MEES Alumni > Alumni Notes > PhD

DOCTORATE ALUMNI:


1980s

Dr. Thomas S. Bianchi (PhD '87) is the Director of the Earth and Ecosystem Sciences at Tulane University, LA. Dr. Bianchi's research interests are organic geochemistry, biogeochemical dynamics of aquatic food chains, carbon cycling in estuarine and coastal ecosystems, and finally, biochemical markers of colloidal and particulate organic carbon. Currently, he conducts his research in the Gulf of Mexico estuaries, the Mississippi River, as well as his collaborative efforts in the Baltic Region.

Dr. Jason Caplan (PhD '84), founder and CEO of EnSolve Biosystems, a biotechnology company based in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina. In business since 1995, the company has won numerous awards and financial support from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center for research and development. In addition to the PetroLiminator shipboard oily water separator system, EnSolve also markets bioenzymatic degreasers and oil-spill cleanup products for the marine industry. In December 2005, EnSolve Biosystems was awarded a Small Business Innovative Research contract by the U.S. Navy to develop a prototype Portable Oil Remediation System (PORS) for removal of hydrocarbons, organic contaminants, and trace metals normally found on inactive vessels.

Dr. Michael Crosby (PhD '87) has been very busy since matriculation! Now, he has over 20 years of research, teaching, science management and leadership experience and has gained expertise in developing and managing multidisciplinary research through his interactions, involvement and partnerships with numerous universities, national and international science and resource management agencies, programs and committees. His endeavors focus on improving the "synthesis, translation and transfer" of science and technical information between research, public policy and stakeholder communities. On July 27, 2003, Dr. Crosby was appointed to the Senior Executive Service position at the National Science Foundation to serve as both executive officer and office director of the National Science Board (NSB). He came to NSB from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), where he was the senior advisor for international science policy in the undersecretary's office of international affairs. His previous positions in NOAA include executive director for the NOAA science advisory board, national research coordinator for ocean and coastal resource management, and chief scientist for sanctuaries and reserves. He also completed a special detail from NOAA at the U.S. Agency for International Development, where he served for two years as the senior science advisor for marine and coastal ecosystems. Prior to joining NOAA, Dr. Crosby held numerous faculty positions at various institutions, including the Baruch Institute for Marine Biology and Coastal Research at the University of South Carolina; the department of marine science at Coastal Carolina University; the graduate program at the University of Charleston; Salisbury State University; and in science positions with the National Marine Fisheries Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health. Crosby earned a doctorate in marine-estuarine-environmental sciences while studying under Dr. Rodger Newell at Horn Point Laboratory. He has received research grants from many agencies including NSF, NOAA, EPA, DOD and USAID. Dr. Crosby led major national and international, multidiscipline, multi-year research projects like the U.S. Man and the Biosphere Program project entitled "Ecological and Socio-Economic Impacts of Alternative Access Management Strategies in Marine and Coastal Protected Areas", and the U.S.-Israeli and Jordanian joint partnership project entitled "The Red Sea Marine Peace Park Cooperative Research, Monitoring and Management Program." He is also a member of the Natural Areas Association, the Coastal Society, the National Shellfisheries Association, the Estuarine Research Federation, Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society, The Pacific Congress on Marine Science and Technology, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, as well as a fellow of the Royal Linnean Society of London. Crosby serves as a reviewer and panelist for numerous scientific journals and for national and international science panels and advisory committees. He has published over 40 articles in such publications as Marine Ecology Progress Series, Journal of Shellfish Research, Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, Diseases of Aquatic Organisms, Marine Biology, Limnology and Oceanography, Ocean and Coastal Management, Natural Areas Journal, Coral Reefs, Oceanography, Aquatic Conservation, and various Technical Memoranda Series, and has edited several books and manuals dealing with marine protected areas and coral reefs. (7/07)

Dr. Carol B. Daniels (PhD '87) is an adjunct professor in Marine Geology & Geophysics at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Miami. Carol also spends a tremendous amount of effort and time as the National Parks Services (NPS) Coordinator for the Southern Florida and Caribbean Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (SFC-CESU). This CESU was established in 2000 and has 4 federal agency partners and 10 private sector partners. The University of Miami in Miami, FL serves as the host and encompasses the southern end of Florida, Puerto Rico and Caribbean islands. For more information, click here.

Dr. John Dolan (MEES, Ph.D. '88) works at the Observatoire Oceanologique de Villefranche - a field campus of the Universite de Paris VI which houses 3 research-teaching units, co-administered by the Centre National de Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and the Universite de Paris VI: Geology, Developmental Biology, and Oceanography. The oceanography laboratory, Laboratoire de Oceanographie de Villefranche (LOV) is composed of 5 research groups or departments. John is the head of the Marine Microbial Ecology Group. His specialty is ciliate microzooplankton, the first link in aquatic food chains and he began by working on problems of ciliate ontongeny and systematics with G. A. Antipa (San Francisco State University) and turned to ecosystem ecology with D.W. Coats (Smithsonian Institution) and E. B. Small (University of Maryland). Since matriculation from the MEES Program, John has studied natural populations of ciliate microzooplankton in the Chesapeake Bay, across the Mediterreanean Sea, and both the SW and SE Pacific Ocean. A particular interest of his is physiology (for example growth and feeding) in typical marine ciliates, freshwater nanoflagellates, as well as mixotrophic ciliates and nanoflagellates. He currently is examining diel patterns, digestion, and selective feeding in micro and nano zooplankton. For more information, or to contact John, click here.

Dr. Dan Jacobs (ENVSC, PhD'85) has been associated with Maryland Sea Grant for more than 20 years - first as a trainee and 1982 Knauss Fellow while a student in the MEES Program, followed by employment as the Information Systems Manager and Webmaster. Dr. Jacobs was instrumental in the development of Maryland and many other Sea Grant program websites. All 30 programs and the National Sea Grant Office now have a solid web presence through the Sea Grant network. Jacobs holds a bachelor_s degree in Wildlife Management from Rutgers University, a master_s degree in Wildlife Management, with a minor in Statistics, from Frostburg University, and a Ph.D. in Environmental Science, also with a minor in Statistics, from the University of Maryland.

Dr. Stephen J. Jordan (MEES, Ph.D. '87) is currently with the USEPA, Gulf Ecology Division in Gulf Breeze, Florida as the acting Associate Director for Science. Steve enjoys his employment because it allows him to work for a better environment while advancing the protection, restoration, and scientific understanding of aquatic ecosystems. He has extensive experience with in-service training in leadership, supervision, equal employment opportunities, procurement, staff development, personnel management, team building, organizational change. Many of these skills were just simply polished while being the Chief of the Ecosystem Assessment Branch, USEPA, Gulf Ecology Division. Prior to his appointment as Chief, Steve was the Director of the Sarbanes Cooperative Oxford Laboratory, Maryland Department of Natural Resources where he led the Laboratory from a period of physical decay, staff attrition and poor morale to a complete renovation and expansion of the physical plant, addition of new research programs and modern equipment, and an atmosphere of cooperation and optimism. Prior to that, he was the Director of the Oxford Laboratory Division of the Maryland Fisheries Service, and Chief of the Habitat Impacts Program, Maryland Department of Natural Resources for eight years where he led the development of new state-funded environmental programs, including Chesapeake Bay Living Resources Monitoring, Targeted Watershed Restoration, Chesapeake Bay Ambient Toxicity by developing program justifications, work plans, successful budget initiatives, recruited staff and did much of the initial technical work. Steve was also an associate faculty member for Johns Hopkins University School of Continuing Studies for the eight years prior to moving to Florida, where he helped develop and taught graduate Estuarine Ecology, Ecology of the Coastal Zone, The Chesapeake Bay: Ecology and Ecosystem Management, and Principles and Methods of Ecology. He has authored or co-authored of more than 30 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and published reports while authoring or co-authoring more than 40 presentations and posters at scientific meetings. Steve's success is recognized with the following accolades: Congressional Citation, Senator Paul S. Sarbanes, Congressional Record, 2002.; Governor’s Citation, Parris N. Glendenning, Governor, State of Maryland; Salute to Excellence, awarded by Maryland Governor Schaefer for the Chesapeake Executive Council, 1992; Chesapeake Bay Program Certificate of Appreciation for "outstanding and dedicated leadership..." (8/07)

Dr. Adam Marsh (PhD '88) is an assistant professor of marine Biology-Biochemistry at the University of Delaware. Dr. Marsh is researching the effects of cold temperatures on regulation of gene expression in embryos and larvae in deep-sea and polar ocean invertebrates in Antarctica and the Artic. Adam's primary research interests are the roles that molecular and biochemical mechanisms determine in growth and metabolism during early development in larvae from extreme environments (i.e., gene expression, RNA processing and turnover; protein metabolism and turnover; cellular physiology and energetics; organismal development and growth). Recently his work has demonstrated that despite the slow course of development, metabolic activities in some polar embryos and larvae are temperature compensated, and equivalent to comparable rates in temperate species. He is trying to identify the biochemical mechanism by which low temperatures set developmental rates in these polar species. Learn more about Adam by clicking here.

Dr. Frank E. Muller-Karger (PhD '88) is a biological oceanographer (Professor) at the College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, where he directs the Institute for Marine Remote Sensing. As some of you already know, he is of Hispanic descent via Puerto Rico, and while born in the U.S. he grew up in Venezuela. Frank conducts research on marine primary production using satellite remote sensing, large data sets, networking, and high-speed computing. His research helps in the location and monitoring of large-scale phenomena, understanding climate control and climate change, and in the interpretation of numerical models of the ocean. Presently, the primary focus of his research is to assess the importance of continental margins, including areas of upwelling, river discharge, and coral reefs in the global carbon budget, using satellites that measure ocean color and sea surface temperature. Dr. Muller-Karger has worked hard to educate K-12 teachers in the Southern Florida region about the use of new technologies in oceanography through targeted workshops sponsored by NASA. Frank has given lectures at various national educator societies, and serves as the science advisor for the Florida Center for Ocean Science Education Excellence (COSEE). He also led the effort to establish an internal committee within the College of Marine Science to define the college's mission with respect to education and outreach. Dr. Muller-Karger was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve on the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy. In 2005, he was appointed to the Ocean Studies Board of the National Research Council/National Academies. Because of his keen interest in linking science and education processes, and his interest in addressing the problem of underserved and under-represented groups in academic science programs, he has been a champion for minorities, for educators, and science education within the Commission on Ocean Policy. Dr. Muller-Karger previously received the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Award for Outstanding Contributions and the NASA Administrator Award for Exceptional Contribution and Service for supporting development of satellite technologies for ocean observation. He has B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in marine science and a Masters degree in management and has authored or co-authored over 80 scientific publications. Frank also speaks fluent Spanish and German. Learn more about Frank by clicking here.

Dr. Tim Mulligan (PhD '87) a professor in the Fisheries Biology Department at Humboldt State University in Arcata, California, has been named Humboldt State University's Outstanding Professor of 2004-05. This is the university's highest honor for dedication and excellence in teaching. Mulligan has taught at HSU since 1989, and his students laud him for his energy, enthusiasm, personal attention, and grasp of detail. His faculty colleagues agree, noting that Mulligan personifies the university's long-standing commitment to practical learning through research, combined with rigorous classroom instruction. "Tim's most effective classroom - and, I suspect, his favorite classroom - is in the field," comments Dave Hankin, chair of HSU's Department of Fisheries Biology. "Depending on the class and the time of year, Tim's students may be working a beach seine [fishing net] in Trinidad Harbor or the Mad River estuary, pulling a small trawl through eel grass beds in Humboldt Bay, deploying small plankton nets in Stone Lagoon, or towing a bottom trawl off the [university research vessel] Coral Sea, several miles off shore from Eureka." Growing up 30 miles north of Boston and 30 minutes from the ocean, Mulligan spent a summer doing research on the Isle of Shoals that adjoins the Maine/New Hampshire coast while pursuing undergraduate studies at the University of Vermont . The experience fed a growing interest in various species of fish that cemented his fascination. He continued his education with graduate studies at the University of Central Florida and earned his doctorate from the University of Maryland- MEES Program, studying striped bass in the Chesapeake Bay. A postdoctoral fellowship took him west to the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska to focus on walleye pollock, before he moved to HSU. "I've had to teach myself about Southern California fishes, just to keep up with my students," Mulligan says. "The really, really top students keep you on your toes. But most professors actually get more satisfaction from reaching the students who aren't as well prepared. If you can get them turned on, now that's something!"


1990s

Dr. Tina Armstrong (ENMB, PhD '99) received her bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences, with a focus on Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics from Cornell University. After her admittance into the MEES Program, Tina pursued her thesis research receiving the 1999 Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship award. She spent her fellowship year in NOAA's National Oceans Service in the National Center for Coastal Ocean Service (NCCOS), where she contributed to efforts at predicting coastal ocean responses to natural and anthropogenic change. While still in the MEES Program, under the guidance of Dr. Brian P. Bradley, Armstrong focused her doctoral research to the use of protein expression signatures as a biomarker of anthropogenic stressors on aquatic organisms. Upon matriculation, Tina also received an advanced certificate in Policy Science. Currently, Dr. Armstrong works for Lockheed Martin as senior manager of environmental remediation. Dr. Armstrong is literally in a position to guard the health of entire communities. Dr. Armstrong is also Lockheed Martin's point person for cleanup efforts in Tallevast. It is her job to hire outside consultants, review their findings and make recommendations to Lockheed Martin's management about the kinds of cleanup activities that should be undertaken in Tallevast. Prior to joining Lockheed Martin in 2005, Dr. Armstrong was an ecological risk assessor for Tampa-based Blasland, Bouck & Lee, Inc., which gave her the opportunity to see how many different companies responded to pollution problems associated with industrial sites across the Eastern Seaboard. Dr. Armstrong said she has been impressed with Lockheed Martin's willingness to take full responsibility for pollution problems associated with the former American Beryllium Co. plant in Tallevast, even though Lockheed Martin never operated the facility. Dr. Armstrong said the biggest challenge in her day was simply balancing the demands of her job with being a wife and parent.

Dr. Ann Barse (PhD '94) is currently an Associate Biology Professor at Salisbury University, MD. Her academic specialties are Invertebrate Zoology, Parasitology and Ecology. Dr. Barse's research interests include fish parasite ecology; gill parasites of Fundulus spp. Anguillicola crassus infections in American eels, Anguilla rostrata Capsalidae (Monogenea) associations with Istiophorid fishes. She also finds time to serve as an advisor for the Dual Degree Program for Biology and Environmental/Marine Sciences.

Dr. Joan Maloof (ENVSC, PhD '99) studied with Dr. Gupta at UMES for her Master's degree and with Dr. Inouye at UMCP for her Doctorate. During her doctoral studies, she researched the pollination biology of a rare plant growing near the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Colorado. Currently she is an assistant botany professor at Salisbury University. A naturalist, Joan specializes in native plant identification, plant-animal interactions, and forest ecology. Joan was instrumental in developng the new Environmental Issues major (BA) offered at Salisbury University. She is also a member of the Henson Seminar Committee, the Advisory Committee on Buildings and Grounds Salisbury University Forum, Citizens Advisory Council for Chesapeake Forest Lands, and the campus representative for Civic Engagement: Stewardship of Public Lands. In the summer of 2005, Dr. Maloof released her first book titled "Teaching the Trees: Lessons from the Forest" (University of Georgia Press). The resulting mix of scientific lore and acute observation allows Joan to profile each tree in the forests near her Maryland home and explore its relationship with the surrounding plants, insects, birds, mammals, fungi and people who rely on it. An ancestor of Joan's had been Maria Mitchell (1818-1889), America's first female astronomer. Similarly, Joan supports Maria's idea that "we especially need imagination in science. It is not all logic, but it is somewhat beauty and poetry."

Dr. Jennifer Merrill (PhD '99) received her B.S. in Environmental and Forest Biology from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse in 1993. She enrolled in the MEES program the summer after graduating and became a student of Jeffrey Cornwell at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) Horn Point Laboratory where her research was focused on two water quality maintenance functions of tidal freshwater marshes, burial of particulate nutrients and denitrification. In 1999, Jen received the Knauss Fellowship award that allowed her to serve as a staff member in the office of U.S. Senator Carl Levin, who replaced Senator John Glenn as Democratic chair of the Great Lakes Task Force. The Task Force covers both the Senate and House and is a bipartisan subset of the Northeast-Midwest Coalition. While she was served her NOAA Knauss Fellow, she lectured at the University of Maryland, and worked as a project manager at Maryland Sea grant. Dr. Merrill was the Senior Program Officer at the Ocean Studies Board (OSB) from 2000 to 2005. She is currently directing a study reviewing the impact of new review procedures of the National Sea Grant Program. She also serves as the OSB staff contact for ICSU's Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research.

Dr. Judith Stribling (MEES, Ph.D. '94) is an Associate Professor of Biology at Salisbury University, where she is the coordinator of the collaborative Dual Degree Program in Biology and Environmental-Marine Science with the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, the Biology Department Internship Coordinator for environmental and natural sciences internships, and the advisor to the student environmental club. She is active in the local environmental community, as President of the Friends of the Nanticoke River, a citizens' organization, and past president of the Nanticoke Watershed Alliance, a bi-state consortium of 36 Delaware and Maryland governmental, business and citizens' groups that promotes community involvement in protection of the river. Judith's professional and research interests focus on wetlands: their ecology, biogeochemistry, restoration, and management. She is a member of the Advisory Committee for the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and a member of the Science Advisory Panel for Assateague Island National Seashore. She has also worked as a consultant to the MD Department of the Environment in an assessment of wetland management. Judith is married to David Gooch, and they have one child, Nicholas. They live on Maryland's Eastern Shore in Bivalve, where they spend as much time as they can fishing and sailing. (8/07)

Dr. Adel M. Talaat, M.V.Sc. (ENMB, PhD '98) is an assistant professor in the Animal Health and Biomedical Sciences Department at the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin. His research focuses on mycobacterial infections since they cause the death of more than 3 million individuals annually and severe economic losses to animal-breeders as well. During his Ph.D. work in the MEES Program, he developed a novel model for studying mycobacterial infections using the goldfish, Carassius auratus and Mycobacterium marinum. That model served as a surrogate model to human infections with M. tuberculosis and helps in screening a large number of mycobacterial mutants in a relevant model of infection. Dr. Talaat's research uses innovative approaches to understand bacterial pathogenesis on a genome-wide scale to generate useful therapies (drugs and vaccines). Currently, he is working on the functional genomics of M. tuberculosis and M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis. In particular, Dr. Talaat's lab is using array differential gene expression (ADGE) profiling generated by spotted DNA-micro arrays to understand gene expression that underlies the disease process and the nature of host-pathogen interactions. For example, his research identified a genomic island within M. tuberculosis that is expressed exclusively inside animals during infection. Dr. Talaat has been using gene-targeted mutational analysis to determine the importance of such genes in bacterial survival during infection. In addition, he is testing such genes as vaccine candidates using genetic immunization protocol and different animal models of infection. Lean more about Dr. Talaat by clicking here.


2000s

Dr. Jude K. Apple (ECOL, PhD '05) successfully defended his PhD thesis in the winter of 2005 under the guidance of Dr. Michael Kemp. The majority of his research has been supported by a three-year fellowship from the National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR), a NOAA sponsored organization promoting research and management of estuarine resources. Currently, Jude is a NRC Postdoctoral Fellow at the US Naval Research Lab, Washington DC, where he is researching what the roles of salinity and terrestrial dissolved organic matter (DOM) have in shaping the biogeography of estuarine bacterioplankton communities and their compositions. His research as a postdoctoral fellow will allow the quantification of changes in the bacterioplankton community composition at 4-step intervals along the salinity gradient (0-32 psu) in the major tributaries of Winyah Bay. His experimental approach will be used to identify differences in the capacity of bacterioplankton to degrade DOM from different sources as well as changes in degradability of high molecular weight DOM along the salinity gradient. Dr. Apple's research will be conducted during the summer 2006 and supported by the Belle Baruch Visiting Scientist Award.

Dr. Kelton Clark (ECOL, Ph.D. '01) has been helping minorities plunge into the marine sciences at Morgan State University's Estuarine Research Center (ERC), located adjacent to Jefferson Patterson Park near St. Leonard, Maryland, on the Patuxent River. Dr. Kelton Clark, a former student of Dr. Hines, now a professor in Morgan's Department of Biology and was the former scientific program manager for the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation at the Smithsonian Institute, contends that minority students are not often exposed to marine biology and other specialized disciplines. As a consequence, these students choose careers in more well-known and traditional scientific fields, especially in healthcare fields such as medicine and dentistry. Clark notes, for example, that a minority child fascinated with insects is unlikely to learn about what an entomologist does— and so never considers entomology as a career possibility. As one of the few African American marine biologists in the United States, Clark began as a restaurant manager, earned his bachelor's in biology from San Diego State University, his Ph.D from the MEES Program in College Park. For Kelton, Morgan State provides an opportunity to pursue two passions: a love of teaching and a desire to increase diversity in the marine science community. The ERC is dedicated to investigating the complex interrelationships of aquatic ecosystems, particularly the ways in which coastal systems adapt to, and are affected by, human activities. While much of the center's research is conducted within the Chesapeake Bay, the Chesapeake watershed, and the neighboring Delaware Bay, studies are designed to address issues that are broader in scope and can be applied to similar problems in other coastal ecosystems both within the U.S. and in other countries. For more information or to contact Kelly Clark, click here. (8/07)

Dr. James D. Hagy, III (PhD '01) achieved his Master's degree in 1996 while still in the MEES Program at the University of Maryland - his master's thesis concerned the residence times and net ecosystem processes in the Patuxent River Estruary. Jim Hagy finished his PhD graduate work in December 2001 and started work in January 2002 as a post-doc with the US EPA's National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Gulf Ecology Division, which is located at Pensacola Beach, FL. In 2004, he became permanent staff in the same organization. His work at EPA focuses utilizes field studies and modeling to address questions related to eutrophication and hypoxia in estuaries and coastal waters, most recently the "dead zone" downcoast from the Mississippi River off the coast of Louisiana and Texas. Recently a paper from his dissertation was honored by the EPA Science Advisory Board for it's excellence both in science and for it's relevance to supporting EPA's environmental management mission. Jim and his wife Melissa (a 1995 MEES, MS graduate) have three daughters, born in 2000, 2002 and 2006. Outside of work and family, he pursues triathlon racing and competitive swimming.

Dr. Amy J. Horneman, SM (ASCP) (formerly Amy Martin-Carnahan) (ENMB, PhD '01) is an Assistant Professor in the School of Medicine at University of Maryland, Baltimore, but as of March 1st, 2006 her primary appointment changed from mostly research and some limited teaching in the Dept. of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine to a new appointment in the Dept. of Medical and Research Technology, with a large portion devoted to teaching undergraduates and graduates in the Medical Technology Programs at UMB. However, Dr. Horneman still spends about 30% of time still devoted to research on the genus Aeromonas while keeping a secondary appointment in the Dept. of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine. Amy is interested in researching taxonomy and virulence features of microorganisms from the environment that are pathogenic for humans, such as Aeromonas, a common water-based organism that causes gastrointestinal disease, and Vibrio species. Amy became a worldwide recognized expert on Aeromonas, finding three new species and publishing a dozen papers in scientific journals. Amy has also been a four-time Outstanding Instructor Award recipient. She was inducted into Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, College Park Chapter in 2001. Dr. Horneman also won the Leadership Award for service as President of the Maryland Branch of the American Society for Microbiology in 2005. Currently, Dr. Horneman is serving as a research consultant with Dr. Ashok K. Chopra regarding EPA Research on Virulence Factors relating to the Presence of Aeromonas hydrophila strains in U.S. Drinking Water Supplies. Learn more about Amy by clicking here.

Dr. Susan Klosterhaus' (CHEM, Ph.D. '07) dissertation research focused on the bioavailability of sediment-associated organic chemical contaminants, particularly the brominated diphenyl ether flame retardants, from a heavily contaminated urban estuary and the processes that control their accumulation in aquatic food webs. Prior to moving to the Chesapeake Bay area, Susan was manager and research associate in the sediment toxicology laboratory at the University of South Carolina School of Public Health where she studied the toxicity and bioaccumulation of several classes of organic contaminants in benthic meiofauna. She received her M.S. in Public Health in 2001 and B.S. in Marine Science in 1995, both from the University of South Carolina. Currently Susan is with the San Francisco Estuary Institute.

Dr. Richard Kraus (FISH, PhD '03) pursued a postdoctoral research fellowship with the Texas Institute of Oceanography, Texas A&M University in Galveston, TX. Currently, Richard is moving cross-country (back to Maryland) where he will join the Environmental Science and Policy Departmental faulty of George Mason University as Assistant Professor of Fish Ecology. Richard's research interest involves the movements of blue marlin (Makaira nigricans) in the Gulf of Mexico from pop-up archival tag data on light intensity, depth and temperature. Dr. Kraus also is assessing the offshore banks in the Gulf of Mexico as nurseries for snappers and groupers. For his post-doc, Dr. Kraus will have researched the development of chemical tracers in otoliths to understand movements and habitat use in southern flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma).

Dr. Todd R. Miller (ENMB, PhD '04) is a post-doc at Johns Hopkins Center for Water and Health, in the Division of Environmental Health. His research aims to differentiate complex microbial communities using a combination of classical microbiology and advanced molecular and chemical analyses to identify bacteria and enzymes that are an integral part in maintaining a healthy ecosystem. Todd is especially interested in those involved in the degradation of harmful chemicals produced by human activity. His research potentially will lead to novel bioremediation strategies improving human health. Learn more about Todd by clicking here.

Dr. Cassandra Moe (ENMB, PhD '01) is an adjunct faculty teaching introductory biology at the Dakota County Technical College in Minnesota. In the past, Cassandra has affiliated with various academic institutions such as Augsburg, and Metropolitan State University. Her dissertation work (advisor: Dr. Allen Place) focused on the characterization of a common vertebrate gastric enzyme, chitinase. As a researcher, she considers myself to be a physiological ecologist - meaning that she is interested in how the biochemical and physiological processes at the cellular level are translated through the organismic, population, and community levels. Cassandra really enjoys teaching non-biology majors and believes that a basic knowledge of science is crucial for every person, especially as our “daily lives become increasingly technical and our natural world is subjected to increasing pressure”. She is the proud owner of 2 canines! (7/07).

Dr. Elizabeth North (FISH, PhD '01) was a NOAA Intern for NOAA Chesapeake Bay Program Stock Assessment Committee within her first year after matriculation from the MEES Program. After her internship was completed, she went on to be a Research Assistant for the Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) of the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program. In 2004, Dr. North was a visiting scientist at the French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea (IFREMER). She has since joined our faulty as an assistant professor at Horn Point Laboratory in the Fisheries area of specialization. Learn more about Elizabeth by clicking here.

Dr. Trista Maj Patterson (ECOL, Ph.D. '05) is an ecological economist with the U.S. Forest Service in Juneau, Alaska. The insight, creativity, and energy from other ecological economists buoyed her own efforts for career success. The doctoral and EE certificate program she earned at the University of Maryland, a 3 year lecture/research residency at University of Siena, Italy in EE, and the Donella Meadows Leadership Fellows Program (2004-2006), have had a strong influence on her work. She was an active student member, and now takes a place on the United States Society for Ecological Economics board. The United States Society for Ecological Economics provides a venue for a holistic and strong community of ecological economists, social and natural scientists, and people who care for the well-being of this planet and its inhabitants so as to allow its diverse membership to easily communicate with and learn from each other on a regular basis (7/07).

Dr. Emma J. Rochelle-Newall (OCEAN, PhD '00) successfully completed her dissertation in the biological production of colored dissolved organic matter with Dr. T. Fisher as her advisor. In the year following matriculation, Emma was a CNRS Postdoctoral fellow (Poste Rouge) in the ATIPE EcoMem program at the Laboratoire d' Oceanographie de Villefranche in France. In 2002, she continued her post-doc in the same location, however Emma joined the Eurotroph project where she studied nutrient cycling and the trophic status of European coastal ecosystems under the guidance of Dr. Jean-Pierre Gattuso. In 2003, Emma joined the Center of Oceanography of Marseille, Institute of research and development (IRD) of Noumea, studying the fate of organic carbon fixed by the cyanobacteria Trichodesmium. Currently, Emma is still with the IRD of Noumea, New Caledonia with the Camellia program where she is studying the characterization and modeling of exchanges in lagoons subject to anthropogenic influences. Her main research interests are the influences of toxic trace metals on phytoplanktonic structure and function in the South West Lagoon of New Caledonia and biogeochemical controls of bacterial Colored Dissolved Organic Material (CDOM) production.

Dr. Abby R. (Cohen) Schneider (CHEM, PhD '05) attended MIT and received her BS in Environmental Engineering in 1998. After graduation, Abby enrolled in the MEES Program. Her masters research examined the influence of episodic events on PCB and PAH cycling in Lake Michigan. She successfully defended her masters thesis in 2001 under the guidance of Dr. Joel Baker. Abby went on to defend her PhD thesis in 2005 in which she examined the rates of PCB desorption from resuspended Hudson River Sediments. Currently, Abby is an American Chemical Society Congressional Fellow working in the Office of Senator Dianne Feinstein. Abby focuses on water issues, including perchlorate contamination, fisheries, endangered species and climate change.

Dr. Heather Stapleton (CHEM, PhD '03) obtained her BS in Marine Chemistry from Southhampton College. She enrolled in the MEES Program with Dr. Joel Baker as her advisor and successfully defended her thesis in 2003. Dr. Stapleton is currently pursuing both her career and her research with Duke University, NC. Her research focuses on understanding the fate and transformation of organic contaminants in aquatic systems. Her main focus has been on the bioaccumulation and biotransformation of polybrominated diphenyl ethers,(PBDEs), particularly in fish. Her studies conducted on rainbow trout and carp have found that fish possess enzymes systems capable of metabolizing PBDEs to end-products which are potentially more toxic. Heather's goal is to determine the pathways of PBDE biotransformation in fish and to determine if the same pathways exists in humans. At a later date, in further research, Heather plans to also examine the fate of PBDEs in the environment which may lead to oxidative and/or reductive products (i.e. photolytic, chlorination and ozonation processes, etc.).

Dr. Bhaskaran Subramanian (ENVSC, PhD '06) originally from India, graduated from University of Maryland, Eastern Shore with an emphasis in environmental science and is now the natural sciences manager with Maryland Eastern Shore RC&D Council, Inc. Dr. Bhaskaran has presented in many conferences and seminars. He presented a paper in an International Conference (in India), has published a paper related to his research and is currently working on publishing two more papers. Dr. Bhaskaran joined MD Eastern Shore RC&D Council, Inc. in June 2006 and has since worked on assessing shoreline erosion control projects of RC&D in the past 20 years. He is creating a GIS database in association with Johann Martinez for RC&D. He is an active member of the VoiCeS (Volunteers as Chesapeake Stewards) program (7/07).

Dr. Adrienne Sutton (OCEAN, Ph.D '06) focused her research on whether agricultural conservation practices reduce nutrient runoff into the Chesapeake Bay. After matriculation, Adrienne was a Sea Grant Fellow in NOAA's Office of Legislative Affairs in 2006 and was hired as NOAA's Congressional Affairs Specialist for Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) related issues (7/07).

Dr. Jeff Terwin (PhD '00) persued a post-doc at the University of Connecticut (2000-2002). Currently, Dr. Terwin teaches high school level biology, marine biology, and ecology while carrying on his research with the Navigator project.