One Shoreline Round 2: Identifying Drought Resilience Needs and Opportunities in San Mateo County
Overview
The San Mateo County Flood and Sea Level Rise Resiliency District (OneShoreline) is an independent government agency that works across jurisdictional boundaries to secure and leverage public and private resources for the long-term climate resilience of San Mateo County. With lengthy shorelines along San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean, San Mateo County has more people and property at risk from sea level rise than any other county in California, which is why all cities within the County, plus the County itself, have invested in the early success of OneShoreline, the first government agency of its kind west of the Mississippi.
While OneShoreline primarily focuses on sea level rise, extreme storms, and coastal erosion, it is also committed to strengthening San Mateo County’s resilience to drought. Some cities within the County have already implemented water reuse, but there is no countywide coordination of drought response. With a proven track record of managing multi-jurisdictional projects, OneShoreline is uniquely positioned to lead a countywide conversation on drought resilience.
Since its establishment in January 2020, OneShoreline has played a key role in shaping regional climate adaptation efforts. A Summer 2025 fellow will have the opportunity to develop foundational research that informs the future of this agency’s drought resilience initiatives. This fellowship provides hands-on experience in climate infrastructure planning, offering insight into both technical challenges and the political dynamics of multi-jurisdictional collaboration.
About the Fellowship
The Summer 2025 fellow will support OneShoreline’s work on the technical and policy dimensions of water supply and drought response in San Mateo County. This is a part-time position with a max of 24 hours/week for the 10-week fellowship.
Activities may include:
- Conducting research on each city’s water supply portfolio and drought response plans.
- Using ArcGIS (and potentially ArcGIS StoryMaps) to visualize research findings (see the Bayside Map of Future Conditions for an example of OneShoreline’s previous water hazard mapping efforts).
- Assisting in the development of outreach materials to communicate the County’s drought resilience needs and opportunities, with consideration for equity.
- Attending OneShoreline’s Board of Directors meetings, with a potential opportunity to present findings to the elected city and county officials who make up OneShoreline’s Board.
Qualifications:
- Master’s or PhD student preferred.
- Self-motivated, proactive, and resourceful.
- Strong team player with excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Familiarity with the technical and policy issues related to drought and climate change adaptation.
- Strong analytical skills and experience using ArcGIS.
Stipend
This is a part-time position with a max of 24 hours/week for the 10-week fellowship. MA/MS Students can prorate their hours up to 24 hours/week ($5,700 stipend). PhD students on a 50% assistantship on campus can work up to 16 hours/week and will receive up to $4,500. PhD students with greater departmental flexibility can also prorate their hours up to 24 hours/week ($6,700 stipend).
Please note that students can apply for no more than three different PCJ fellowship opportunities during a single application round.
This is a 10-week opportunity during Summer 2025, starting no later than July 7, 2025. All fellows are required to work with their community partners for ten consecutive weeks. Masters and PhD students from all academic disciplines are encouraged to apply.
In order to be eligible, graduate students must be enrolled at least in spring quarter. Students are required to be in good academic standing. The requirements for good academic standing include: 1) Earn at least 9 units of credit in a single quarter. 2) Earn at least 36 units over the most recent three quarters 3) Maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 or above.
Additional Fellowship Requirements
This opportunity is associated with Partnerships for Climate Justice in the Bay Area (PCJ in the Bay), an initiative to build equitable climate change solutions by supporting partnerships between Stanford students, faculty and Bay Area community leaders. Fellows will be a part of a cohort of other PCJ in the Bay summer fellows placed at sites across the Bay Area.
Additional requirements include
Spring 2025:
- Attend the required spring retreat on Saturday May 17th 9am-4pm with cohort peers.
- Complete an online program orientation.
- Participate in an in-person Engaging in Ethical and Effective Service workshop at the Haas Center.
- Identify and meet with an academic mentor (Stanford faculty or staff) at least once.
- Design a personal learning plan and share the learning plan with your site supervisor and academic mentor.
- Complete all required pre-orientation forms.
- Attend the spring retreat with cohort peers (date TBD).
Summer 2025:
- Complete a pre-program assessment survey.
- Attend all PCJ in the Bay Fellows cohort activities (more information will be shared about these events in spring quarter).
- Submit a final report documenting your work and reflecting on your learning.
- Correspond with fellowship donor(s) as requested by fellowships program staff.
- Complete a post-program assessment survey.
Fall 2025:
- Meet with your academic mentor to discuss your fellowship experience at least once.
- Participate in outreach activities to share the experience and help publicize the program.
Frequently Asked Questions for PCJ Summer 2025 Fellowships.
Selection Process
Complete applications are screened, finalists interviewed, and fellows selected by the host organizations staff with the intention to award fellowships prior to spring break. Applicants should respond promptly (within 48 hours) via email to a fellowship offer, or the offer will be rescinded. Once an applicant accepts a fellowship offer, the student should promptly notify all other Stanford and non-Stanford programs to which they have applied that they have accepted another offer and to withdraw their candidacy.
