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- UD students meet alumni, experience 'closing bell' at NYSE
- Newark Police seek assistance in identifying suspects in robbery
- Rivlin says bipartisan budget action, stronger budget rules key to reversing debt
- Stink bugs shouldn't pose problem until late summer
- Gao to honor Placido Domingo in Washington performance
- Adopt-A-Highway project keeps Lewes road clean
- WVUD's Radiothon fundraiser runs April 1-10
- W.D. Snodgrass Symposium to honor Pulitzer winner
- New guide helps cancer patients manage symptoms
- UD in the News, March 25, 2011
- For the Record, March 25, 2011
- Public opinion expert discusses world views of U.S. in Global Agenda series
- Congressional delegation, dean laud Center for Community Research and Service program
- Center for Political Communication sets symposium on politics, entertainment
- Students work to raise funds, awareness of domestic violence
- Equestrian team wins regional championship in Western riding
- Markell, Harker stress importance of agriculture to Delaware's economy
- Carol A. Ammon MBA Case Competition winners announced
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- Sexual Assault Awareness Month events, programs announced
- Stay connected with Sea Grant, CEOE e-newsletter
- A message to UD regarding the tragedy in Japan
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- March 31-May 14: REP stages Neil Simon's 'The Good Doctor'
- April 2: Newark plans annual 'wine and dine'
- April 5: Expert perspective on U.S. health care
- April 5: Comedian Ace Guillen to visit Scrounge
- April 6, May 4: School of Nursing sponsors research lecture series
- April 6-May 4: Confucius Institute presents Chinese Film Series on Wednesdays
- April 6: IPCC's Pachauri to discuss sustainable development in DENIN Dialogue Series
- April 7: 'WVUDstock' radiothon concert announced
- April 8: English Language Institute presents 'Arts in Translation'
- April 9: Green and Healthy Living Expo planned at The Bob
- April 9: Center for Political Communication to host Onion editor
- April 10: Alumni Easter Egg-stravaganza planned
- April 11: CDS session to focus on visual assistive technologies
- April 12: T.J. Stiles to speak at UDLA annual dinner
- April 15, 16: Annual UD push lawnmower tune-up scheduled
- April 15, 16: Master Players series presents iMusic 4, China Magpie
- April 15, 16: Delaware Symphony, UD chorus to perform Mahler work
- April 18: Former NFL Coach Bill Cowher featured in UD Speaks
- April 21-24: Sesame Street Live brings Elmo and friends to The Bob
- April 30: Save the date for Ag Day 2011 at UD
- April 30: Symposium to consider 'Frontiers at the Chemistry-Biology Interface'
- April 30-May 1: Relay for Life set at Delaware Field House
- May 4: Delaware Membrane Protein Symposium announced
- May 5: Northwestern University's Leon Keer to deliver Kerr lecture
- May 7: Women's volleyball team to host second annual Spring Fling
- Through May 3: SPPA announces speakers for 10th annual lecture series
- Through May 4: Global Agenda sees U.S. through others' eyes; World Bank president to speak
- Through May 4: 'Research on Race, Ethnicity, Culture' topic of series
- Through May 9: Black American Studies announces lecture series
- Through May 11: 'Challenges in Jewish Culture' lecture series announced
- Through May 11: Area Studies research featured in speaker series
- Through June 5: 'Andy Warhol: Behind the Camera' on view in Old College Gallery
- Through July 15: 'Bodyscapes' on view at Mechanical Hall Gallery
- More What's Happening >>
- UD calendar >>
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- Phipps named HR Liaison of the Quarter
- Senior wins iPad for participating in assessment study
- April 19: Procurement Services schedules information sessions
- UD Bookstore announces spring break hours
- HealthyU Wellness Program encourages employees to 'Step into Spring'
- April 8-29: Faculty roundtable series considers student engagement
- GRE is changing; learn more at April 15 info session
- April 30: UD Evening with Blue Rocks set for employees
- Morris Library to be open 24/7 during final exams
- More Campus FYI >>
1:40 p.m., July 20, 2009----As a plant science major at the University of Delaware, Marcie Smith is accustomed to studying plant cells under a microscope. But this summer, she's taking a macro view of plant life, as she works to develop an issues book about “green infrastructure” in Sussex County.
“I'm used to studying how things work biologically, and this is very different. I'm learning as I go,” says Smith, who is interning with the University's Coastal Community Enhancement Initiative (CCEI) program.
The CCEI program was formed by a coalition of UD experts to work with Sussex residents on public issues and plan for the future. Smith's internship supervisor is Bill McGowan, a Cooperative Extension agent who focuses on community development.
Sussex County has seen significant growth in the last several decades, but remains largely rural, says McGowan. However, the current comprehensive land-use plan allows up to 854,000 more housing units. That's seven times more than exists today.
Although all those houses and townhouses and condos will not be built for a long time, what happens to the natural environment? Will there be any green spaces left? Will there be clean water and clean soil?
That's what green infrastructure is about, explains Smith. Green infrastructure takes into consideration the natural environment when making decisions about land-use planning. It can mean setting aside part of a subdivision for a park, developing green corridors that link open space, using pervious concrete to reduce run-off, and rehabilitating wetlands.
“I've been interviewing town managers, representatives from the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) and the Nature Conservancy, and soon will be talking to farmers and developers,” says Smith. “The point is to get a lot of different viewpoints on the benefits, costs and consequences of decisions about green infrastructure.”
Smith has pushed herself out of her usual comfort zone, in front of a microscope, and in the process is exploring new interests. “I recently added a minor in political science and I also have a minor in landscape horticulture,” says Smith. “This internship is a good trial run to see if I want to work in policy or public outreach instead of a laboratory.”
And Smith isn't going it alone as she works to develop the green infrastructure issues book. There are two other interns working on the project; Bo Pratt, a student at Wesleyan College in Middletown, Conn., who is from Lewes, and Dana Young, a Seaford resident who attends Mt. Saint Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Md.
“As a kid I would come down to the beach with my parents and over the years the landscape really changed on Route 1,” says Smith, who was born and raised in Newark. “There is change taking place all over Sussex and I want to help the residents develop a plan for what they value about the county.”
The green infrastructure issues book will be unveiled at a public forum later this fall. For more information about the issues book or the CCEI program, contact McGowan at [billmcg@udel.edu].
Article by Margo McDonough