Ocean Innovator Award
Recognizing and promoting innovative ocean-related research and applied solutions.
Join us to Hear from the Winners of the
2024 Ocean Innovator Award
Join us on June 4, 11am - 12pm PT, to hear from two emerging ocean innovators who are conducting groundbreaking projects! These innovators have been awarded first and second place awards through the 2024 Ocean Innovator Award opportunity, which recognizes and promotes innovative ocean-related research and applied solutions.
Early career professionals from around the globe submitted creative presentations about their innovative projects related to coastal, ocean, and estuarine environments. Our two winners, Arona Bender and Pilar Rodriguez, were selected by a team of expert reviewers across several dimensions of the ocean and coastal career field.
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1st Place: Arona Bender
Ph.D. Student, Duke University
Explore groundbreaking drone technology equipped with thermal infrared sensors to monitor nesting activity across multiple beaches, revolutionizing traditional conservation efforts.
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2nd Place: Pilar Rodriguez
Cetacean Conservation Biology Apprentice, Marine Mammal Center
Discover how innovative methodologies leveraging radar sensors and cameras are transforming whale-ship strike risk assessments in urban areas with high vessel traffic like the San Francisco Bay.
About the Ocean Innovator Award
The Ocean Innovator Award recognizes and promotes innovative ocean-related research and applied solutions. We are particularly interested in projects that creates unique solutions to salient ocean and coastal topics, such as renewable energy, conservation, and beyond. Top winners will be selected based on the quality and originality of their research. Winners will receive a cash prize up to $2,000 and be featured on an Ocean Innovators Webinar to elevate their work across the nation.
Eligibility: This award is open to early career individuals (loosely defined as up to 3 years into your career) in ocean, coastal, or estuarine fields, including current students. There are no specific restrictions on the location, topic, or theme of the project, as long as the project clearly relates to ocean, coastal, or estuarine environments. We encourage applications from various disciplines and approaches. Projects can be in stage of the process; we will consider projects with unfinished results. If you have specific questions about eligibility, please contact us at info@sea-shoresolutions.com