Fellow and Intern Projects
Beth Bowers, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow Project: Best Practices for Acoustic Telemetry in Offshore WindBeth is a marine ecologist who studies species distributions and environmental drivers of movement. Her doctoral dissertation work focused on the migratory drivers and sexual segregation of blacktip sharks, Carcharhinus limbatus, along the U.S. East Coast using acoustic telemetry, an animal-borne tracking technology. In her postdoctoral appointment, she is developing recommendations for acoustic telemetry applications to offshore wind. Her other research interests include effects of environmental variation on animal distribution, movement modeling, satellite telemetry, reproductive biology, biodiversity, survivorship, and kinematics.
Henry Legett, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow Project: Shifting environmental regimes and anadromous fish migrationThe timing of life-history events in many plants and animals depend on seasonal environmental conditions. Annual migratory and reproduction events, for example, are often timed to match periods of specific conditions that correspond with peak recourse abundance. Environmental regimes are changing and disrupting natural cycles and patterns.
At SERC, I am investigating how environmental factors are driving the spawning migration patterns of river herring, alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis), in Chesapeake Bay rivers. I am also characterizing the thermal regimes within these river networks and assessing the effect of anthropogenic influences and riparian habitats on stream temperature dynamics and river herring spawning behavior. My research will alow for more focused management of river herring and habitat restoration efforts in the Chesapeake Bay.
2024 interns
Ellie Cameron
Biodiversity and parasitism on restored oyster reefs.
Denise Garcia Salas
Using acoustic telemetry to determine if blacktip sharks travel in groups
2023 interns
Anna Pedersen
Communicating oyster reef ecology through art.
Julia McElhinny
Seasonal and interannual dynamics of horned pondweed
MJ Pieras
Using bioacoustics to monitoring river herring spawning activity.
Julia de los Reyes
Tracking outcomes of oyster restoration in the South River, Maryland.
Emi McGeady
Oyster restoration outcomes in low salinity environments.
2022 Interns
Lili Bowman
Assessing oyster reef restoration using underwater video and high-resolution sonar
Ryan McIntyre
Raising the bar: Oyster science and innovative resources for educators and youth
Isaac Robertson-Brown
Horseshoe crab habitat use and movement inferred from acoustic telemetry
Caitlyn Dittmeier
Communications and community engagement with the Rappahannock Working Land and Seascapes project
Grace Loonam
Assessing the response of fish communities to oyster restoration using high resolution imaging sonar.
2021 Interns
Claire Huang
Assessing impacts of dam removal on river herring migration, spatial habitat use, and spawning success in the Patapsco River.
Zophy Galvan
Exploring long-term trends in blue crab operational sex ratios.
Sunnidae Gallien
Assessing fish, crustacean, and macroparasite communities on restored and harvested oyster reefs.
Amber Staples
Monitoring phenology of river herring (Alosa pseudoharengus and Alosa aestivalis) spawning activity using automated detection of splashes.
2020 Interns
Aiman Raza
Comparing fish and crustacean communities on harvested versus protected oyster reefs in the Chesapeake Bay
Alex Declid
Exploring trends in summer flounder abundance in Maryland relative to environmental variability and fisheries management
2019 Interns
Maya Drzewicki
Assessing the quality of shallow tributary forage habitats for
striped bass in Chesapeake Bay
Daniella Gavriel
Enhancing oyster aquaculture production using prenatal effects
Liana Quinones
Communicating research projects and conservation goals to the non-scientific community using videography and filmmaking
Grace Buckley
High school STEM intern
Michele Repetto, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow Project: Long-term trends in multitrophic community structure along an estuarine habitat gradientWhile a global trend of poleward migration of marine fish species due to ocean warming has been widely noted, local scale shifts in individual species and assemblages are not well understood. Long-term observational studies can provide robust results for understanding community dynamics and improving predictive models. I aim to characterize how fish communities in the Rhode River, Maryland have changed through time along a habitat gradient. I am using long-term data from SERC's seine and trawl surveys to test for changes in fish assemblages associated with environmental changes (e.g. rising temperature, salinity fluctuation) using trait based analyses. Understanding how communities respond to environmental change on a local scale is important for managing and conserving commercially and recreationally important fish.
Yushinta Fujaya, PhD
Fulbright Fellow Project: Blue crab reproductive biology in Chesapeake Bay
Roberta Bardelli
Doctoral Fellow Project: Blue crab and green crab diets in native and invaded ranges
Nathan Waltham, PhD
Queensland Government and Smithsonian Fellowship 2020/2023 Project: Restoring coastal ecosystems
Allison Tracy, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow 2019 - 2022 Project: Chesapeake Working Land and Seascapes; oyster reef ecology
Gabriel Ng, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow 2019 - 2022 Project: Blue swimmer crab stock enhancement in the Philippines
Laura Givens
Graduate Fellow 2021; Duke University Marine Lab Project: Testing the performance of eDNA as an indicator of biodiversity changes in oyster habitat
Julie Luecke
Volunteer; Chesapeake Conservation Corps 2020-2021 Project: Public engagement work and translating the lab's scientific research for a broader audience The Chesapeake Conservation Corps (CCC) is a Maryland state program that funds yearlong positions for young environmental professionals at Chesapeake Bay watershed organizations.
Sarah Mallette
Graduate Fellow 2020; George Mason University Project: Global shifts in cetacean distribution due to rising ocean temperatures