Straton Masuka Kelvin (SPH)

Advisor: Dr. Xin He

Masuka is a second-year MPH student in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Maryland, with a background in public health and statistics. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Statistics from the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where he was born and raised. As a UMD Global STEWARDS Fellow, he is interested in the intersection of agroeconomics, public health, and statistics, particularly in exploring how modern technology and research can support food, water, and energy systems, improve food security, and address population health challenges in underserved communities, while encouraging youth participation in technology-driven modern agriculture.

Hannah Kim (ENG)

Advisor: Dr. Deb Niemeier

Hannah is a first-year PhD student in the Civil Engineering program at the University of Maryland School of Engineering, Center for Risk and Reliability. She holds a bachelors of science degree in Environmental Sustainability and Economics from the University of Illinois. She researched on water use, water quality, and water resource availability related to conventional and renewable energy and fuels at the Argonne National Laboratory. Her current research interests include global sustainability, environmental justice and climate risk analysis. 

Claire Keanna McDermott (SPH)

Advisor: Dr. Heather Amato

Claire Keanna is a first-year PhD student in Environmental Health Sciences working under Dr. Heather Amato in the TRACE Lab. She obtained a BA in Biology and an MPH from Case Western Reserve University in 2023. Her research interests include infectious disease transmission and surveillance, especially within the contexts of agriculture and OneHealth. 

Caroline Melton (AGNR)

Advisor: Dr. Stephanie Yarwood

Caroline is a first-year master’s student in the Microbial Ecology and Biogeochemistry Lab within the Department of Environmental Science and Technology at the University of Maryland. She also earned her Bachelor’s from the University of Maryland in the spring of 2025, completing a senior capstone assessing soil carbon and bulk density differences under varying agricultural treatments. Her current research explores how long-term changes in agricultural land management impacts microbial community composition and flux of nitrogen-containing greenhouse gases across the United States.

Vincent Gatebe Mwangi (ENG)

Advisor: Dr. Ahmet Aydilek and Dr Allen P Davis

Vincent is a first-year PhD student in the Civil and Environmental Engineering program at the University of Maryland School of Engineering. He holds a Master of Science degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Maryland. He completed his bachelor’s in Environmental Engineering from Jomo Kenyatta University, Kenya. His research interests include global environmental quality and nature-based solutions

Jerin Tasnim (ENG)

Advisor: Dr. Allison Coffey Reilly

Jerin Tasnim is a Ph.D. candidate in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park. Her research focuses on infrastructure resilience and environmental risk modeling, particularly in assessing the vulnerability of decentralized wastewater systems under compound hydrological hazards. With prior research experience at BUET on climate impacts in food-trade networks and groundwater quality prediction using AI, she integrates statistical modeling, geospatial analysis, and systems thinking to support equitable adaptation strategies in climate-sensitive regions.

Logan Matthew Trautwein (AGNR)

Advisor: Dr. Rohan Tikekar

Logan is a first-year Master’s student in the Department of Nutrition and Food Science at the University of Maryland. He obtained his Bachelor’s in Food Science from the University of Maryland, where he focused on food safety in manufacturing facilities. His Master’s research will focus on food microbiology, specifically studying the dynamics of survival and gene expression of multiple strains of Salmonella in the context of cucumbers with the goal of improving food safety. 

Xue Yin (ENG)

Advisor: Dr. Guangbin Li

Xue is a first-year PhD student in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park. Her research interests focus on advancing the sustainable conversion of organic matter in sewage sludge into renewable energy through anaerobic digestion. She is currently leading a research project aimed at enhancing the biochemical methane potential of sewage sludge, with particular emphasis on improving digestion performance via pretreatment using nitrification filtrate from wastewater treatment processes. Her research ultimately seeks to produce higher-quality biosolids for resource recovery, thereby contributing to the improved sustainability of water resource recovery facilities.