Ruggiero Joins Delaware Sea Grant as Workforce Development Coordinator

Having been involved with Delaware Sea Grant (DESG) in different capacities since 2016, when University of Delaware doctoral student Emma Ruggiero was offered the position of workforce development coordinator with DESG, she said that it was a no-brainer to accept.

“Everyone who works for Delaware Sea Grant is really passionate about what they do, and they want to work together to improve Delaware’s coastlines and coastal communities,” said Ruggiero. “Working with Delaware Sea Grant has been great for me because it has provided me the opportunity to  continue my education, gain skills in research and design, and connect with people all over the state working on environmental issues."

As DESG’s workforce development coordinator, Ruggiero works with Chris Hauser, associate director of DESG, and is responsible for coordinating and working with undergraduate and graduate students, as well as early career professionals, providing them with professional development opportunities.

In addition, she helps coordinate and run the Delaware Technical Community College Green Infrastructure Design and Construction program, a partnership with DESG that provides access and hands-on experiences in green infrastructure to students at Delaware Tech.

“That’s a pretty unique program because for many students, green infrastructure is a new concept and then to be able to have hands-on experience is really valuable, especially if that is the field you want to go into,” said Ruggiero. “I don’t think many people have experience with the design or the construction of green infrastructure, which this course provides, and there’s also an educational component where we educate on the importance of a well-thought-out design and plans for maintenance and management.”

She said her favorite part of the program is watching the students grow their knowledge in green infrastructure throughout the semester.

“When a lot of the students come into the program, they do not know much about or have little interest in green infrastructure,” said Ruggiero. “By the end of the semester, seeing that they’ve gained some understanding or an interest in this field or just greening and plants in general is really exciting.”

Ruggiero also works with DESG’s summer interns, looking for professional development opportunities for them. She said that eventually, she hopes to develop a certificate training program for professionals in the green infrastructure field, specifically related to coastal resilience and implementing living shorelines.

Because her position with DESG is made possible by a graduate assistantship, Ruggiero is also a full-time doctoral student. She said that the two roles balance each other well, as her research will be related to coastal resilience.

“I see the two roles as really connected because through my role in workforce development, talking to practitioners and being in the field installing and maintaining these landscapes, I've learned about the barriers and challenges to the green infrastructure solutions I am studying,” said Ruggiero. “It’s definitely a balance of coordinating programs and working with students and then having separate research on coastal resilience.”

Ruggiero was first introduced to DESG in 2016, when she was an undergraduate student studying landscape architecture and she had a UD Summer Scholars project in the Town of Laurel where she worked with Ed Lewandowski, DESG's community development specialist and coordinator of UD's Sustainable Coastal Communities Initiative.

Then, in 2018, she began to work with the Coastal Resilience Design Studio (CRDS), which was started by Lewandowski and former UD professor Jules Bruck, who has since been named the director of the University of Florida’s School of Landscape Architecture and Planning. Ruggiero’s master’s research, where she worked on living shorelines in Delaware — specifically designing and installing a living shoreline on Pea Patch Island — was also funded by DESG.

Ruggiero said that all of those experiences, especially her time with the CRDS were incredibly beneficial and showed her the importance of DESG.

“When I worked with the Coastal Resilience Design Studio, that was a really big deal for me because I got a lot of hands-on experience designing for real issues and clients where even if I didn’t continue my education, that experience would have really helped me in my career,” said Ruggiero. “I think having met Ed Lewandowski and Chris Hauser in the beginning was great because they are people who are really passionate about what they do. Ed has always been so passionate about working with communities not only on the environmental side of things but on the community-side and making sure the green solutions are also economically viable, and so it's been a great, wholistic experience."

Article by Adam Thomas