New offshore wind energy research associate joins Sea Grant

Growing up in Maryland, Kathryn Lienhard spent her summers vacationing at Sea Colony in Bethany Beach with her family. Those vacations inspired her love of marine science, and Lienhard credits them for giving her the drive to want to conserve coastal environments, as well as work with residents of coastal areas to help protect their natural resources.

Now, as Delaware Sea Grant’s new offshore wind energy research associate, Lienhard gets to work with Delaware’s coastal communities to help share information about offshore wind.

“It’s a privilege to be able to come back and serve Delaware, which is a place that I love so much,” said Lienhard, who took on her new role this past November.

Lienhard received her bachelor’s degree in marine science at Coastal Carolina University, where she learned about all aspects of marine science from marine biology to geology and coastal processes, along with getting great experiences doing field work.

“As an undergraduate, I was able to handle sharks and explore the coastal ecosystems in South Carolina,” said Lienhard. “But I knew I wanted to work more at the intersection of science and policy in this space of communication, research and community engagement.”

That interest led her to earn a master’s degree in coastal environmental management from Duke University at the Nicholas School of the Environment. At Duke, Lienhard studied United States coastal marine policy, learning about aspects of coastal resilience.

When it came time to apply for a job, Lienhard saw the opening at Delaware Sea Grant and jumped at the opportunity.

“I’ve always been interested in climate change mitigation and coastal resilience, but this position interested me for the community outreach aspect,” said Lienhard. “Science is best when we get to share it with people, and when we also get to learn about communities. I’m happy to be in this position where I’m going to build relationships with community members and local leaders, and facilitate knowledge sharing.”

Lienhard has attended town meetings and met with some of the beach town mayors and town council members. Through these experiences, she has been able to get a good insight into a variety of the concerns that exist for Delaware residents around offshore wind, such as impacts to ocean views, recreational and commercial fishing industries, and coastal and marine species.

While some of these impacts are still under scientific investigation, it’s important to Lienhard that people recognize she is a liaison to get information about offshore wind out into the communities; she does not serve as an advocate for the offshore wind industry.

“Sea Grant is a non-advocacy organization, and as a representative of Sea Grant, it’s my job to be a neutral third party who can relay the facts about offshore wind in Delaware,” said Lienhard. “I hope that all kinds of individuals and entities will be able to rely on me for information about offshore wind, but I’m here to learn as well. I want to keep an open mind about this topic. My role is to communicate science, and as a member of Delaware Sea Grant, our goal is to support coastal environments and the people who live, work in and enjoy these places.”

Any local community groups or individuals who want to set up a workshop or forum, or just reach out and have a casual conversation about offshore wind may contact Lienhard at lienhard@udel.edu or 302-831-1421.