Building Resilient Communities and Individuals
More than 3.4 billion people, some 44% of the world’s population, live within one hundred miles of a coast. In the United States alone, 65 million people reside in coastal counties where virtually every facet of life, be it economic, political, social, cultural, or beyond, is impacted in some fashion by coastal climates, weather events, environments, ecologies. Coastal resilience matters to us all.
The School of Coastal Resilience is home to over thirty research and teaching faculty in the sciences and mathematics, social sciences, and humanities. Our research and teaching interests encompass coastal processes, ecology, and geography; environmental history, literature, film, policy, and ethics; environmental protection and social justice; sustainability studies and education; in short, all matters that impact human well-being and ecosystem vitality in coastal regions.
Meet our facultyPlan your visit
Programs
Coastal Resilience faculty support several Arts and Sciences degree programs that are available at both the Gulf Park and Hattiesburg campuses--Biological Sciences, Geography, Mathematics, English, History, Philosophy, Spanish, Political Science, and Criminal Justice. Two new undergraduate degree programs at are only obtainable at Gulf Park: Sustainability Studies Bachelor of Arts, and Sustainability Sciences (Coastal System Dynamics) Bachelor of Science.
The B.A. degree in Sustainability Studies will provide students with the cultural, social, and scientific understanding of human-nature interaction necessary to achieve meaningful environmental change. By bridging approaches from the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, the interdisciplinary B.A. in Sustainability Studies will attract students with a wide range of interests and prepare them to take leadership roles in careers in environmental communication, policy, and research. Students will gain scientific literacy and learn how cultural understandings of the environment impact civic discourse, knowledge production, and decision making, and how to develop sustainable solutions for pressing social and environmental problems.
The Sustainability Sciences (Coastal System Dynamics) B.S (CSD) program is a multi-disciplinary science degree aimed at addressing resilience and sustainability of coastal zones as a combination of human and ecological systems. The CSD degree is built from ecology, GIS, statistics, calculus 1, field methods, resources elective, human wellbeing elective, and an environment and society elective. CSD majors will also earn a certificate or minor in a field of their choice. Students in CSD will complete capstone practicum that shows applied research in coastal system dynamics, as, for example, on the barrier islands, port interactions, beach erosion, urban planning, infrastructure, fishing, aquaculture, hurricane preparedness, and the like. Through research, applications, community interactions, and teaching, the Sustainability Sciences B.S. program focuses upon coastal system dynamics to address critical to the human habitation of coastal zones well into the next century. Leveraging USM’s coastal location, expertise, and community partnerships, students will learn about the physical aspects of sustainability with a holistic inclusion of the human element as a well-rounded multi-disciplinary scientist.
The B.A. in Media and Entertainment Arts (Film) program at the Gulf Park campus is designed to immerse students in the study and practice of film as an expressive and professional art form. The Film program’s core sequence teaches students to master the fundaments of filmmaking, such as screenwriting, directing, lighting, cinematography, mise en scène and creative editing. Our film history and theory courses further introduce students to how cinema makes meaning, how it has been regarded across audiences and cultures, and how filmmakers and artists create forms both new and familiar.
New Interdisciplinary Projects Planned for Community-Engaged Research Initiative (June 2022)
International Development (IDV) is a hybrid doctoral program which encompasses the content and academic rigor of a traditional on-campus program, yet in a flexible delivery format. The curriculum includes majors and minors in Economic Development, Political Development, Security Studies, and Social/Cultural Development. IDV faculty represent various academic disciplines, while the diverse IDV student body includes students from colleges and university faculties, the military, private and public sectors, and non-profits.
News & Events
USM Faculty Complete Gulf Scholars Program Curriculum Workshops. (February 8, 2023)
USM Coastal Resilience Faculty Receive Environmental Justice Grant. (December 12, 2022)
Southern Miss Joins Second Cohort of Gulf Scholars Program. (October 6, 2022)
USM to Participate in the Gulf Scholars Program of the National Academies. (October 6, 2022)
New Courses Offered in Sustainability, beginning Fall 2022.
New Interdisciplinary Projects Planned for Community-Engaged Research Initiative. (June 29, 2022)
Faculty
Over 30 faculty 13 different disciplines
Research
In 2020-2021, faculty published 5 books, 6 peer-reviewed book chapters, 11 peer-reviewed articles or creative productions, and 56 other scholarly works.
Students
International development has more than 60 doctoral students in training.
School of Coastal Resilience Events
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GCRL Science Cafe Virtual and In-person at Caylor Auditorium
This GCRL Science Café will feature graduate students from the Division of Coastal Sciences: James Klein, Hailee Nigro, and Molly Spencer. Each will speak about their current research projects and be available for questions afterward. Link to join Webinar: https://usm-edu.zoom.us/j/84046082906
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FestivalSouth 2023 at Multiple venues in Hattiesburg, Miss.
The South’s most diverse and extensive arts festival returns to venues across the Pine Belt. Enjoy art, music, theatre, dance, food, family and fun at a month-long series of free and ticketed events featuring many Southern Miss alumni, faculty, staff and students.
02
FestivalSouth 2023 at Multiple venues in Hattiesburg, Miss.
The South’s most diverse and extensive arts festival returns to venues across the Pine Belt. Enjoy art, music, theatre, dance, food, family and fun at a month-long series of free and ticketed events featuring many Southern Miss alumni, faculty, staff and students.
03
FestivalSouth 2023 at Multiple venues in Hattiesburg, Miss.
The South’s most diverse and extensive arts festival returns to venues across the Pine Belt. Enjoy art, music, theatre, dance, food, family and fun at a month-long series of free and ticketed events featuring many Southern Miss alumni, faculty, staff and students.
04
FestivalSouth 2023 at Multiple venues in Hattiesburg, Miss.
The South’s most diverse and extensive arts festival returns to venues across the Pine Belt. Enjoy art, music, theatre, dance, food, family and fun at a month-long series of free and ticketed events featuring many Southern Miss alumni, faculty, staff and students.