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Coastwatch Writers Win Awards


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Katie Mosher, 919/515-9069, katie_mosher@ncsu.edu
Sharon Settlage, 919/515-1092, sharon_settlage@ncsu.edu

Posted Wednesday, December 5, 2012

North Carolina Sea Grant staff members again were successful in a yearly communications contest held by the North Carolina Association of Government Information Officers. Winners were announced at the annual seminar held in November.

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                 E-Ching Lee accepts award.

Coastwatch managing editor, E-Ching Lee, took home first place in feature writing for her piece, "Hunting for Quicksilver: Testing Local Seafood for Mercury." She was cited for presenting "a strong lead with inviting and easy-to-understand scientific information." Lee talked with scientists who found that, in many cases, North Carolina seafood had lower mercury levels than the same species in national studies.

Sharon Settlage, Coastwatch contributing editor, received third place in feature writing for her story on dune grass research titled "Advancing Sea Oat Biology: Advancing Dunes." Judges found her story "interesting with a good lead."

Settlage also won honorable mentions for her two stories, "The Pamlico Sound: Fishing Gem of North Carolina," which told of the Coastal Habitat Protection Plan in the Pamlico Sound region, and "The Multitalented Oyster," an article about the environmental benefits of oyster reefs.

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                 Sharon Settlage accepts award.

Lee and Settlage both credit editor Katie Mosher for providing guidance in selecting topics, as well as wielding the "red pen" in an always friendly and insightful manner.

"I am proud of E-Ching and Sharon for being recognized by their peers across the state," adds Susan White, Sea Grant's incoming executive director. "They continue a fine Coastwatch tradition of sharing research results with broad audiences."

Learn more about the competition at www.ncagio.org.

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