MEES IN THE NEWS

JUNE 2023 - OCEAN Month

NEWS ARCHIVE

MONTHLY SPOTLIGHT - NISHAT FARZANA NIMNI (PHD)

Monthly Spotlight: Ocean Month (June 2023) - Nishat Farzana Nimni (‘19, E&O) is a MEES Ph.D. graduate student at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Advised by Dr. Meng Xia, Nishat’s research focuses on studying river-estuary-coastal dynamics, hydrodynamic modeling, sediment transport processes and the impact of sea level rise on the coastal ecosystem. Growing up in Bangladesh, a land which: lies in the world’s largest and fastest growing delta (the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta), and is bounded by the Bay of Bengal to the south, and crisscrossed by over 700 rivers fostered Nishat’s passion for environmental sustainability and the water resource management needed for a healthy ecosystem. Nishat’s current dissertation research is in developing a coupled hydrologic-hydrodynamic model for MCBs (Maryland Coastal Bays) in order to understand the effects of river inputs and provide insights into the relative roles of multiple dynamic process in shallow bays and also identify the probabilities and consequences of what the future may hold. Prior to entering the MEES Graduate Program, Nishat earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) where, under Dr. Farooque Ahmed, her undergraduate thesis work focused on the concept of the reuse and recycling of septic tank effluent by applying tertiary treatment through a bio-absorption process. Her undergraduate thesis entitled “Reuse and Recycle of Septic Tank Effluent Applying Tertiary Treatment Through Bio-Absorption Process” focused on physical and biologicaal treatment as a possible alternative to conventional chemical processes in improving effluent’s bacteriological quality due to its simpler chemical-free design and low investment involvement in terms of both initial cost and space required. Nishat was an active member of Civil Engineering Students’ Association (CESA), is a bronze awardee of the prestigious Duke of Edinburgh Award and is multiple national-level winner of the Bangladesh Mathematical Olympiad and Bengali Language Competition. After graduating First Class from BUET in Spring 2017, Nishat went on to work as a Research Associate at the Center for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS), a Public Trust under the Ministry of Water Resources of the Government of Bangladesh. CEGIS aims at providing scientific solutions to issues and problems in a wide range of sectors, such as – but not limited to – water, land, forestry, fisheries, morphology, ecology, climate change, power, transportation and disasters. Since entering the MEES Program as a Master’s student in Fall 2019, Nishat is now pursuing a Ph.D. where she recently presented her research at the 2023 Community Surface Dynamics Modeling System (CSDMS) Annual Conference in Boulder, Colorado entitled:”Coupled Modeling of Storm Surge and Fluvial Flooding of Maryland Coastal Bays”. For more information on Nishat, please click here.

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Alumni Corner: Timothy Wynne (‘20, OCEAN) earned his Ph.D. in MEES in Spring 2020 from the University of Maryland Center of Environmental Science (UMCES). This Philadelphia native and father of three children, was advised by Dr. Raleigh Hood and entered the MEES Graduate Program in the Spring of 2012 researching the phenology of cyanobacteria blooms in three catchments of the Laurentian Great Lakes by coupling remotely sensed imagery and a hydrodynamic model. After earning his B.S. in Oceanography with a Minor in Mathematics from Stockton College, Timothy earned his M.S. in Marine Science from Old Dominion University in 2001. After graduation, Timothy joined NOAA’s Center for Coastal Monitoring & Assessment as a physical scientist where he co-led the growth of NOAA’s ecological forecasting capabilities in the monitoring & detecting HAB’s across the United States as well as other projects. In 2010, Timothy along with two other NOAA employees, earned the US Dept of Commerce Bronze Medal and published several journal articles. Dr. Timothy Wynne is currently an Oceanographer at NOAA’s National Center for Coastal Ocean Science working on Harmful Algal Bloom Forecasting systems in Green Bay, WI, and Saginaw Bay, MI. Click here for Dr. Wynne’s most recent workshop on Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB) on Alaskan Coastal Communities that took place on March 26-29, 2023 in Anchorage, Alaska.

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MEES Research Corner: Christopher Hayes (‘23, FISH) graduated this past Spring 23 with his Ph.D. in MEES from the University of Maryland Center of Environmental Science (UMCES). Advised by Dr. Lisa Wainger, Chris’ dissertation focused on marine fisheries management and marine ecosystem dynamics using multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) and agent-based models (ABMs) using the Chesapeake Bay oyster fishery and the New England ground fish as model cases. Prior to entering the MEES program, this Alabama native earned his Master’s degree in Fall 2007 in Fisheries Science from Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University with a 3.91 cumulative GPA and a Bachelor’s of Science in Ecology from the University of Georgia. Chris was also selected to be a Knauss Marine Policy Fellow in 2007, and worked at the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to improve regulation of the shark fishery in the U.S. Additionally, Chris helped develop and manage the National Sea Grant Office’s national database for over two years and was named OAR Employee of the Year and was also awarded the NOAA Administrator’s Award. Since entering the MEES program, Chris was awarded the prestigious CMNS Dean’s Fellowship (2007), has numerous published works; most recently a paper based on his dissertation research is featured in the April 2022 Marine Policy journal entitled: “Comparing multi-criteria decision analysis to group negotiations in fisheries co-management”. Chris Hayes is currently a Legislative Affairs Specialist with NOAA not only connecting the Acting NOAA Administrator with congressional members, but directly working with NOAA leadership to identify and articulate NOAA priorities. For more information on Chris, please click here.

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Kayland Huckaby, advised by Dr. Paulinus Chigbu, is a MEES Ph.D. student at the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore and a LMRCSC Fellow working on a collaborative project with NOAA NEFSC dealing with Assessment of Variations in Fatty Acid Composition of Forage Species in the Northwest Atlantic Shelf and Estuaries. Her oral presentation was entitled: “Comparison Study of Coupled vs. Decoupled Aquaponics Systems: An Assessment of Lettuce & Tilapia Crop Quantity & Quality”. The study will be complementary to the NEFSC’s ongoing project on variations in the condition and energy densities of forage species in relation to latitude, season and year in the Northwest Atlantic Shelf. Prior to joining the MEES Graduate Program, this Trojan earned her Master’s degree in Biology in Spring 2022 from Virginia State University (3.84 cum GPA) while working as an 8th grade physical science teacher at Dinwiddie County Public School, before taking the plunge in Fall 2021 to pursue full time graduate study at VSU. This National Geographic Certified Educator earned her B.S. degree in Biology (cum laude) and a minor in Chemistry from South Carolina State University in Spring 2013. Since joining the program, Kayland’s research interests include: aquaculture, conservation, and fisheries science. We at the MEES Graduate Program extend our congratulations to Kayland; this is a well earned recognition of all your dedication & hard work! The MEES program is very proud of you! For more on Kayland, please click here.

Isabel is a MEES Ph.D. graduate student at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science interested in understanding how coastal ecosystems respond to nutrient enrichment and how these further respond to nutrient concentration decrease and other mitigation strategies. Currently, her research at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory (CBL) is focusing on floating wetlands and their potential for nitrogen removal on mesohaline water of the Chesapeake Bay. Advised by Dr. Jeremy Testa, Isabel conducted experiments aimed at providing well-constrained estimates of nitrogen uptake by floating wetlands and providing information about how floating wetlands can help mitigate the effects of nitrogen pollution. Prior to joining the MEES Graduate Program, Isabel earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Environmental Science from the Universidad Metropolitana in Puerto Rico in Spring 2015. Isabel has also garnered a wealth of research experience, selected to participate in an NSF funded pilot REU, researching the influence of water quality gradients on the spatial distribution of copepods at the bioluminescent lagoon in Fajardo, Puerto Rico in 2013, where she had the opportunity to present the results of this project at three international conferences: The Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), The Association for the Science of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) and Ana G. Mendez University System (AGMUS) Research Symposium, where Isabel was awarded the best poster presentation at both the SACNAS and AGMUS conferences. Isabel also was selected to participate in the prestigious and highly competitive University of Maryland Sea Grant REU program where she studied the dynamics of algal blooms in the Maryland Coastal Bays ecosystem at Horn Point Laboratory in Maryland under the direction of Dr. Patricia Glibert. Those research results were also presented at SACNAS & AGMUS. After graduation, Isabel was accepted to the Governor Tauese P.F. Sunia Memorial Coral Reef Conservation Summer Internship Program through the U.S. Coral Reefs Task Force (USCRTF) where she worked on coral disease prevalence & mapping at the Boquerón Wildlife Refuge in Cabo Rojo, PR. Through these experiences, Isabel had the opportunity to present the results of this project at the Coral Reef Tasks Force Meeting and Ocean Science meeting and won best poster presentation at the CRTF Conference. Since joining the MEES Graduate Program, Isabel has earned an award for nearly every year she’s been in the program: the prestigious CMNS Dean’s Fellowship (2019, 2020), 3M MEES Colloquium Student Poster Award (2021 - 1st place) and is set to defend her dissertation this Spring 2023 entitled: “ Floating wetlands and their potential for nitrogen removal in estuarine waters”. For more information on Isabel, please click here.

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