Hannah Cooper

Science Management and Policy Internship

Fellowship Institution:

Maryland Sea Grant College

Start Year

2022

Hannah graduated from North Carolina State University with degrees in Biological Oceanography and Zoology and a minor in Applied Ecology. Throughout her undergraduate career, she enjoyed learning about and participating in a mixture of ecological research and environmental management and policy. Hannah particularly enjoyed exploring the impacts of climate change on environmental and community health and was interested in working with an organization committed to addressing climate change.

As a Science Management and Policy Intern, Hannah contributed to several workshops on topics including large-scale marsh restoration, sustainable aquaculture siting, and resilient community design. She also contributed to strategic planning and managed social media accounts for the SEAS Islands Alliance. After her internship, Hannah plans to complete a master’s degree at the University of Maryland.

Program Announcements

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News and Blogs

September 1, 2026

Science Illustration and Its Role in Science Communication

August 17, 2026

The Chesapeake Bay Legacy Act’s Impacts on Aquaculture and Commercial Fisheries

August 17, 2026

Baltimore City Teens Dive into Aquaculture, Science, and Sustainable Food Systems

Video Gallery

Sea Grant Film Explores a Diminishing Smithville

Smithville is a community on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, on the edge of the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. A century ago, Smithville had more than 100 residents. Today, it has four, in two homes: an elderly couple, and one elderly woman and her son, who cares for her.

Featured Fellow

Nina Santos

Nina Santos is a Ph.D. student at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. For her dissertation, she is focused on small shrimp-like crustaceans called mysids – an understudied yet important part of many estuarine and coastal food webs.

Featured Research Project

Geochronology Study of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Deposition and Ecosystem Response in the Chesapeake & Maryland Coastal Bays

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are environmentally persistent contaminants linked to adverse health outcomes in humans and wildlife. In Maryland's Chesapeake Bay and Coastal Bays, PFAS accumulation in sediments and biota, as well as their ecological impacts, remain poorly understood. This project will reconstruct multidecadal PFAS deposition histories using sediment cores, apply microbial community profiling to assess benthic ecosystem responses, and translate findings into practical guidance for aquaculture and environmental management.

View Project

The Blue Crab: Callinectes Sapidus

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