Going Coastal

25 - All things California with Phyllis Grifman and Dr. Lesley Ewing

In this episode of Going Coastal, co-hosts Dane and Jon are joined by two recently retired heavy hitters in coastal policy: Phyllis Grifman, former Executive Director of USC Sea Grant, and Dr. Lesley Ewing, former Coastal Engineer for the CA State Coastal Commission. They have years of history working together on California’s coastal challenges and are sharing some of their stories with us! Tune in this month for sea otters, community engagement, and how drinking on the beach can be a career.

24 - Demystifying Academic Positions with Dr. Stephanie Patch, Dr. Karim Karam and Dr. Matthew Janssen

In this episode of Going Coastal, Jon Miller and Dane Lazarus invited Dr. Stephanie Patch, an Associate Professor of coastal engineering at the University of South Alabama, Dr. Karim Karam, a Teaching Associate Professor at Stevens, and Dr. Matthew Janssen, a Research Assistant Professor at Stevens, to discuss academic positions and what they look like on a day-to-day basis for coastal engineers. They explain the difference between tenure and non-tenure-track positions, the responsibilities of each role, how they are paid, and how academia differs from industry. As always, the episode ends with great advice for students or new professionals who want to pursue an academic career, so make sure to tune in!

23 - Meet the new host: Dane Lazarus

Welcome back to the Going Coastal Podcast. Jon Miller [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-miller-291a921a/], Marissa Torres [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mtorres480/], and Deb Fernandes [https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborah-fernandes-df/] officially welcome Dane Lazarus [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dane-lazarus-9b169686/] as a new Going Coastal co-host. Expect West Coast energy, Sea Grant insights, Dane’s not-so-linear path into coastal work (you will want to hear that!), what he’s excited to bring on the show, and the kind of “usable science” he is so passionate about. Also, yes, we get distracted by favourite beaches, bioluminescence, and kelp forests (as we should). Thank you to our sponsor, the New Jersey SeaGrant.

22 - Student Research Spotlight: Don’t overthink it, start talking to people

The Student Research Spotlight Series is back for 2026, and we are welcoming a NEW HOST: Dane Lazarus! For this episode, Dane Lazarus [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dane-lazarus-9b169686/] and Deb Fernandes [https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborah-fernandes-df/] chat with Liam McDermott [https://www.linkedin.com/in/liam-mcdermott04/] (Virginia Tech) and Ruben Vruggink [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruben-vruggink-34791016b/] (UC Santa Cruz) about undergraduate research in probabilistic coastal hazard assessment (PCHA) and about an A-to-Z master's project on regional sediment management, bringing science, stakeholders, economics, and policy into the same conversation. Plus a lot of other cool stuff you’ll have to listen to find out ;) Get involved: * ASBPA SNP Mentor Program: join as a mentor or mentee via the ASBPA website [https://asbpa.org/about-us/chapters/students-new-professionals/] * California listeners: if you’re interested in building a stronger West Coast student / early professional network, reach out to Dane or Ruben, or email podcastgoingcoastal@gmail.com Thank you to our sponsor, the New Jersey Sea Grant.

21 - Conflict resolution 101 with Brad Pickel and Wendy Laurent

Marissa Torres [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mtorres480/] and Deb Fernandes [https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborah-fernandes-df/]sat down with Brad Pickel [https://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-pickel-2a8a65b/](SeaHaven Consulting; Managing Director, ASBPA) and Wendy Laurent [https://www.linkedin.com/in/wklaurent/](Taylor Engineering) to talk about conflict resolution: what to do when conversations get hard at work, especially for students and new professionals. They cover quick, practical tools like grounding in the moment, the SBI method (Situation–Behavior–Impact), and how to prep for tough talks without making things worse. All the personality tests: RHETI Enneagram test: * Free- https://www.9types.com/rheti/index.php [https://www.9types.com/rheti/index.php] * Paid- https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/rheti/ [https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/rheti/] People Map: https://www.peoplemapsystems.com/personality-types/ [https://www.peoplemapsystems.com/personality-types/] Clifton Strength: https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/253715/34-cliftonstrengths-themes.aspx [https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/253715/34-cliftonstrengths-themes.aspx] Myers-Briggs / 16 personalities: https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test