Oceanport Teen Presents His Research In Preventing Beach Erosion

OCEANPORT, NJ — As shore communities across New Jersey face increasing impacts from storms and erosion, two students at the Marine Academy of Science and Technology (MAST) — Donovan Post of Oceanport and Andrew Prodeline of Manasquan — are researching seawall-protected beaches.

The two students, both high school seniors, presented their research at the 2026 New Jersey Coastal and Climate Resilience Conference, held this March in Galloway.

This was a conference attended by hundreds of coastal and climate-resilience professionals, who gathered to share research and collaborate on solutions to protect Jersey Shore beaches and towns.

Post and Prodeline looked at how seawall-protected beaches respond to storms. Their research focused on seasonal sediment movement and the impact of seawalls and bulkheads when used to prevent erosion.

“I was very excited to present our project to professionals in the field, which is something not many high school students get to experience,” said Post, of Oceanport. “It allowed me to learn more about beach morphology by speaking with experts conducting in-depth research.”

Prodeline, of Manasquan, said his interest in coastal research was shaped by years of visiting the Jersey Shore and observing how beaches change over time.

“Our project was the culmination of our four years at MAST,” he said. “Learning from professionals was an incredible experience and seeing the final product of years of work is an unbeatable feeling.”

Their findings? Bulkheads and seawalls work. During the summer and fall months, sediment accumulated south of the seawall while erosion occurred to the north, largely due to wave energy moving from south to north. In the fall and winter months, this pattern reversed, with sediment building up north of the seawall and decreasing to the south as wave energy shifted direction. In both cases, the area directly at the seawall remained relatively stable, demonstrating how seawalls can interrupt the natural movement of sand along the shoreline.

Their mentor in the research was Dr. Jun Cheng at Kean University.

MAST, located on the tip of Sandy Hook, is part of the Monmouth County Vocational School District. In their senior year, students at MAST must do a Capstone Research course in order to graduate. The course is taught under the supervision of science teacher Clare Ng.