Marvin Clermont's (MCRP '13) oral presentation titled "Investigating the effects of sea level rise on the Gullah Geechee in coastal Georgia" has been recognized as the Outstanding Graduate Student Oral Paper by the Urban & Regional Planning section of the Florida Academy of Sciences. The paper was delivered at the Academy's 77th Annual Meeting on March 8th at Barry University in Miami Shores, FL.

Marvin's research looks at the effects of sea level rise on the resources, habitats, and culture of Sandfly, Pinpoint, and Hog Hammock along Georgia's coast. He began the research as part of a larger project funded by the Georgia Conservancy and Georgia Tech and quickly found the initial project's combination of science, African-American history, and planning a solid stepping stone for further research. 

Marvin’s findings indicate that the block and roads around the Georgia Regional Hospital at Savannah in Sandfly will be partially inundated if no adaptation strategies are taken and Pin Point will become further isolated as a major transportation artery into the secluded community will be cut off due to rising sea levels. Hog Hammock will be hit the hardest by projected sea level rise, with over 90 percent of inhabited land to be impacted if no adaptation strategies are implemented. 

The distinction, awarded in late March by a panel of Academy of Sciences members, will not mark the end point of Marvin's research on the gradual deterioration of the Gullah Geechee's historic character. He is currently researching food access issues in the area, the influence of Walmart on the local economy, and the potential for transit-oriented development (TOD) to improve access to these sparsely populated and often forgotten islands on the Georgia coast.