Florida Atlantic University (FAU) has received a significant donation from Wayne and Lucretia Weiner to support the School of Environmental, Coastal, and Ocean Sustainability (ECOS). The gift is intended to expand scholarships and programs for undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students focused on environmental studies. It will also provide resources for interdisciplinary research teams, faculty recruitment, a professor-in-residence program, and partnerships aimed at advancing environmental sustainability.
“Wayne and Lucretia’s investment in ECOS puts Florida Atlantic at the forefront of environmental research, engagement, and outreach today and into the future,” said FAU President Adam Hasner. “We appreciate their support of FAU students, and value their partnership in educating the next generation of environmental scientists.”
ECOS was created two years ago as a collaboration between the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science and Florida Atlantic’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute. The school aims to enhance the impact of environmental programs at FAU. In 2024, Wayne and Lucretia Weiner made their first major contribution to ECOS; this new donation further expands that commitment.
“Thanks to the visionary support of Wayne and Lucretia Weiner, we are removing financial barriers and broadening the availability of immersive opportunities for our students,” said Valery Forbes, Ph.D., dean of the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. “Their investment provides paid internships, paid research opportunities, and generous scholarships within ECOS, among many more new opportunities, which will be truly transformational for our new school.”
The funds will establish 150 undergraduate scholarships for juniors and seniors interested in environmental science; 70 paid internships; 90 paid undergraduate research fellowships; and 10 summer externships for juniors at partner institutions across the country. Additional resources will support field trips to Harbor Branch in Fort Pierce as well as programming for Harbor Branch’s Semester By The Sea initiative.
To attract talented students in environmental science fields, the gift includes funding for 20 two-year fellowships for incoming master’s candidates, 20 Ph.D. fellowships, and five postdoctoral fellowships covering salaries, benefits, and research budgets. Continued support from previous donations includes senior faculty mentors, junior faculty mentors, an emergency student fund for unexpected hardships, as well as travel funds enabling attendance at key environmental conferences.
“By supporting scholarships, internships and research fellowships, Wayne and Lucretia Weiner are creating an opportunity pipeline that gets our student scientists out of the classroom, into our research labs, and out into the community conducting solution-oriented environmental research with real-world impact,” said Steven Vollmer, Ph.D., director of ECOS. “Their gift is a game changer for environmental science at Florida Atlantic.”
