Current Graduate Fellows

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Maryland Sea Grant Research Fellowship

Allison Dreiss smiling wearing glasses and a grey t-shirt.

Fellowship at:

Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science

Project Title:

Beyond Point Measurements: Modeling Benthic Forage Response to the Duration, Extent, and Severity of Hypoxia in Chesapeake Bay

Cool Facts:

Allison is a master’s student studying the impacts of oxygen depletion on benthic invertebrates, an important source of forage for consumer organisms in Chesapeake Bay. She enjoys paddleboarding, hiking, and being outside.
Michael Kalinowski smiling wearing purple shirt, the background is of mountains and a body of water.

Fellowship at:

Horn Point Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science

Project Title:

Exploring the Use of Benthic Microbial Fuel Cells to Remove Sulfide While Harvesting Energy from Oyster Aquaculture Biodeposits

Cool Facts:

Michael is researching how to reduce sulfide concentrations near oyster hatcheries with the help of a benthic microbial fuel cell. In his free time, he enjoys playing soccer, hiking, running, and cheering on the Michigan Wolverines.
Shayna Keller smiling wearing sunglasses and a yellow life vest, sitting on the edge of a structure with a body of water behind them.

Fellowship at:

Horn Point Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science

Project Title:

Causes of Benthic Cyanobacteria Overgrowth in Submersed Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) Beds in Chesapeake Bay: Potential Consequences for Ecosystem Resilience

Cool Facts:

Shayna is a master’s student in the Marine Estuarine Environmental Science graduate program at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science’s Horn Point Laboratory. She is studying the effects of the benthic filamentous cyanobacteria, Lyngbya, on a large recovering aquatic grass bed on the Susquehanna Flats.
Erika Koontz smiling wearing a yellow floral printed tank top.

Fellowship at:

Horn Point Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science

Project Title:

Does Living Shoreline Performance Depend on Design?

Cool Facts:

Erika Koontz is a master's student studying the impacts of hardened shoreline structures and living shorelines on submersed aquatic vegetation in the Chesapeake Bay. After the field work and lab work is all done, she enjoys spending her time training for triathlon (swim, bike, run) events, hiking, and cuddling her cat Miley.
Grace O'Hara smiling standing infront of outdoor stairs and wearing a white shirt.

Fellowship at:

Appalachian Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science

Project Title:

Evaluating the Effects of Stormwater Best Management Practices on Nitrogen Dynamics Using Stable Isotopes

Cool Facts:

Grace O’Hara is a master’s student in the Marine Estuarine Environmental Science graduate program. In her free time, she enjoys running, painting, and hiking.

Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship

Aliya Mejias

Fellowship at:

NOAA Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, Climate Program Office

Cool Facts:

Aliya Mejias serves an executive Knauss Fellow with the Climate Program Office's Climate Adaptation Partnerships team, formerly the Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISA) program, at NOAA. She'll support sustained, collaborative relationships that help communities build lasting and equitable climate resilience.
Cassandra Worthington

Fellowship at:

U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works

Cool Facts:

Cassandra Worthington is a 2024 Knauss Legislative Fellow placed with the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. She graduated with a master's degree from the University of Maryland's School of Public Policy.

NMFS-Sea Grant Joint Fellowships

Samara Nehemiah

Fellowship at:

Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science

Project Title:

Evaluating the Performance of Spatially Explicit Population Models to Estimate Abundance of Chesapeake Bay Fishes

Cool Facts:

Samara Nehemiah a Ph.D. student at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. She is developing new statistical methods to estimate spatially explicit population estimates of striped bass in the Chesapeake Bay.

Competitive Graduate Research Fellowship

Matt Stefanak standing in front of a tree and water body, wearing navy blue t-shirt.

Fellowship at:

Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science

Project Title:

Elucidating Dietary Source and Structure of Three Important Juvenile Fishery Species Across the Chesapeake Bay Mouth Plume Using Bulk Stable Isotope Analyses

Cool Facts:

Matt Stefanak is a Ph.D. student at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory in Solomons, MD studying how estuarine waters that flow out of the Chesapeake Bay affect the biological communities that live in the adjacent coastal habitat. In his free time, he enjoys reading, working out, kayaking, and spending time with his family, friends, and two cats.
Leone Yisrael smiling wearing a black top with yellow and royal blue straps.

Fellowship at:

Johns Hopkins University, Earth and Planetary Sciences Department

Project Title:

Analyzing the Effects of Hypoxia on the Microbiome of Atlantic Brief Squid: The Model Organism for Future Global Regime Shifts Due to Expansion of Hypoxic Environments

Cool Facts:

Leone Yisrael is a cephalopod-loving scuba diver, cook, and loves to try new activities. She conducts genetic analysis and fieldwork at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center through the Coastal Disease Ecology Lab.

The Blue Crab: Callinectes Sapidus

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