Marie Thoms

Professional Title

Communication Manager

What I do for Sea Grant

Provide strategic communication program guidance and media relations
Manage Sea Grant-related communication products and services
Manage Sea Grant's primary and selected project websites
Support the director to manage Sea Grant's legislative and government affairs
Manage messaging and marketing for Sea Grant products
Editorial and scientific review of proposals
Annual federal reporting
Provide news releases on programs, projects, products, and services
Serve on Minnesota Sea Grant's leadership team.

Research Interests

Science communication
Public understanding of science
Science journalism
Communication science

Education

M.S. - Professional Communication: University of Alaska Fairbanks
B.S. - Biological Sciences: Western Michigan University
B.S. - Natural Resources and Environmental Communication: The Ohio State University

Outreach Projects

Trout being tossed from a hand-held net into an aquaculture pond.

Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative

The Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative (GLAC) is a three-year (2019-2022) project to create a regionwide group to foster relevant, science-based initiatives that support aquaculture industries. Credit: L. Angradi.

Aquaculture Market Study

The Aquaculture Market Study is a three-year (2020-2023), $250,000 project led by the University of Minnesota Sea Grant program that was created to determine the potential for a sustainable food-fish aquaculture industry in Minnesota.

Yellow perch swimming in water just above a bed of small gravel.

Egg-to-Market Yellow Perch Project

The University of Minnesota Sea Grant program is developing producer-scale methods for raising Yellow Perch fish from egg to market size in a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS).

Great Lakes Fresh Fish Finder, cartoon grocery cart with two jumping fish in the basket.

Great Lakes FreshFishFinder.org Website

FreshFishFinder.org was developed to meet a need to directly connect fish producers with consumers after the disruption of traditional markets during the COVID-19 pandemic.