As a child, you could often find me squatting in my parents’ backyard pulling up rocks and playground mats to look for earth worms and other dirt dwelling creepy crawlers. Fast forward to my undergraduate degree where I studied Environmental Science at Villanova University. I was grateful to immediately begin conducting undergraduate research as a first semester freshman with Nathaniel Weston. My first field campaign into the Massachusetts’s marshes in October was cold, mushy, and stinky, but as soon as the sun rose on the first morning of field work, I had fallen in love. This experience could have been enough to deter most people from ever stepping foot into a marsh again but based on my childhood activities it’s no surprise I wanted more!
After four years of work in the marshes of Plum Island, Massachusetts, I continued this work approximately 1,000 miles south in the marshes of the Georgia coast. At the University of Georgia, I worked with Associate Professor, Amanda Spivak. I conquered Georgia marshes, although at times it felt like they were conquering me. My master’s thesis focused on the transition of plant communities from freshwater species to estuarine species in wetlands along the salinity gradient of the Satilla River and the influence these changes had in the organic matter recorded in the soil history. Through this work I traveled to the coast quite a bit, accessing my sites via boat with the help of Lisa Gentit and the UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant Brunswick office. I also had the opportunity to collaborate with researchers and students at the UGA Marine Institute (UGAMI) on Sapelo Island. On my trips to Sapelo I learned so much about coastal Georgia’s ecosystems and history, both of which are quite complicated. I was always in awe of the beauty and resiliency of the island and its residents in the Hog Hammock community. It was through these experiences that I knew I wanted to play a role in educating others about the importance of wetland ecosystems and do my part to conserve them, which led me to the Sea Grant Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship.
From New York, to Pennsylvania, to Georgia, I was on the move again, this time back up to the nation’s capital. Being awarded the Sea Grant Knauss Policy Fellowship was such a surprise and I was excited to take on D.C. to get experience in something outside of research. For my fellowship year I was placed in NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Office (NESDIS). More specifically, I am the Communications Fellow in the Center for Satellite Applications and Research (STAR). Ever wonder how we get sea surface temperature data from a hunk of metal orbiting the Earth in space? Well, that’s where STAR come’s in. The scientists here take the raw data that comes off of satellite sensors and develop ways of processing the data so that it gives us something that looks like sea surface temperature. There is also a tremendous amount of calibration and validation of the sensors to ensure the data is accurate. My position in this office is unique in that my mentor, Linda Taylor, and I are building a formal communications program from the ground up to tell the story of what STAR does. This, of course, comes with many challenges, but also some exciting rewards. Three months into my fellowship year I have learned so much but have barely scratched the surface. I look forward to continuing my work with STAR and sharing the program’s accomplishments with broader audiences.