Senator Sheldon Whitehouse visited UGA Skidaway Institute in November to meet with director Clark Alexander. A Democrat from Rhode Island, Whitehouse is strongly interested in environmental issues, especially those related to the ocean.

UGA Skidaway Institute director Clark Alexander (left) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse on the Skidaway Inst. main dock.

Whitehouse (right) and Alexander first met in 2014 when Whitehouse visited Sapelo Island to learn about salt marshes and the Georgia Coastal Ecosystems Long Term Ecological Research project that Alexander and other UGA researchers are conducting there. Whitehouse and Alexander discussed sea-level rise and the resiliency challenges faced by marine research facilities, like UGA Skidaway Institute, due to their proximity to the coast. Both Whitehouse and Alexander wore masks and maintained social distancing throughout the visit.