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NICHOLAS SILVERSON - 2023 NSF GRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP AWARD

April 4, 2023 - Congratulations to Nicholas Silverson (M.S. ‘22) who was awarded the prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship which recognizes outstanding graduate students in science, technology, engineering & mathematics. Nicholas, advised by Dr. Lee Grebmeier and Dr. Lee Cooper is a first year MEES Master’s student in the Earth and Ocean Foundation at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Sciences. According the official announcement from CMNS, the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship has funded over 60,000 fellows since 1952, and is highly competitive.  Out of about 12,000 applications submitted nation wide this cycle, only 34 were chosen from the College Park campus, and out of those only 18 were from the College of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences (CMNS) which hosts the College Park MEES Graduate Program, and out of those, only seven are current graduate students.  Nicholas is one of seven current CMNS graduate students awarded the NSF fellowship which includes a $37,000 annual stipend and will receive three (3) years of support including a $12,000 cost of education allowance as well as access to opportunities for professional development.

Prior to joining the MEES Graduate Program, Nicholas graduated with a B.S. in Environmental Studies in 2011 from Bates College where his thesis, under the advisement of Dr. William G. Ambrose was titled:  “Interannual variation in the growth patterns of the circumpolar green sea urchin (Stronglyocentrotus droebachiensis) in a high-Arctic Fjord on Svalbard as a proxy for climatic variability”.  Nicholas thesis focused on exploring the suitability of using the growth rates of the circumpolar green urchin as a proxy for historical climate variability.  Nicholas presented his results at the 2011 Benthic Ecology Meeting. Mobile, Alabama, and according to Dr. Ambrose, his advisor, his presentation was so impressive that Nicholas was offered a position as a graduate student in the lab of one of the leaders in the field of echinoderm growth.    Nicholas went on to accumulate an extensive research background working in terrestrial systems first as a Research Technician at the US Department of Agriculture, where he conceptualized and conducted host-range experiments for proposed biocontrol agents of two invasive weeds, Brazilian Pepper and Chinese Tallow. Nicholas hypothesized that the presence of specialist predation on an invasive plant would limit its dominance and allow native plants to compete, all without negatively affecting native and commercially important species in the new range.  This resulted in two publications and the eventual approval for the release of a biocontrol agent on Brazilian Pepper. Nicholas then worked as a Museum Specialist at the National Museum of Natural History where he was part of a team studying Lepidoptera, the taxonomic order that contains moths. With the help of Barcode of Life Database (BOLD), an NSF funded effort, a project to barcode representatives from every North American variety of this larger, but less studied and understood species was conducted and resulted in a genetic library which can not only be expanded to all other insect orders, but also resulted in a publication. Since entering the program, Nicholas seeks to address climate change in Arctic benthic ecosystems in order to understand the larger ocean and climatic processes important for gauging ecosystem resiliency.

We at the MEES Program are very proud of our students! Congratulations, Nicholas, this is a well deserved recognition of all your hard work!

MARINE ESTUARINE & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCEs FACULTY AWARDED UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND GRAND CHALLENGES GRANT

April 1, 2023 - Congratulations to Dr. Timothy Canty, Dr. Amy Sapkota, Dr. Allen P. Davis, Dr. Amir Sapkota and Dr. Stephanie Lansing, who out of 135 proposals submitted campus wide in College Park, were among the 50 selected as award recipients in the Grand Challenges Grants program. According to the official announcement, the Grand Challenges Grants Program — the largest and most comprehensive program of its type ever introduced at the University of Maryland — will support projects, led by three teams, that address emerging societal issues, including climate change, social injustice, global health, and education disparities. The Grand Challenge Grants will award $30M over three years in: 3 Institutional Grants, 6 Impact Awards, 16 Team Project Grants, and 25 Individual Grants.

Dr. Timothy Canty serves as Director of the Marine Estuarine and Environmental Sciences Graduate Program, and is an Associate Professor in the Department of Atmospheric & Oceanic Science. Dr. Canty’s research focuses on: air quality science and policy, stratospheric ozone, and climate change with the goal to improve our understanding of atmospheric composition by using observations from satellites, balloons, aircraft and ground based instruments to test photochemical models. Dr. Canty, along with College Park faculty and partners which include: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and the Maryland State Climatologist’s Office, join the “Addressing Climate Change for a Sustainable Earth” initiative team led by Dr. Ellen Williams, Distinguished University Professor of physics and director of the Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center. This project is designed as a step toward the creation of a new school for translating Earth science and climate science research into action for the region, nation and world.

Dr. Amy Sapkota is an MPower College Park Professor of Environmental Health in the School of Public Health, and Director of the CONSERVE Center of Excellence, Director of the UMD Global STEWARDS NSF NRT and most recently appointed Interim Director of the Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health. Dr. Sapkota’s research interests lie in the areas of environmental microbiology, environmental microbial genomics, exposure assessment and environmental epidemiology. Dr. Sapkota, a long time MEES faculty member, leads the “Global FEWture Alliance: Food-Energy-Water Solutions for a Changing Climate” initiative which will scale technology-based solutions, community-driven capacity building, and experiential education focused at the food-energy-water-climate-health nexus. Through a holistic, interdisciplinary, systems-based approach, this initiative aims to alleviate food and water insecurity, protect environmental and global public health, and bolster community resilience in a changing climate.

Dr. Allen P. Davis and Dr. Stephanie Lansing also join Dr. Sapkota in the “Global FEWture Alliance: Food-Energy-Water Solutions for a Changing Climate” initiative. Dr. Allen P. Davis, a MEES faculty member for many years, is the Charles A Irish Sr Chair in Civil Engineering, and serves as; Associate Chair for Faculty Development and Advancement, Professor at the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Affiliate Professor in Plant Science and Landscape Architecture at the University of Maryland College Park. Dr. Davis' interests are in aquatic and interfacial environmental chemistry and physicochemical treatment processes. This includes characterization of stormwater quality and developing treatment technologies. For more information on The Davis Research Group please click here.

Dr. Stephanie Lansing, is a Professor in the Department of Environmental Science & Technology in the College of Agriculture & Natural Resources in College Park. Dr. Lansing leads the Bioenergy and Bioprocessing Technology Lab whose mission is understand the ecological, engineering, and social systems that influence renewable energy, water quality, waste treatment, and human health.

Dr. Amir Sapkota is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics in the School of Public Health on the College Park campus. Dr. Sapkota's research group focuses on the intersection of climate change and human health with a particular emphasis on cardiopulmonary, renal and diarrheal diseases. His group's ongoing collaboration with the Maryland Department of Health has demonstrated the ongoing health impacts of climate change in our communities. On a global scale, the group is developing an early warning system for diarrheal disease in the Asia-Pacific Region. Dr. Sapkota, a long time MEES faculty member, has mentored and advised many MEES graduate students. Dr. Sapkota is joining the Global FEWture Alliance initiative team which is dedicated to helping ensure that solutions are sustainable and create positive, long-term impacts on the environment and global public health.

Collaborative efforts like these exemplify MEES’ belief that impactful innovation requires a variety of experience, expertise, insight and knowledge. We at the MEES Graduate Program are so very proud of our faculty whose exemplary skills, leadership, and creativity have been recognized! This is a well earned appreciation and acknowledgment of all your hard work!

APRIL 2023 - national EARTH MONTH

• Monthly Spotlight: National Earth Month (April 2023) - Tan Zou (‘18, E&S) is a MEES Ph.D. graduate student at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science researching sustainable agriculture, nutrient use efficiency, and water quality. Advised by Dr. Xin Zhang, Tan is currently working on a sustainable phosphorus budget project, analyzing global cropland nutrient data to figure out approaches for improving nutrient use efficiency in agriculture. Prior to joining the MEES Graduate Program, Tan earned her Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering on a full scholarship from South China Agricultural University in Guangzhou, China in 2011. Tan went on to earn her Master’s degree in Civil & Environmental Engineering just three short years later in 2014 from UCLA with a focus on water & waste water treatment. While at UCLA, this Bruin won the UCLA Graduate School Division Fellowship, a prestigious fellowship issued by the UCLA Graduate Dean and only awarded to top applicants, and graduated with a cumulative GPA of 3.859. Tan’s Master’s thesis, entitled “Effects of Heat, Moisture, and UV-irradiation on the Properties of Polyurethane Membranes”, aim was to provide the most economic solution to the storage of PU membrane in wastewater treatment plants, preventing membranes from degradation. Tan’s experience extends to working as an Intern with the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, and as an analyst with the US-China Clean Tech Center where among many other contributions, a general report was published on urban agriculture in the United States to promote sustainable agricultural technologies and introduce successful business models to Chinese investors. While at UCLA, Tan also served as the Social Chair of the UCLA Graduate Division Society of Women Engineers, and as the UCLA Student Consultant for Non-Profit Organizations. Since joining the MEES Graduate Program, Tan was awarded the prestigious CMNS Dean’s Fellowship (2018) and most recently earned the distinguished Debbie-Morrin Nordlund Memorial Travel Award (2022). Tan is set to defend her dissertation which aims to contribute to a better understanding of N and P management challenges, gaps, priorities, hidden drivers, and potential solutions at various scales, ranging from regional to national and global levels. For more on Tan’s research, check out Tan’s latest paper published in Dryad’s October 2022 edition entitled: “Data from: Global trends of cropland phosphorus use and sustainability challenges”.

• Alumni Corner: Dr. Srishti Vishwakarma (Ph.D, ‘22), is currently a post-doctoral research associate at the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Laboratory. Srishti earned her Ph.D. in MEES from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science in Fall 2022. Advised by Prof. Xin Zhang and Prof. Vyacheslav Lyubchich at the Appalachian Laboratory, Srishti’s research interests stem around challenges associated with developing and implementation of advanced data science methods for modeling global socio-environmental processes and addressing the interdisciplinary problems of global food security, sustainability, and climate change impacts. Prior to entering the MEES Graduate Program, Srishti earned a Master’s of Technology (M.Tech) in Hydrology from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) where, during a semester abroad at the University of Stuttgart, Srishti was awarded the prestigious German Academic Exchange Services Fellowship (DAAD) where Srishti was inspired to study flooding which is one of the most significant natural hazard phenomena which causes loss of life, crops and property. Srishti’s Master of Technology’s thesis focused on utilizing a technique to route flooding and analyze the flow at the downstream end of a river reach. The results were presented at the 6th International Conference on Water Resources and Sustainable Development in Algeria, Africa which took place May 25-26, 2015. Srishti earned her Master’s of Science degree in Hydraulics & Water Resources from the University of Iowa in 2018 where she turned her attention to working on Flood Frequency Analysis. Srishti’s Master’s thesis research was primarily related to flood frequency analysis and connecting the spatial and temporal scales of discharge in Iowa and she also has a research paper in press set to be published in 2023 in the Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment journal. Since entering the MEES Graduate Program, Srishti earned the Jacob K. Goldhaber Travel Grant (2019), and the distinguished College Park Graduate School Summer Fellowship (2021). Check out Srishti’s October 2021 presentation at the 3rd Conference on Statistics & Data Sciences in Salvador, Brazil entitled: “Applying data science quantile approaches to investigate drivers of crop yield anomalies”. Dr. Vishwakarma is currently a post-doc in the Computational Earth Sciences Group at the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

• MEES Research Corner: Claire Nemes (ECOL SYS, ‘18) is a Ph.D. MEES student at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. Advised by Dr. Emily Cohen and Dr. Matthew Fitzpatrick, Claire’s research focuses on migratory bird ecology and conservation, including songbird migration phenology, stopover behavior, and effects of free-roaming domestic cats on birds during the non-breeding seasons. Prior to entering the MEES Graduate Program, this Terp alum earned her Bachelors of Science in Environmental Science & Policy from the University of Maryland, College Park with a cumulative GPA of 3.75. Claire went on to earn her Master’s in Biology in 2016 at Ball State University with a cumulative GPA of 3.97. Since entering the MEES Graduate Program, Claire has earned the prestigious CMNS Dean’s Fellowship (2018), the Graduate School Summer Research Fellowship (2021), and the distinguished Reid Evans Menzer Memorial Graduate Award (2022). Claire is set to defend her dissertation this Spring 2023 which seeks to understand the constraints and threats facing birds during two understudied phases of the annual cycle: migration and the non-breeding stationary period. Click here for Claire’s 2019 presentation at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science on a recent project tracking cats in the tropics in an effort to understand the threat they pose to migrating songbirds.