We are happy to share our student’s achievements after they graduate. Recent alumna Kristin Weis has published the results of her master’s thesis in Coastal and Marine Management on Social-ecological resilience and community-based tourism in the commonwealth of Dominica. The paper appears in peer reviewed journal Tourism Geographies and is co-authored by Kristin’s advisors, UW Research Manager Dr. Catherine Chambers and Dr. Patrick J. Holladay, Associate Professor at Troy University.

Kristin Weis is now earning her PhD in Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University’s Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution. Her research centers on coastal communities, resilience, and conflict management. She explores related dynamics within the context of tourism, coastal management, cultural heritage, human mobility and migration, and environmental peacebuilding. Her current projects support effective policy development for coastal communities and the role of coastal environments in conflict management and resolution.

Kristin Weis graduated from the Coastal and Marine Management master’s program at the University Centre in 2018. This was just a year before our newly established interdisciplinary master’s program in Coastal Communities and Regional Development (CRD) was launched. As the topic of Kristin’s research shows there was already a need for a regional development master’s program with a focus on coastal communities. Her topic could have easily been researched within our new program. The first CRD students will defend their theses in the spring and we look forward to more student research in the coming years focusing on coastal communities and their development.