The NOAA Living Marine Resources Cooperative Science Center (LMRCSC) trains and graduates students from underrepresented communities in marine science for careers in research, management, and public policy that support the sustainable harvest and conservation of our nation’s living marine resources. With its partner institutions, the LMRCSC conducts research on marine and estuarine systems congruent with the interests of NOAA Fisheries. The LMRCSC is supported by the NOAA Education Partnership Program with Minority-Serving Institutions (EPP/MSI).
The center is involved in collaborative research projects between its partner institutions and NOAA in areas such as stock assessment, essential fish habitat, resource economics, and sustainable aquaculture. LMRCSC research has contributed information needed for the protection, management, and restoration of coastal and marine fish habitats and more than 20 species of finfish, shellfish, and protected species.
In addition, the center hosts summer camps, internships, and other outreach events serving more than 1,000 K-12 student each year.
Mission
Our mission is to prepare a diverse student body for careers in marine and fisheries sciences through exemplary academic and research collaborations.
Vision
Our vision is to be a national center of excellence for the development of a diverse body of professionals in marine and fisheries sciences through education and research of the highest quality.
Goals:
- Prepare the future workforce for marine and fisheries science
- Strengthen collaborations across universities and professional networks to enhance academic programs in marine and fisheries science
- Develop an exemplary capacity for scientific collaborations among partner institutions in the NOAA relevant fields of marine and fisheries science
- Effectively and efficiently manage the programs and activities of the Center
- Effectively communicate the activities and accomplishments of the Center
- Assess and evaluate the Center’s goals and objectives
Leveraged programs
Earning the grant from NOAA EPP to establish the LMRCSC allowed our center to develop our capacity for education and research. Leveraging existing resources helped the LMRCSC earn additional funding to support the following projects:
- CREST-Center for the Integrated Study of Coastal Ecosystem Processes (CREST-CISCEP)
- Professional Science Master’s program in Quantitative Fisheries and Resource Economics
- Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Marine and Estuarine Science (REU)
- Network of Cooperative Science Centers for Recruiting and Training High School Students in Geoscience
