Usoshi Chatterjee (AGNR)
Advisor: Dr. Stephanie Lansing

Usoshi is a doctoral student in the department of Environmental Science and Technology at University of Maryland. She holds a Master’s degree and Bachelor of Science degree from Ohio State University in Food and Biological Engineering and is interested in learning various ways to incorporate sustainable systems. Her doctoral research focuses on conversion of waste into soil amendments for plants and potential use of carbon sequestration and pollution abatement, as well as analyzing the life cycle of a system. This proposed research is to develop innovative bioenergy/processing technologies to increase agricultural productivity.

 

Suhana Chattopadhyay (SPH)
Advisor: Dr. Amy Sapkota

Suhana Chattopadhyay has been involved with evaluating the microbiological quality of nontraditional irrigation water sources and transformative on-farm water treatment technologies that can enable the safe reuse of water on food crops. She hopes to learn and implement the STEWARDS collaborative and transdisciplinary approach with effective communication across disciplines in order to implement innovative ways to improve our food, energy and water systems.

 

Natalie Crnosija (SPH)
Advisor: Dr. Devon Payne-Sturges

Natalie Crnosija is a second year Ph.D. student at the Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health (MIAEH). Her research interests include systems science, spatial  and environmental epidemiology, and children’s environmental health in the context of climate change. Currently, she is investigating the association between air pollution and children’s neurocognitive outcomes

 

Brittney Drakeford (ARCH)
Advisor: Dr. Marccus Hendricks

Brittney Drakeford is a PhD student in the Urban and Regional Planning and Design Program at the University of Maryland College Park; an alumna of Wake Forest University (M.S. in Management, 2011) and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (B.A. in African American Studies and B.S. in Journalism and Mass Communications, 2009). Her research and practice centers on the effects of political marginalization and the ways in which the built environment and public infrastructure hold the memories of discrimination, exacerbating adverse health outcomes. She currently works for the Prince George’s County’s Planning Department as the Special Assistant to the Planning Director, working on the Department’s effort to comprehensively update the County’s land-use regulations to support sustainable development and inclusive resident participation. 

 

Damani Eubanks (CMNS)
Advisors:  Dr. Maile Neel and Dr. Nathan Swenson

Damani Eubanks is a 3rd year PhD student in the Behavior, Ecology, Evolution and Systematics program within the Biology Department. His research is focused on developing a quantitative definition of Forest Health that is globally applicable and building a predictive model to forecast forest health outcomes into the future. This definition will include various biotic, abiotic and anthropogenic factors with the goal of connecting ecological research with forest conservation and management efforts.

 

Erica Forgione (ENG)
Advisors: Dr. Allen Davis, Dr. Ahmet Aydilek, and Dr. Gary Felton

Erica is a fourth-year Ph.D. student in the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) at UMD. With expertise in stormwater engineering, she works on green stormwater systems which mitigate issues caused by excessive stormwater runoff, such as flooding and urban pollution, problems exacerbated by rapid urbanization and climate change. Her research focuses on evaluating Vegetated Compost Blankets (VCBs) to reduce nutrient and heavy metals loading from highways, preventing downstream aquatic ecosystem damage such as algal blooms and metals toxicity in fish species.

 

Aimee Malzahn (AGNR)
Advisor: Dr. Yiping Qi

Aimee is a fourth-year Ph.D candidate in the Department of Plant Sciences and Landscape Architecture. Her research is focused on developing and improving CRISPR genome editing tools to be used in basic research and crop breeding. CRISPR has many applications in plants and Aimee hopes to further crop breeding in sustainable biofuels.

 

 

 

Jennifer Morash (PSLA)
Advisor: Dr. John Lea-Cox

Jennifer is a second year PhD student in the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture. She received her master’s degree in Horticulture from Auburn University.  Her prior research focused on evaluating native landscape plants for use in rain gardens.  Before returning to school, her professional experience included working as an Environmental Analyst for an environmental regulatory agency and as a Consultant for an environmental engineering firm. Today her interests lie in environmental horticulture and sustainable-restorative landscapes.  She is currently conducting research for the Maryland State Highway Administration with the goal of increasing the use of compost in highway construction projects without contributing to unwanted environmental impacts.  

 

Sarah Ponte
Advisor: Dr. Mitchell Pavao-Zuckerman

Sarah is a third-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Environmental Science & Technology. Her research interests include urban ecology, social-ecological systems, and green infrastructure. Her dissertation is focused on socio-ecological processes and dynamics of urban forests in Maryland. Specifically, how management of urban trees influences their hydrological functions as a stormwater mitigation approach and how stewardship organizations shape green stormwater infrastructure and tree canopy distribution. 

 

Nicole Sieck
Advisor: Dr. Robin Puett

Nicole Sieck is a PhD student in Environmental Health Sciences. She received her Bachelor of Science from Arizona State University and Doctor of Audiology from The University of Texas at Austin. Her research is on the effects of pesticides and other chemical exposures on hearing, which can interact synergistically with co-exposure to noise. She is also interested in reducing exposure to endocrine disruptors.