Current Graduate Fellows

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Maryland Sea Grant Research Fellowship

Man wearing burnt orange colored collar shirt standing infront of water.

Fellowship at:

Patuxent Environmental and Aquatic Research Laboratory, Morgan State University

Project Title:

Development of Triploid and Tetraploid Eastern Oysters for Maryland Aquaculture

Cool Facts:

Shivish Bhandari is a graduate student in the Bioenvironmental Science Ph.D. program at Morgan State University studying environment-genome interaction in Eastern oysters. Outside of his studies, Shivish enjoys traveling, bird watching, and photography.
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.

NMFS-Sea Grant Joint Fellowships

Reed Brodnik

Fellowship at:

Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science

Project Title:

Impacts of Misspecification of Spatial Structure of Assessment and Stock on Reliability of Reference Points

Cool Facts:

Reed is studying the population dynamics of black sea bass (Centropristis striata) in the Mid-Atlantic Bight region of the Atlantic seaboard. In his free time, Reed enjoys kayaking, fishing, and crabbing in the Patuxent River and the Chesapeake Bay. 
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.

Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship

Headshot of woman smiling wearing dark blue top and in front of beige background.

Fellowship at:

NOAA Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs

Cool Facts:

Amber Fandel researched the presence and behaviors of marine mammals using sound. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, playing music, and hiking and paddle boarding with her dog.
Headshot of man smiling wearing royal blue polo shirt.

Fellowship at:

NOAA National Ocean Service, Marine Debris Program

Cool Facts:

Benjamin is working as a Marine Debris Program Specialist in NOAA’s Marine Debris Program with a focus on derelict fishing gear. In his free time, Ben enjoys playing video games with friends, reading fantasy novels, hiking with his dog, and cooking.
Smiling man in a pink shirt

Fellowship at:

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

Cool Facts:

Sergio is an Ocean Energy Environmental Science & Policy Fellow at BOEM. In this role, he supports the development of best practices related to environmental, climate, and economic justice to further the understanding of the potential impacts of ocean energy projects on low-income, minority, and indigenous communities. Sergio likes to play the saxophone, play soccer, rock climb, and dance in his free time.
Headshot of woman smiling with outdoor background

Fellowship at:

U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Natural Resources; Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife

Cool Facts:

Morgan McCue is a Legislative Fellow in the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources; Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife where she works as a professional staff member. In her free time, you can find her spending time with family, doing anything outdoors, reading, listening to podcasts, and visiting her favorite national parks!
Headshot of woman smiling with outdoor background

Fellowship at:

NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service

Cool Facts:

Nikelene is serving as the GEO Blue Planet Policy fellow in the Satellite Oceanography and Climatology Division of NOAA NESDIS/STAR. She enjoys taking long runs along the coast, snorkeling and hiking coastal trails. She is very fond of traveling, experiencing different cultures and learning new languages.
Headshot of woman smiling wearing light purple turtleneck in front of grey background.

Fellowship at:

NOAA OAR Climate Program Office

Cool Facts:

Andrea Miralles-Barboza is an International Climate Fellow in NOAAs Climate Program Office. In this role and in her future work she hopes to contribute to more community-driven approaches to coastal adaptation in a world increasingly and unevenly shaped by climate change. In her free time, Andrea enjoys spending time with loved ones, candle-making, true-crime content in all its formats (podcasts, books, documentaries, etc.), kayaking in the Chesapeake Bay and searching for the perfect latte.
Headshot of man smiling, wearing blue collared shirt and black suit jacket.

Fellowship at:

The White House Executive Office of the President, Council on Environmental Quality

Cool Facts:

Brendan works with the Council on Environmental Quality’s Conservation Team and supports their water portfolio, which includes issues covering freshwater, marine and coastal environments. He is an avid cyclist and runner who grew up living on a sailboat in Seattle with his parents and two brothers. 
Headshot of woman smiling wearing a green IMET t-shirt in front of light background

Fellowship at:

NOAA National Sea Grant Office, NOAA, Office of Education

Cool Facts:

Ana is an Education Policy Integration Fellow working with the National Sea Grant and the NOAA Office of Education. In her free time, she enjoys reading mystery books, spending time outside, trying new restaurants and learning new crafts.

Graduate Research Support Grants

Man wearing green shirt in front of Maryland state flag, smiling.

Fellowship at:

Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science

Project Title:

Ecological and Environmental Implications of Sea Level Rise on Shallow Methane-gas in the Patuxent River Estuary

Cool Facts:

Drew Hobbs is a Ph.D. student researching methane distribution, emissions, and consumption processes in coastal and estuarine systems like Chesapeake Bay. In his spare time, Drew likes to exercise, kayak, play video, craft, and keep up to speed with comic books and films.

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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