Fellowship Experiences

This summer, I was presented with the unique opportunity to participate in the Maryland Sea Grant Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program. My experiences in this program – going on a research cruise, canoeing the Patuxent River, and visiting the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History – were incredible.  Read more...

Based on a recent survey, my advisor, a colleague, and I have found that people who volunteer in environmental groups are unlike the average citizen.

Recently the Fish and Invertebrate Ecology Lab at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) finished the majority of its preparations for its two upcoming crab-tagging experiments this summer. These experiments will use mark-recapture to discover valuable information on sizes of populations, their migration patterns, and any interactions they may have with people who spot or recapture them.

You know the old adage “there are plenty of fish in the sea?”  Well, what if that wasn’t the case?  How would we even know this was becoming not the case before it was too late?

When people think bacteria, they often think disease. But in reality, pathogenic bacteria are a very small fraction of all bacteria. Bacteria are everywhere, and though small in size, these microscopic organisms are highly complex and play important roles in controlling global nutrient cycles.  Read more...