New Collaborative Community Projects Support Youth Education, Tribal Knowledge, Air and Water Quality, and More

Reprinted with permission from NC Sea Grant News

By Lauren Pharr

Four new projects in North Carolina are launching this year as part of the Community Collaborative Research Grant Program (CCRG). Projects will support youth education, tribal knowledge, air and water quality, and an exploration of plastic contaminants in headwaters.

North Carolina Sea Grant and N.C. Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI) administer the CCRG Program in partnership with the  William R. Kenan Jr. Institute for Engineering, Technology and Science (KIETS).

“The CCRG program continues statewide engagement with this latest round of projects,” says John Fear, deputy director of North Carolina Sea Grant and WRRI. “The ongoing focus on local needs and use of local knowledge sets up these projects for success.”

KIETS associate director Raj Narayan says the CCRG Program provides researchers and community leaders an opportunity to work together to addressing compelling topics and challenges affecting North Carolina.

“The new projects for 2022 continue to focus on issues of importance across our state from the mountains to the coast,” Narayan says.