocean. Finally, the results of the study will provide baseline information and methods for future ocean exchange research. While the study will have many benefits, Muglia is particularly excited about the prospect of learning more about estuary influences on shelf water exchange. "I'm excited to learn more about the relative contributions from the Chesapeake Bay and the Albemarle/ Pamlico Estuary Systems, the two largest estuaries in the United States, to the shelf water in our region. This is a question that hasn't previously been the focus of our past observation programs," he says.
New Publication Highlights the Economics of Mangrove Ecosystems
Just as salt marsh wetlands can mitigate storm damage to coastal communities in the mid-Atlantic region, so too can mangrove forests help protect coastal communities in the southeastern United States. While this fact has been widely accepted for some time, a new study led by Dr. Siddharth Narayan, an ECU faculty member at the Coastal Studies Institute, reveals just how economically crucial mangroves can be in helping to offset costs associated with large storm events in South Florida. In a recently published report entitled “The spatially variable effects of mangroves on flood depths and losses from storm surges in Florida,” Narayan and colleagues from Moody’s RMS, the Center for Coastal Climate Resilience at UC Santa Cruz, and The Nature Conservancy, used fine-scale modeling to estimate the net, location-specific benefits and trade-offs that mangroves provide. Under the right conditions, mangroves can attenuate storm surge and reduce flood depths in coastal areas. In their study, the team of researchers simulated a series of storms and subsequent economic losses across South Florida under two different scenarios- one with present-day mangrove coverage and one with no mangrove coverage at all. Their high-resolution models, which allowed them to assess the coastal floodplain at a scale of approximately 100 meters, set their research apart from past studies, which had only used larger scales ranging from one to 100 kilometers. “In this collaboration with the risk modeling industry, we show the value of mangrove forests in reducing property damages from storm surges every year. Similar to how salt marsh wetlands from New York to North Carolina reduced damages during Hurricane Sandy, coastal properties in Florida avoided anywhere between 14 and 30% in surge losses during Hurricanes Ian and Irma due to mangroves acting as natural defenses,” says Narayan.
Through their simulations, the researchers found that the presence of mangroves has varied impacts. Mangroves seem to provide the greatest protective benefits for more frequent, moderate storms as opposed to the largest, rare storms. Additionally, areas that are landward of mangrove forests receive the most benefits, whereas areas within mangrove forests, or seaward of them, may see an increase in damage due to concentrated floodwaters redirected by the mangrove systems. While some localized areas may experience negative impacts or simply no benefits, the broader economic impacts are net positive. For example, the models and scenarios suggest that mangroves reduce losses due to storm surge in Collier County, Florida, by $67 million per year- a benefit of nearly $270,000 per square kilometer per year. Furthermore, the models estimate that the presence of mangroves in South Florida reduced losses due to storm surge by $725 million during Hurricane Irma in 2017 and $4.1 billion during Hurricane Ian in 2022.
The results of the study further point toward the economic value of natural resources and highlight the importance of utilizing innovative, nature-based defenses in conjunction with other engineering solutions. As many communities strive to strengthen their resilience in the face of increasing coastal hazards, natural systems such as mangrove forests and salt marsh wetlands will prove to be valuable assets.
North Carolina Renewable Ocean Energy Program (NCROEP) News
While the calendar was noticeably less busy during the holiday season, NCROEP researchers took advantage of the quiet time to work on funded projects. All look forward to the annual NCROEP Symposium in March, when they will gather at CSI to share research updates with their colleagues. Below are exciting glimpses into NCROEP research and future opportunities with partners around the nation.
CSI Designated as TEAMER Facility
Compared to the wind and solar energy sectors, the marine renewable energy field is only in its infancy, and researchers and developers have their work cut out for them. Fortunately, a federally funded program exists to help innovators navigate the complex path of marine energy technology development from design conception to commercialization. The Testing Expertise and Access for Marine Energy program, better known as TEAMER, is a funding platform that plans to distribute $25 million over the course of several application cycles to support marine energy testing and development. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office and directed by the Pacific Ocean Energy Trust, TEAMER is comprised of over 80 sites across the U.S. that offer one or more areas of expertise, including Numerical Modeling & Analysis; Laboratory & Bench Testing; Tank/ Tunnel/Flume/Basin Testing; and Open Water Support. TEAMER pairs marine energy technology developers with expert researchers and these facilities to advance the industry, accelerate technologies towards commercialization, and get devices in the water for renewable energy production. Excitingly, the Coastal Studies Institute is now an approved TEAMER facility! As the leader of the North Carolina Renewable Ocean Energy Program since 2012 and a founding member of the Atlantic Marine Energy Center (AMEC), which was established in 2021, CSI is well-positioned to hold such a designation. CSI and its 10-meter wave tank are listed on the TEAMER website as offering "Non-Open Water, Tunnel, Flume, Tank & Basin" support. "The CSI marine energy team is thrilled to integrate our wave tank into the TEAMER network. This partnership opens new doors for researchers and developers—both in North Carolina and across the nation—to leverage our facilities for marine energy testing. Our tank is specifically optimized for testing scaled devices designed to power the blue economy,” says NCROEP Director George Bonner.
Through annual open funding calls, TEAMER support for marine energy testing and development projects is available to applicants worldwide, so long as they partner with one of the network facilities. A successful Request for Technical Support, or RFT, is completed through a five-step process as follows:
- Pre-consult: An applicant chooses a partner facility within the TEAMER network and discusses their needs.
- Apply: If the applicant and facility feel they are a good match, together they submit an online RFT application.
- Plan: The approved applicant and facility prepare a detailed plan.
- Test: The partner facility provides technical support within nine months of test plan approval.
- Report: After testing and technical support are complete, the applicant submits a report, which will be made publicly available.
To further accelerate the development of marine energy technologies and foster a heightened sense of collaboration, TEAMER-affiliated projects have publicly published reports as highlighted by step 5. The availability of findings and results from each TEAMER project can help reduce the barriers others may experience when entering and participating in the marine energy sector. With information sharing as a crucial characteristic of the TEAMER network, the wide availability of marine energy technologies in the future may come quicker.
In addition to publishing the reports, TEAMER is dedicated to increasing awareness of marine energy technologies and technical support by hosting webinars and workshops throughout the year. In fact, Trip Taylor, a research scientist and member of the Oceanography and Marine Hydrokinetic Energy Lab at CSI, participated in the 2024 WEC Modeling and Controls Workshop, which was hosted by TEAMER. At the workshop, Taylor received a comprehensive technical overview of the workflow for wave energy converter (WEC) modeling and analysis, as well as hands-on training with various virtual toolkits to assist with WEC modeling and development. Moreover, the networking opportunities with folks from the Hinsdale Wave Research Lab at Oregon State University and the WaveBot group at Sandia National Laboratory provided him with valuable insight for experimental testing setups.
While the video above gives a general overview of the workshop experience, Taylor adds, “the knowledge I gained at the TEAMER workshop informs our research here at CSI and is regularly shared with students and industry partners in the marine renewable energy field.”
Whether utilized for professional development or prototype enhancement, the TEAMER network proves to be an advantageous resource. “Beyond device testing, TEAMER provides the essential technical expertise and commercialization pathways needed to advance marine energy for unique blue economy power needs for national security and coastal resilience,” Bonner summarizes. As for CSI’s part in TEAMER, the future is bright. “We look forward to expanding our role within TEAMER as we seek approval for our open-water test site at Jennette’s Pier,” shares Bonner. The work has only just begun.
Have You Thought About FLOSSing?
Imagine if harnessing renewable energy from the marine environment could one day be as easy as flossing teeth. Is that possible? Maybe! Many ocean current marine energy systems currently in development are limited to certain applications due to water depths and low flow current speeds. In North Carolina, potential sites for ocean current marine energy device installations typically average flow speeds under 1.5 meters per second (m/s) and can be as low as 0.2 m/s. Fortunately, a team of researchers from North Carolina State University, funded by the North Carolina Renewable Ocean Energy Program, is working to engineer a device suitable for NC’s offshore environment. Members of the Engineering Mechanics and Space Systems Laboratory, led by Dr. Andre Mazzoleni (pictured speaking left or above), draw inspiration from the simple act of flossing teeth for their latest project. The Flow-powered Low cut in speed Oscillating Subsea System, or FLOSS, is a novel system that utilizes changing drag bodies connected by a cable to rotate a central transmission wheel that interacts with a generator. When the FLOSS is deployed in moving water, small modifications to the shape of the drag bodies cause the cable to lengthen on one side and thus retract on the other. As the cable slides through the central point of the device, a generator is engaged and produces electrical energy.
So far, small prototypes of the FLOSS have been tested (as pictured below), and previous experiments have shown that this kind of system can operate successfully in low flow speeds of 0.25 m/s, even in shallow, surface-level currents. With the most recent funding from NCROEP, the group is focused on how the device can be used for “trickle-charge” applications, in which a storage battery is given a slow, gradual power supply to maintain long-term battery health and voltage while also preventing the battery from over-charging or extensively discharging.
Additionally, the researchers hope to optimize drag body shapes and tether lengths, continue their evaluation of system efficiency, and further assess the FLOSS’s ability to generate power in low-flow conditions. To meet these goals, the group will:
- Develop a model that considers hydrodynamics as well as the behavior of the drag bodies, tether, and generator. The model will help refine the system and assess operational and environmental risks, further informing future prototypes and increasing energy capture.
- Conduct experiments to test drag body designs, generator loading, and tether response. These experiments will also aid in optimizing the system, as well as provide validation for the model referenced above.
- Evaluate the feasibility of future use and deployment, including considerations for regions of deployment, the necessary resources and expertise needed for successful installation and maintenance of the system, and preliminary estimates for the system’s associated costs. These findings will be compiled into a final report for NCROEP.
"Most recently, we have conducted multiple tests at the NC State free surface water tunnel, including performing a parametric study of various drag body shapes and sizes in low flow to determine the effect of drag body size and shape on the power that can be generated," shares graduate student Saurabh Agrawal. The group is also currently working on the design of an open-water, proof-of-concept prototype which will enable them to test a FLOSS system in the Croatan Sound.
The FLOSS is advantageous because, compared to other marine renewable energy devices, it may lower up-front and maintenance costs; produce energy at lower flow speeds; reduce environmental disturbance to the underwater soundscape by minimizing noise usually produced by cavitation and wake; and simplify deployment and maintenance needs. Each of these benefits will help advance NC’s future energy portfolio and enhance economic viability for marine renewable energy extraction in NC.
It is for many of these reasons that Agrawal has liked working on the project. "I have most enjoyed the journey of conceiving and then developing the idea- evolving the FLOSS concept toward a real-world application for powering the blue economy. Given the novel nature of the concept, working to validate the theory and develop new designs has been especially exciting. I am most excited by the potential it holds as an environmentally friendly energy system," he summarizes.
To learn even more and see the FLOSS in action, watch the video below!
CSI Will Host Summer 2026 AMEC Intro Short Course
CSI will host the 2026 installment of AMEC's Introduction to Marine Energy Short Course (IMESC) from June 1– 5. This course brings students from diverse backgrounds to CSI’s coastal campus for a five-day intensive experience covering the fundamentals of marine energy. IMESC is designed for junior and senior undergraduate students, as well as early graduate students, who are interested in marine energy; no prior experience in the field is required. In addition to a lecture- and project-based curriculum, the course will highlight the roles of CSI and NCROEP in marine renewable energy research and explore their research infrastructure through experiential learning, place-based exercises, and field trips.
AMEC is a university-led research consortium and one of four National Marine Energy Centers supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office. AMEC held the inaugural IMESC in summer 2025 at the University of New Hampshire- a founding member of the consortium- which welcomed 27 students from 17 universities across 14 states. In addition to IMESC, AMEC will also offer the following two advanced short courses this summer, both of which are graduate-level courses designed for students currently working in marine energy research:
- Marine Energy Structures, Materials, and Foundation Systems- Stony Brook University, June 22–26
- Tidal and Water Current Energy Conversion- University of New Hampshire, August 10–14
Additional information about the 2026 summer's offerings, application requirements, and deadlines can be found on the AMEC short courses webpage.
Special Announcement
Dr. Lindsay Dubbs was recently featured in Episode 9- Nerdy by Nature of The Outer Edge video series produced by the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau. In this documentary-style short, Dubbs tells about her curious nature, love for the Outer Banks, and passions for teaching and conducting coastal research. Nerdy by Nature is now available on the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau YouTube channel and is also viewable below!
Community Calendar
Birding at Lake Mattamuskeet
Join CSI on February 9, 2026, for a guided winter birding experience at Lake Mattamuskeet, one of North Carolina’s premier waterfowl habitats and a critical stopover along the Atlantic Flyway. This field-based program will introduce participants to the remarkable diversity of ducks, swans, geese, and other wetland birds that gather here each winter. Working alongside CSI educators, participants will learn waterfowl identification skills (plumage, flight patterns, behavior, and calls), explore the lake’s unique ecological importance, and discuss how coastal wetlands support both wildlife and community resilience. Expect plenty of time in the field with scopes and binoculars, great photo opportunities, and an engaging, place-based learning experience in one of the state’s most iconic wildlife refuges. Pre-registration for Birding at Lake Mattamuskeet is required, and the cost to participate is $25 per person. Questions about this program can be directed to John McCord at mccordr@ecu.edu or 252-475-5450.
Family Programs
CSI Family Programs are educational opportunities for elementary school-aged children and their accompanying adult(s). Each program incorporates fun, hands-on activities for experiential learning. Upcoming offerings include:
- Maritime Mysteries- Wednesday, February 25, 4-5 PM. Dive into the world of maritime archeology and shipwrecks to learn about North Carolina’s rich maritime history and the methods used to study it. Participants will examine evidence and use investigative thinking to discover the identity of a sunken vessel.
- Feathered Friends- Thursday, March 19, 4-5 PM. Get ready to soar into birding season with CSI and Feathered Friends. This program covers all things birds on the OBX – spotting, identification, and crafting! Participants will learn easy bird ID tips, do some bird watching, and craft a DIY bird feeder.
- Shells and Invertebrates- Tuesday, April 21, 4-5 PM. Meet the fascinating marine creatures without backbones. This program offers hands-on experiences to explore invertebrates and their armor – shells! Participants will learn the vital role invertebrates play in marine and estuarine food webs and may even see some up close and personal.
- Dock Discovery- Wednesday, May 20, 4-5 PM. Have you ever wondered what’s swimming beneath the surface? You’re invited to come discover the exciting underwater world of the Croatan Sound right on CSI’s campus. Using a variety of sampling methods, participants will witness the numerous species that make our estuaries so diverse.
Pre-registration for Family Programs is required. Questions about Family Programs can be directed to Lauren Kerlin at kerlinl22@ecu.edu or 252-475-5451.
Summer Camp Registration
Registration for the 2026 Summer Camp season opens on Monday, March 2, 2026!
Be sure to sign up early to save your child's seat. Our summer camps focus on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) concepts and utilize hands-on experiences and exploration of the great outdoor spaces of the Outer Banks. Each week of camp features a particular theme and runs Monday-Friday, 9 AM- 3:30 PM. We will accept up to 16 campers between the ages of 10-15 years old each week, June 6- August 7, excluding the week of July 4. We will also have one camp for teens ages 13-17 during the week of August 10-14. The registration fee for all camps is $425 per individual.
NC Renewable Energy Challenge
With funding from the North Carolina Renewable Ocean Energy Program and in partnership with KidWind and Jennette’s Pier, CSI will host the annual, day-long North Carolina Renewable Energy Challenge on March 28, 2026. Competing students must engineer an alternative energy device and compete against each other to create the most efficient design. The challenge strives to increase student interest in green technology and promote innovation, and it fosters 21st-century skills that better prepare students for the growing renewable energy industry.
The 2026 event will include wind and underwater turbine competitions with upper elementary & middle (grades 4-8), and high school (grades 9-12) divisions for each.
Soundside Science Scouts: Estuary Expedition
Take a glimpse into the magical ecosystem that is the estuary! In this day-long mini-camp experience based at the Coastal Studies Institute, students ages 7-9 will discover what makes an estuary special and what critters call it home. Campers will travel by boat to a nearby marsh island in the Croatan Sound and learn about certain animal traits that make them well-suited to their environment. Along the way, participants will play games, make crafts, and create lasting memories with old and new friends alike.
Estuary Expedition will take place on April 7, 2026. Pre-registration is required, and the cost to attend is $80 per student. Please contact Parker Murphy at kellama19@ecu.edu or 252-475-5452 for more information about the program.
Science on the Sound
Science on the Sound is a free lecture series hosted monthly on the ECU Outer Banks Campus. The public is encouraged to attend, and programs are also live-streamed on our YouTube channel. Upcoming Science on the Sound events include:
- March 26, 6 PM: Beth K. Scaffidi, Scott Dawson, and Mark Horton from the Croatoan Archaeological Society will present "The Smoking Gun?: New Radiocarbon Dates and Hunting Practices Linking Hatteras Island to Fort Raleigh in the Sixteenth Century”.
- April 20, 5- 8 PM: Special screening of Hope in the Water, Episode 3- "Changing the Menu" at the Pioneer Theater in Manteo. Admission is free, but reservations are required. See details below.
ECU Outer Banks Campus Tours
Discover coastal science in action in the New Year! In 2026, the Coastal Studies Institute will continue offering guided tours of ECU’s Outer Banks Campus. Thoughtfully designed to engage curious visitors from school-aged children to lifelong learners, tours provide an inside look at the main Research, Education, & Administration Building, highlighting CSI’s distinctive academic programs, education and outreach initiatives, and research laboratories and ongoing projects. Tours are offered from 10- 11 AM on specified dates. The cost is $5/ person, and pre-registration is required. Upcoming tours will occur on February 11 & 25; March 11 & 25; April 8 & 22; and May 6 & 20.
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ADA Accommodation: 252-737-1018 or ada-coordinator@ecu.edu