By Sydney MaHan, Virginia Sea Grant Correspondent
From taking a field course in Bangor, Wales, to serving as an aquarium docent, Tess Mackey has always had a passion for marine science. As the new Virginia Coastal Policy Clinic correspondent for Virginia Sea Grant, she will spend this fall reporting on the clinic’s activities and students.
“It’s definitely a great opportunity to be writing in a more journalistic style rather than doing English papers or course work,” says Mackey, a William & Mary senior who is majoring in English with a minor in marine science. “I’m excited to be getting connections and be able to see how science writing can function as an actual career rather than just an abstract concept.”
The clinic, which is part of the College of William & Mary Law School, gives students hands-on experience with science-based legal and policy analysis of environmental issues affecting coastal resources. It also assists in educating Virginia’s policymakers and legal, communications, and business communities on these issues.
As an embedded correspondent, Mackey will attend all class sessions and external events, gaining an inside perspective on how to translate the students’ coursework into information for the public.
“I’m really excited about this,” Mackey says. “It’s a cool connection between Virginia Sea Grant, VIMS, and the law school.”
Mackey will also work to revamp the clinic’s website and social media platforms.
An Alexandria, VA, native, Mackey has been a marine research fellow for the International Union for Conservation of Nature and an education docent at the National Aquarium in Washington, D.C. She is also a member of the William & Mary Marine Science Society and the community outreach chair of the Alpha Chi Chapter of the Gamma Phi Beta Sorority. After graduation, she hopes to attend graduate school for science writing.
