{"690572":{"#nid":"690572","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Joel Kostka to Lead Coastal Marsh Restoration Study in Georgia","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/joel-kostka\u0022\u003EJoel Kostka\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;Tom and Marie Patton Distinguished Professor from the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E and director of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/georgias-tomorrow\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Tech for Georgia\u2019s Tomorrow (GT\u00b2)\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;will lead a new research project aimed at strengthening coastal marsh restoration efforts along Georgia\u2019s coast.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EHis project was selected through a competitive, peer-reviewed process involving scientific experts, state and local resource managers, and coastal community stakeholders as part of a biennial research competition sponsored by the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gacoast.uga.edu\/research\/biennial-funding\/\u0022\u003EUniversity of Georgia\u2019s Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant\u003C\/a\u003E, supported by the\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/seagrant.noaa.gov\/\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;NOAA National Sea Grant College Program\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cI am excited to continue to contribute to Sea Grant\u2019s critical mission of research that strengthens the resilience of coastal ecosystems,\u201d says Kostka.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EStrengthening Coastal Marsh Restoration\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EKostka\u2019s team will examine how locally sourced Spartina plants and beneficial root-associated microbes can improve marsh restoration outcomes. The research will evaluate plant growth, stress tolerance, and field performance to identify practical, scalable strategies for supporting coastal ecosystems.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ESelected projects are intended to \u201cadvance the understanding, management, and strategic use of Georgia\u2019s coastal and marine resources,\u201d while producing results that address coastal management needs and remain accessible to communities, according to an\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gacoast.uga.edu\/marine-extension-georgia-sea-grant-funds-coastal-research\/\u0022\u003Earticle\u003C\/a\u003E from Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant. In addition to faculty from Georgia Tech,\u0026nbsp;the 2026 research awards will support investigators from Georgia Southern University and Savannah State University.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EKostka\u2019s project will advance marsh restoration along Georgia\u2019s coast through applied research and local collaboration.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Kostka\u2019s project will advance marsh restoration along Georgia\u2019s coast through applied research and local collaboration."}],"uid":"36607","created_gmt":"2026-06-01 13:22:21","changed_gmt":"2026-06-01 16:52:36","author":"ls67","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-06-01T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-06-01T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"680387":{"id":"680387","type":"image","title":"Joel Kostka","body":"\u003Cp\u003EJoel Kostka\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1780320216","gmt_created":"2026-06-01 13:23:36","changed":"1780320216","gmt_changed":"2026-06-01 13:23:36","alt":"man in front of Georgia Tech campus","file":{"fid":"264643","name":"GT-COS-Joel-Kostka-copy.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/06\/01\/GT-COS-Joel-Kostka-copy.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/06\/01\/GT-COS-Joel-Kostka-copy.png","mime":"image\/png","size":4153062,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/06\/01\/GT-COS-Joel-Kostka-copy.png?itok=hbURNwYJ"}},"680388":{"id":"680388","type":"image","title":"Native Spartina grasses anchor Georgia\u2019s coastal marshes, the focus of a new study exploring how plants and root microbes can improve restoration success.","body":"\u003Cdiv\u003ENative Spartina grasses anchor Georgia\u2019s coastal marshes, the focus of a new study exploring how plants and root microbes can improve restoration success.\u003C\/div\u003E","created":"1780320655","gmt_created":"2026-06-01 13:30:55","changed":"1780321156","gmt_changed":"2026-06-01 13:39:16","alt":"A marsh surrounded by grass","file":{"fid":"264644","name":"kostka_saltmarsh_2-copy.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/06\/01\/kostka_saltmarsh_2-copy.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/06\/01\/kostka_saltmarsh_2-copy.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":970227,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/06\/01\/kostka_saltmarsh_2-copy.jpeg?itok=gYOJ3jKP"}}},"media_ids":["680387","680388"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/eas.gatech.edu\/news\/18\/georgias-tomorrow-awarded-national-climate-resilience-grant","title":"Georgia\u2019s Tomorrow Awarded National Climate Resilience Grant"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"}],"categories":[{"id":"154","name":"Environment"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"194611","name":"State Impact"}],"keywords":[{"id":"194631","name":"cos-georgia"},{"id":"192254","name":"cos-climate"},{"id":"193679","name":"coastal salt marshes"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ELaura S. Smith\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["laura.smith@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}