Past Students of the Month
Summer 2015 Featured Student - Eliza McFarland
- Position: Master's Student at University of Maryland at College Park, College Park, MD
- Story: Science has always defined the interests and activities of Liza McFarland, and it has come to be a true professional passion. Graduating from Tufts University in 2011 with a double major in Biology and Environmental studies, she took her ecological focus across the globe. Having spent time doing research in places as exotic as South Africa, Puerto Rico, and Annapolis, MD (OK, maybe they all aren't so exotic), she found a place she could call home at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. The research she did there as an intern fed her into a Master's degree at the University of Maryland, where she has just graduated as the Outstanding Master's student in the Environmental Science and Technology department for academic year 2014-15. With her Master's degree in hand, she ventures back out into the real world, ready to do even more science!
- Check out the poster that she presented at the Mid-Atlantic Ecological Society of America (MAESA) 2014 Annual Meeting at UMD-College Park, MD (2nd place Graduate Student Poster)!
Spring 2015 Featured Student - Patrice Nielson
- Position: Doctoral Student at University of Maryland at College Park, College Park, MD
- Story: Growing up in rural New England, Patrice has loved to explore and learn about the outdoors since she was a very small child. After receiving her bachelor's degree in Biology, she knew focusing on wildlife ecology was the right field for her. She is currently researching the habitat requirements of marshbirds in urban wetlands around Washington, D.C. and the impacts of wetland restoration for these species. She is also working towards a Ph.D. in Environmental Science from the University of Maryland at College Park. When Patrice is not working on something Ph.D.-related, she enjoys hiking and camping with her husband, gardening, crocheting, and playing with her adorable 7-month old daughter, Julia (already a wetlands lover)!
- Check out the poster that she presented at the University of Maryland's Fall 2014 College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Open House at UMD-College Park, MD!
Winter 2014-2015 Featured Student - Rachel Hager
- Position: Undergraduate Student at Bryn Mawr College, PA
- Story : Rachel is a senior undergraduate studying biology with an ecology focus at Bryn Mawr College, PA. She is currently investigating the impact of the Phragmites australis (the common reed) invasion into native wetland vegetation on marsh methane emissions at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. She has also studied the effect of climate change factors including elevated CO2 and N pollution on P. australis physiological and morphological traits, invasive prowess, and genetic diversity. When Rachel is not immersed in lab or out doing fieldwork, she is active on the river rowing and on the trails running as a three-season varsity athlete, or roaming the outdoors trying to satisfy her passion for adventure!
- Check out the poster that she presented at the Undergraduate Science Research Symposium at Haverford College, PA!