Through the Student Workshop on International Coastal and Marine Management (SWIMM) program, the Harte Research Institute (HRI) brings together graduate students from the United States, Mexico, and Cuba for week-long workshops involving peer-to-peer exchanges, shared learning, and intensive interactions with scientists, managers, and practitioners. SWIMM is supported by the Gulf Research Program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the HRI Furgason International Fellowship.
Learn more about the program here
Videos from the 2020 SWIMM are here!
2025/26 Workshop Information
The 9th Student Workshop on International Coastal and Marine Management in the Gulf ("SWIMM 2025-2026") will work towards developing a shared, trinational agenda for coastal conservation and restoration, grounded in science and policy. The program will focus on living shorelines and scientific diplomacy as a trinational strategy for resilience, emphasizing five key ecosystems — mangroves, coral reefs, seagrass beds, oyster reefs, and coastal dunes. The workshop will take place in a mixed, virtual and in-person format in Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 with a fully-funded, approximately seven day, in-person workshop in Mérida, Mexico in February 2026 to draft workshop deliverables. The in-person event will also include field excursions and cultural activities to strengthen the understanding of local coastal socio-ecosystems and foster the development of trinational relationships.
STUDENTS ACCEPTED INTO THE SWIMM PROGRAM WILL RECEIVE THE FOLLOWING SUPPORT:
The program will cover roundtrip air or bus transport for participants to Mérida from their airport or bus station of origin. The program will also cover transport, food, and lodging expenses related to the workshop while in Mexico. Participants will be responsible for expenses in their own home country before and after the workshop (such as meals and getting to/from the airport) and for personal items such as toiletries or souvenirs while in Mexico.
How to Apply
**Application deadline is 5 p.m. Central Wednesday, October 29, 2025***
We invite applications from doctorate and masters level graduate students who are either: 1. Enrolled in graduate programs in Mexico, Cuba, or the United States, or 2. Who are citizens of any of these three countries, but enrolled elsewhere. We seek candidates from a wide variety of disciplines with at least some connection to the program theme via their course of studies or graduate research work. The connection may be via management, law and policy, ecology, coastal/marine sciences, economy, public health, political/social sciences with a focus on socio-environmental issues, anthropology, community planning, risk management, engineering, and any related disciplines.
Please consult the Call for Applications in English or Spanish for further details about what we are looking for in candidates. Please note that the links will also provide details about documentation that is needed to complete an application. You must assemble this documentation BEFORE starting the online application as it is needed to complete the process.
Have Questions?
For more information or questions about SWIMM, please contact us by e-mail at swimm@tamucc.edu.
*we will attempt to respond within one business day
