Get to Know Us Better!

Faculty Spotlights

• Dr. Robin Van Meter    

Alumni Spotlights

• Julia Portmann 

• Eric Waciega 

Year and Major: 2013 B.A. Environmental Studies Minor Biology

Current Employer: Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Job Description: "As a Park Ranger I am responsible for directly providing services to visitors, maintaining and protecting natural and cultural resources, equipment, campground and day use areas, and grounds and facilities."

Favorite thing about WAC: "The Center for Environment and Society is an amazing organization within WAC that provides students very valuable learning opportunities outside of lecture and lab. "

Advice for current WAC students: "Try new things and go outside your comfort zone. Take an internship, study abroad, 在野生动物保护区做志愿者，永远不要停止学习."

• Kevin Costello

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Year graduated from WAC & Major/Minor: 2001 – Environmental Studies

Education beyond WAC: MS Environmental Management from UMGC in 2013

Student Spotlights

• Emma Cease (Class of 2022) 

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• Shannon Thomas (Class of 2021) 

Hometown: Pottstown, PA

Thesis: “The Interaction of Reduced pH Levels and Increased Resource Competition, Simulated 导致林蛙幼体生长减少

Most Exciting Part of your Thesis Experience: “I have been working with Dr. 范·米特工作了两年，协助她做研究 that focuses on amphibians. 对这个充满激情是令人兴奋的 topic and be able to dive into my own research!”

Most Difficult Part of your Thesis Experience: “Having an experimental thesis, I have had to come to terms with the fact that experiments do not always yield the results you expect or the results you want, but it doesn’t make your research any less important!”

Plans for After Graduation: “I am excited to apply the knowledge and experience WAC has given me to a new job or internship.”

Favorite Course Taken: “Watershed Biogeochemistry, as an environmental science major and chem minor, it 是所有我认为很酷的东西的混合体! (and shoutout to Chesapeake Semester, of course)”

Fun Fact About Yourself: “I have my boater’s license and I can waterski, I love being on the water!”

给学生完成论文的建议: “Get organized early. 从大三和大四的研讨会开始，你会遇到 resources or have ideas that you want to keep track of, so make sure you have a folder 把你所有的论文材料放在一起并组织起来!”

• Chase Lentz (Class of 2021) 

Hometown: Severna Park, MD

Thesis: “Urbanization's Destructive Impacts on the Severn River Versus the James River”

Most Exciting Part of your Thesis Experience: “I enjoy learning more about the river I've grown up on (the Severn River) along with the ability to learn more about the James River, a river I've never really knew too much about before my thesis. 我也把本地生物有机体纳入我的论文， which is cool because I enjoy learning more about animals and plants that I commonly experience.”

Most Difficult Part of your Thesis Experience: “I'm not the kind of guy to be able to sit and write for too long, so I've found myself neglecting my thesis too often. I've been making progress but less than I'd like.”

Plans for After Graduation: “As of now, I plan on working for the Safe Harbort marina company to enforce environmental 在他们控制的区域内的码头内的指导方针. I have to graduate first though.”

Favorite Course Taken: “Applied Ecology. 我真的很喜欢外面的实验室，和不同的人交流 components of nature, especially organisms such as salamanders, clams, and frogs (who 虽然不是实验计划的一部分，但却是我时间的焦点。).”

Fun Fact About Yourself: “我曾经养过一只名叫戴安娜王妃的松鼠. After raising her for a while from a two-week-old, I gave her to a professional to be released into the wild.”

给学生完成论文的建议: “Try to stay on top of it, once the last semester hits and the aversion to work combines with the hustle and bustle of your everyday life, it is easy to find yourself falling behind.”

• Olivia Butler (Class of 2021) 

Hometown: Sykesville, MD

Thesis: "Climate Change Fueled Migration of Mangroves: An Encroachment on Salt Marshes"

Most Exciting Part of your Thesis Experience: "Being able to incorporate knowledge and experiences from a previous summer internship."

Most Difficult Part of your Thesis Experience: “找时间在其他课程上投入."

Plans for After Graduation: "I am applying to seasonal jobs around the country, but may look into Chesapeake Conservation Corps."

Favorite Course Taken: “切萨皮克学期(尤其是伯利兹和危地马拉之旅)!)"

Fun Fact About Yourself: "I got to help band Ospreys last summer!"

给学生完成论文的建议: “使用Zotero这样的程序来帮助你组织资源."

• Doug Kurtz (Class of 2021) 

Hometown: Lancaster, PA

Thesis: "The Effect of Common Agricultural Pesticides on Delmarva Ambystomatid Corticosterone 回复(可能会想办法缩短LOL这个名字)”

Most Exciting Part of your Thesis Experience: "Learning new laboratory techniques & working closely with Dr. Van Meter on research that has real-world implications!"

Most Difficult Part of your Thesis Experience: "Juggling the logistics of doing an experiment during a pandemic (safety is always the priority!)."

Plans for After Graduation: “希望能在研究机构获得一些工作经验. I would ultimately like to go to graduate school, but the pandemic has allowed me to practice patience"

Favorite Course Taken: "Field Methods with Dr. Fox. 你获得了实际的研究经验，并得到了表达 creativity in designing research studies!"

Fun Fact About Yourself: "Bananas are my favorite food!"

给学生完成论文的建议: "Find a time every week to do an internal check in, even if it’s just to review what you still need to do. 如果你在学校，在一天中留出一段时间在你的 安排好，然后坐在空教室里，就像在上课一样."

• Samina Soin-Voshell (Class of 2021) 

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Hometown: Annapolis, MD

Thesis: "The potential for C. 欧洲绿蟹入侵切萨皮克湾

Most exciting part: "Getting to take an interdisciplinary approach to my topic since as a double major 我将生物和环境问题结合在一起。”

Most difficult part: "Having writing deadlines that occur sequentially since I usually approach writing in a non-linear order"

Plans after graduation: "I’m taking a gap year to work, hopefully with Chesapeake Conservation Corps, for a year and applying to grad programs for coastal/marine ecology this fall"

Favorite course: "Honestly the entirety of Chesapeake Semester! (I know everyone who’s done it says that, but it’s really true)"

Fun fact: "I’m a third-generation WAC student, both my mom and my gramma have their masters degrees from Washington College"

Advice for students: "Use winter break of your senior year to your advantage, if you write even just a few sentences or a paragraph every day, you’ll have a really solid rough draft by the time the semester starts!"

• Will Reid (Class of 2021) 

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Hometown: Mount Laurel, NJ

Thesis: "Direct Anthropogenic Actions and Their Effects on Little Penguins (Eudyptula minor)"

Most Exciting Part of your Thesis Experience: "Getting to study my absolute favorite animal! I also really love those lightbulb 当我想到一个联系或新的想法去研究的时候. I know I’ve sent Dr. Bible, my advisor, plenty of emails being like “Can we meet up to discuss X? Also what do you think about Y or Z?”'

Most Difficult Part of your Thesis Experience: "Doing it all virtual has made it a little bit more draining than I would have liked. I really wanted to be able to sit in the library on campus and just start typing, 但我却一直坐在客厅的办公桌前. It’s been tough, but I’m super excited to be back on campus, and I’m gonna try to get into a groove with it."

Plans for After Graduation: "My other major is Theatre, and I really want to try to find work as an actor first and foremost. 然而，我计划使用ENV学位来帮助提供一些稳定性 in my life. 两年前的夏天，我在费城动物园实习，我打算试一试 然后申请那里教育部门的工作. I love working with animals, and I’d be in the city! You know “Don’t Stop Believin’”? Yeah, I’m that city boy. I’d also love to, if ever given the platform, advocate for environmental needs. You know Leonardo Dicaprio? 他既是演员又是环保主义者，而且他很诚实 just a role model for me."

• Emma Dodsworth (Class of 2021) 

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Hometown: Port Republic, MD

Thesis: "Hatchery Oyster Production in the Chesapeake Bay and the Impact of Climate Change on Key Water Quality Parameters"

Most Exciting Part of your Thesis Experience: "Getting to work with data from the Horn Point Oyster Hatchery where I spent the summer as an intern"

Most Difficult Part of your Thesis Experience: 确保我能在有限的篇幅内简洁地支持我的假设."

Plans for After Graduation: "I have applied to graduate school at William & Mary's School of Marine Science at VIMS for a degree in Fisheries Science."

Favorite Course Taken: "Chesapeake Semester"

Fun Fact About Yourself: "I have my black belt in tae kwon do."

给学生完成论文的建议: "Find something that you are truly passionate about and let that guide your research!"

• Willie Cosner (Class of 2021) 

Hometown: Doylestown, Pennsylvania

Thesis: "A Discussion of the Ecological Impacts of Trout Stocking and a Cost-Benefit Analysis 宾夕法尼亚州A类和B类野生鳟鱼溪放养鳟鱼的研究

Most Exciting Part of your Thesis Experience: "Learning and incorporating GIS"

Most Difficult Part of your Thesis Experience: “将环境科学和经济学融合在一起”

Plans for After Graduation: "Find an internship or job restoring fish populations or monitoring streams"

Favorite Course Taken: "All of the Chesapeake Semester courses"

Fun Fact About Yourself: “今年夏天，我开车四天走遍了全国。”

给学生完成论文的建议: "Make an annotated bibliography for your sources and stay ahead of deadlines" 

• Devin Valcich (Class of 2020) 

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 Hometown: Annapolis, MD

Thesis: "The Invasion of the Northern Snakehead, Channa argus, in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed: Impacts and Potential Management Solutions"

Most Exciting Part of your Thesis Experience: "开发我自己的"切萨皮克启发"鱼的食谱 & chips meal featuring the Northern Snakehead."

Most Difficult Part of your Thesis Experience:" Being on a different timeline than everybody else because I graduated in the fall rather than the spring and started my thesis while studying abroad in Ireland."

Plans for After Graduation: "I hope to be involved in environmental education and communication but honestly I would be happy doing field work or lab work too - as long as I get to stay in the Chesapeake region."

Favorite Course Taken: "All of the Chesapeake Semester courses! Especially the comparative study in Belize and Guatemala."

Fun Fact About Yourself: "I was able to study abroad in Ireland, Bermuda, Belize, and Guatemala during my two and a half years at WAC."

给学生完成论文的建议: "DON’T PROCRASTINATE!!! 只要你能做到，截止日期是很容易做到的 不要试图在截止日期前12小时写5页."