Makeda Mills to Receive Ralph Rayburn Scholarship from Texas Sea Grant
This scholarship is named in honor of Ralph Rayburn ’69, former Texas Sea Grant Associate Director and Extension Program Leader.
The Texas Sea Grant College Program is a collaboration of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the State of Texas and universities across the state.
Texas Sea Grant’s team includes administrative staff, program coordination, communications, and extension agents along the Texas coast.
Coastal Science. Community Solutions.
Peer-reviewed publications, resources, and materials.
Volunteer organization of citizens in science, workforce, and education advising on important matters related to TXSG.
Texas Sea Grant partners with many local, government, non-profit, education, and industry organizations.
Texas Sea Grant maintains an extensive network of partnerships spanning federal, state, regional, academic, non-profit, and industry sectors.
Texas Sea Grant’s open positions.
Supports healthy ecosystems by education and outreach, programming, and events on sustainable practices.
Supports development of innovative policies, institutional capacities, and management approaches that increase community resilience.
Promotes environmental literacy by supporting students and the workforce through the development of STEM educational programs, tools, and products.
Works to ensure safe, secure, and sustainable supplies of domestic seafood and decrease our reliance on seafood imports, and support healthy fish stocks and vibrant recreational fisheries
Texas Sea Grant’s outreach serves the communities and regions of the Texas coast. Science for the sustainable management and conservation of Texas’ coastal and marine resources is central to Texas Sea Grant’s mission.
Extension is a two-way transfer of knowledge between researchers and community stakeholders.
Providing science-based programs across all educational levels, enhancing STEM learning in marine-related fields.
Supports innovative, science-based solutions to address environmental, economic, and social challenges.
Texas Sea Grant welcomes the help of the community to help monitor, protect, and clean our coasts.
Trainings, Workshops, Advising, Certification and Technical Assistance.
Find out if Texas Sea Grant is hosting, attending, or leading an event in your area.
Texas Sea Grant supports marine- and coastal-related research at universities across the state through a competitive grant program.
Texas Sea Grant will continue to support cutting-edge research in the areas of marine-related energy sources, climate change, coastal processes, energy efficiency, hazards, storm water management and tourism.
Monthly Texas Sea Grant newsletter.
Get Hooked, quarterly Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Seafood newsletter
Annual magazine about education, outreach, and research supported by Texas Sea Grant.
The Texas Sea Grant College Program is a collaboration of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the State of Texas and universities across the state.
Texas Sea Grant’s team includes administrative staff, program coordination, communications, and extension agents along the Texas coast.
Coastal Science. Community Solutions.
Peer-reviewed publications, resources, and materials.
Volunteer organization of citizens in science, workforce, and education advising on important matters related to TXSG.
Texas Sea Grant partners with many local, government, non-profit, education, and industry organizations.
Texas Sea Grant maintains an extensive network of partnerships spanning federal, state, regional, academic, non-profit, and industry sectors.
Texas Sea Grant’s open positions.
Supports healthy ecosystems by education and outreach, programming, and events on sustainable practices.
Supports development of innovative policies, institutional capacities, and management approaches that increase community resilience.
Promotes environmental literacy by supporting students and the workforce through the development of STEM educational programs, tools, and products.
Works to ensure safe, secure, and sustainable supplies of domestic seafood and decrease our reliance on seafood imports, and support healthy fish stocks and vibrant recreational fisheries
Texas Sea Grant’s outreach serves the communities and regions of the Texas coast. Science for the sustainable management and conservation of Texas’ coastal and marine resources is central to Texas Sea Grant’s mission.
Extension is a two-way transfer of knowledge between researchers and community stakeholders.
Providing science-based programs across all educational levels, enhancing STEM learning in marine-related fields.
Supports innovative, science-based solutions to address environmental, economic, and social challenges.
Texas Sea Grant welcomes the help of the community to help monitor, protect, and clean our coasts.
Trainings, Workshops, Advising, Certification and Technical Assistance.
Find out if Texas Sea Grant is hosting, attending, or leading an event in your area.
Texas Sea Grant supports marine- and coastal-related research at universities across the state through a competitive grant program.
Texas Sea Grant will continue to support cutting-edge research in the areas of marine-related energy sources, climate change, coastal processes, energy efficiency, hazards, storm water management and tourism.
Monthly Texas Sea Grant newsletter.
Get Hooked, quarterly Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Seafood newsletter
Annual magazine about education, outreach, and research supported by Texas Sea Grant.
This scholarship is named in honor of Ralph Rayburn ’69, former Texas Sea Grant Associate Director and Extension Program Leader.
Jul 7, 2021 By Corley-Ann Parker
2 minutes
Texas Sea Grant
Makeda Mills, a PhD student studying Oceanography at Texas A&M University, will receive the 2021 Ralph Rayburn ’69 Texas Sea Grant Scholarship.
Mills is currently researching deep sea coral microbiomes to better understand their survival in changing environments. “I am hoping to apply this information to better understand how coral bleaching happens and how [corals] come back from that,” said Mills. “My research goes hand in hand with that phenomenon, so it will be great to get more information to share.”
Mills’ love for and fascination with the ocean started at a young age. She said growing up near the ocean in Saint Kitts and Saint Thomas, “really allowed [her] interest in ocean science to grow even further.” In fact, her plans after finishing her PhD involve gaining further understanding of the oceans.
“I would hope to do some research with NOAA in the future,” said Mills. “I haven’t quite figured out if I’m going more into the academic side of things yet, but I’m okay with wherever life takes me at this point.”
The Rayburn scholarship is already proving to be beneficial in helping Mills through her PhD program. “Having this scholarship definitely helps remove some stress from the experience of getting your PhD,” said Mills. “You can just focus more on studying and preparing for exams rather than wondering about how you’re going to pay for certain things.”
“I just want to say thank you to the committee for choosing me for this scholarship,” said Mills. “I greatly appreciate it.”
This scholarship is named in honor of Ralph Rayburn ’69. A graduate of Texas A&M University, Rayburn first joined Texas Sea Grant in 1978 as a marine agent for Aransas and San Patricio counties. After several years as Executive Director of the Texas Shrimp Association and in a number of roles at Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, he returned to Texas Sea Grant in 1999 as the Associate Director and Extension Program Leader. Through his association with these three organizations, he worked tirelessly for the protection of Texas’ marine resources, but he is also remembered for his integrity, professionalism, work ethic and outgoing personality.