Stevens students are playing a crucial role in safeguarding the future of New Jersey’s shoreline. Jon Miller, a research associate professor, is helping lead the charge. As a Stevens undergraduate alumnus who originally majored in Civil Engineering, Miller was drawn to coastal engineering through courses offered during his studies. Since then, he has built his entire career at Stevens, primarily funded through research grants rather than teaching salaries.
“My primary responsibility is to secure research funding and to do research,” Miller explained. “I write proposals, do research, manage the team that goes into the field, analyze the data, and ultimately supervise the writing of any papers, theses, or reports.”
In cooperation with fellow Stevens faculty Matt Janssen, a research professor, and Laura Kerr, a senior research engineer, Miller co-manages numerous projects focused on coastal resilience. Their work spans beaches, bays, and marsh environments, where they collect field data to monitor tides, water levels, and shoreline changes.
“Our goal is to protect the coast — not just for the communities and cities that live there, but also for the wildlife and endangered species that depend on it,” Miller said. “Disasters happen all the time. Our job is to figure out how to balance our need to live at the coast with the dangers of doing so.”
A major focus of their current research is developing nature-based solutions: engineering methods that enhance or mimic natural systems like coral reefs, salt marshes, and oyster reefs to better protect coastal communities. This approach promotes more sustainable and resilient coastlines in the face of climate change and rising sea levels.
Students, both graduate and undergraduate, are vital to these efforts. Between 50 and 75 undergraduates are currently involved, many through programs like Pinnacle and Clark research initiatives. Some participate during the academic year as undergraduate researchers, and others ultimately pursue a minor or master’s degree in coastal engineering.
One standout student, Emma McCann, a 5/5 Environmental Engineering major, applied for and received a SMART Fellowship from the Department of Defense, which will fully fund her undergraduate and graduate education. She is set to begin her master’s next year. “Students that get involved in these fields during their undergraduate years typically stick with it,” Miller said. “That’s our goal; to provide opportunities early and inspire a lasting passion.”
Despite its critical importance, coastal engineering remains underpublicized. “People love what we do, but they don’t know it exists,” Miller said. “They don’t know how to get involved.” Stevens, he noted, could better advertise its coastal engineering opportunities.
To prepare for careers in coastal resilience, students participate in hands-on research using several methods, ranging from deploying instruments to measure water levels and wave heights to using drones to create elevation maps. They also use GPS-equipped research boats to map underwater land elevations.
Ultimately, Miller hopes their research not only contributes to safer, more resilient communities but also educates the next generation of coastal engineers. “I don’t want to imagine what the coastline will look like in 50 years if we have no more coastal engineers,” he said. “It’s a pretty scary vision. But through our work at Stevens, we’re doing our part to make sure that doesn’t happen, and hopefully encouraging a bunch of really smart students to get involved along the way.”
