Current Students
Cybele Collins (she/they)
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MV Lab Alumni
Ashley (Hogan) Hamilton, M.S.
Ashley first discovered her interest in aquaculture after working on an oyster nitrogen cycling project in the Tobias Lab at the University of Connecticut, Avery Point, where she graduated with her B.S. in Marine Sciences in 2015. Her master’s work at URI allowed her to further investigate her passion for aquaculture, with her thesis “Nitrogen Loading, Climate Change, Pathogens: Impacts of Multiple Stressors on Rhode Island Shellfish,” focused upon the impacts of nitrogen pollution and ocean warming upon the eastern oyster and blue mussel’s nitrogen removal rates and their susceptibility to disease.
Following the successful defense of her master's research in May 2018, Ashley began working with the non-profit organization, GreenWave, which supports and educates new ocean farmers on sugar kelp aquaculture. As the Hatchery Scientist, Ashley takes pride in supervising the growth of kelp from spores to blades in order to produce tens of thousands of feet of seedstring to farmers throughout Southern New England. Ashley hopes to continue to inspire and educate others on the ecosystem services of aquaculture in this position, and also is the early stages of starting her own 3D ocean farm in coastal CT
Ashley first discovered her interest in aquaculture after working on an oyster nitrogen cycling project in the Tobias Lab at the University of Connecticut, Avery Point, where she graduated with her B.S. in Marine Sciences in 2015. Her master’s work at URI allowed her to further investigate her passion for aquaculture, with her thesis “Nitrogen Loading, Climate Change, Pathogens: Impacts of Multiple Stressors on Rhode Island Shellfish,” focused upon the impacts of nitrogen pollution and ocean warming upon the eastern oyster and blue mussel’s nitrogen removal rates and their susceptibility to disease.
Following the successful defense of her master's research in May 2018, Ashley began working with the non-profit organization, GreenWave, which supports and educates new ocean farmers on sugar kelp aquaculture. As the Hatchery Scientist, Ashley takes pride in supervising the growth of kelp from spores to blades in order to produce tens of thousands of feet of seedstring to farmers throughout Southern New England. Ashley hopes to continue to inspire and educate others on the ecosystem services of aquaculture in this position, and also is the early stages of starting her own 3D ocean farm in coastal CT
Katelyn Szura, M.S.
Kate discovered her passion for studying coastal wetland ecology after graduating with a B.S.in Wildlife and Conservation Biology from the University of Rhode Island when she worked with two agencies on a broad range of coastal wetland topics. Working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and then the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Kate conducted bird counts and banding surveys as well as contributed to research spanning the topics of how marsh crabs, nitrogen pollution, and sea level rise impact coastal wetlands. Kate returned to URI for her Masters and successfully defended her thesis titled "Impact of Chronic Nitrogen Loading on Greenhouse Gas Fluxes in Coastal Wetlands" in the Fall of 2017. For her Master's work, Kate focused on exploring how anthropogenic nitrogen loading affects greenhouse gas fluxes from marshes in Narragansett Bay along a nitrogen gradient. This work contributed to a larger collaborative effort aiming to provide data and a feasibility analysis needed to introduce wetland restoration to carbon markets.
Currently, Kate is participating in Sea Grant's John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship Program which matches qualified graduate students with host offices in both the legislative and executive branches of government. Kate accepted a placement within NOAA's Office of the Chief Information Officer and is working on a project that makes NOAA's atmospheric and oceanic data more easily accessible.
Kate discovered her passion for studying coastal wetland ecology after graduating with a B.S.in Wildlife and Conservation Biology from the University of Rhode Island when she worked with two agencies on a broad range of coastal wetland topics. Working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and then the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Kate conducted bird counts and banding surveys as well as contributed to research spanning the topics of how marsh crabs, nitrogen pollution, and sea level rise impact coastal wetlands. Kate returned to URI for her Masters and successfully defended her thesis titled "Impact of Chronic Nitrogen Loading on Greenhouse Gas Fluxes in Coastal Wetlands" in the Fall of 2017. For her Master's work, Kate focused on exploring how anthropogenic nitrogen loading affects greenhouse gas fluxes from marshes in Narragansett Bay along a nitrogen gradient. This work contributed to a larger collaborative effort aiming to provide data and a feasibility analysis needed to introduce wetland restoration to carbon markets.
Currently, Kate is participating in Sea Grant's John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship Program which matches qualified graduate students with host offices in both the legislative and executive branches of government. Kate accepted a placement within NOAA's Office of the Chief Information Officer and is working on a project that makes NOAA's atmospheric and oceanic data more easily accessible.
Elizabeth Q. Brannon, Ph.D.
Elizabeth first realized her interest in human impacts on coastal ecosystems while participating in a NSF REU at the USGS station at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. During the REU she worked on a project that investigated salt marshes as possible carbon sinks. Shortly after completing the REU, in December of 2012, she received her B.S. in Marine Science from Coastal Carolina University and joined the Moseman-Valtierra lab the following year for her Ph.D.
Elizabeth’s Ph.D. research focused on measuring greenhouse gas emissions from the newly implemented Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR) process at the wastewater treatment plant in Providence. Although the BNR process will decrease nitrogen loads to the bay, it consists of both anoxic and aerated zones that can lead to greenhouse gas emissions, specifically nitrous oxide, methane, and carbon dioxide.
Currently Elizabeth is working at the Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute (GMGI) as an Instructor and Research Associate. She provides hands on instruction of proper laboratory techniques, tools and instrumentation, along with career skills training during GMGI’s 9 month biotechnology certificate program. When the program is not in session Elizabeth, performs marine genomics research.
Ryan Quinn, Research Assistant
Ryan graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a B.S. in Biological Sciences in December 2015. Upon graduation she worked as a research assistant in the MV lab, where she balanced her time between lab management, helping other lab members with their research, and pursuing her own independent projects.
Currently, Ryan works at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Knoxville, TN as a post-bachelors research assistant on Dr. Melanie Mayes' DOE early career research award. In this position, she will be performing a combination of lab based experiments and field projects in Puerto Rican wetlands and has an overall goal of aiding with the development of a global scale model, spanning from soil microbe communities to the tropics.
Ryan graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a B.S. in Biological Sciences in December 2015. Upon graduation she worked as a research assistant in the MV lab, where she balanced her time between lab management, helping other lab members with their research, and pursuing her own independent projects.
Currently, Ryan works at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Knoxville, TN as a post-bachelors research assistant on Dr. Melanie Mayes' DOE early career research award. In this position, she will be performing a combination of lab based experiments and field projects in Puerto Rican wetlands and has an overall goal of aiding with the development of a global scale model, spanning from soil microbe communities to the tropics.
Melanie H. Gárate, M.S.
For her thesis, Melanie studied how climate change, anthropogenic sources of nutrients and changes in invertebrate communities are affecting the biogeochemistry within coastal zones. Melanie received the 2013 AAUS/Hollis gear award to get her very own dive gear to aid in her subtidal work in the Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island. She is also recipient of the 2014 URI Marine Award from the Nature Conservancy and the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship to examine nutrient and carbon cycling in a fringe mangrove in Puerto Rico.
For her thesis, Melanie studied how climate change, anthropogenic sources of nutrients and changes in invertebrate communities are affecting the biogeochemistry within coastal zones. Melanie received the 2013 AAUS/Hollis gear award to get her very own dive gear to aid in her subtidal work in the Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island. She is also recipient of the 2014 URI Marine Award from the Nature Conservancy and the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship to examine nutrient and carbon cycling in a fringe mangrove in Puerto Rico.
Rose M. Martin, Ph.D.
Rose Martin received her B.S. in Environmental Science and Management from the University of Rhode Island, her M.S. in Natural Resources Science from the University of Connecticut, and recently successfully defended her Ph.D. dissertation, entitled "Coastal Marshes of the Anthropocene: A potential role for an invasive species in maintaining ecosystem function".
Rose has worked on a diverse range of projects during her time as an undergraduate and a Masters student, including investigating plants as indicators of vernal pool hydroperiod, studying the use of urban wetlands by breeding birds, and employing molecular methods to track sources of fecal contamination in a constructed wetland. Rose's Ph.D. research focused on understanding how wetland ecosystems function in a human-dominated landscape. Specifically, she investigated effects of climate change, nutrient pollution and exotic species invasion on greenhouse gas fluxes in coastal marshes.
At Present, Rose is working as an ORISE-funded postdoctoral researcher at the EPA Atlantic Ecology Division lab. There, she expands her research to include nutrient cycling in anthropogenically impacted subtropical coastal systems.
Rose Martin received her B.S. in Environmental Science and Management from the University of Rhode Island, her M.S. in Natural Resources Science from the University of Connecticut, and recently successfully defended her Ph.D. dissertation, entitled "Coastal Marshes of the Anthropocene: A potential role for an invasive species in maintaining ecosystem function".
Rose has worked on a diverse range of projects during her time as an undergraduate and a Masters student, including investigating plants as indicators of vernal pool hydroperiod, studying the use of urban wetlands by breeding birds, and employing molecular methods to track sources of fecal contamination in a constructed wetland. Rose's Ph.D. research focused on understanding how wetland ecosystems function in a human-dominated landscape. Specifically, she investigated effects of climate change, nutrient pollution and exotic species invasion on greenhouse gas fluxes in coastal marshes.
At Present, Rose is working as an ORISE-funded postdoctoral researcher at the EPA Atlantic Ecology Division lab. There, she expands her research to include nutrient cycling in anthropogenically impacted subtropical coastal systems.
Alexandra Moen, Undergraduate RA
Alexandra started out in the MV lab as an NSF-EPSCoR Fellow for the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship in the summer of 2014 working with Ph.D. student Melanie. Through this experience she was able to use her SCUBA skills (SDI instructor) to collect bivalves from the Narragansett Bay and examine their greenhouse gas fluxes when exposed to increased temperature and nutrients. She presented her research at the 2014 SURF conference held at URI titled "Mechanisism behind the production of harmful greenhouse gas from M. edulis and M. mercenaria: is it really their fault?." She will also present her summer research at the international ASLO 2015 conference in Granada, Spain. Through her hard work during her summer fellowship, she was hired on by the lab to continue her studies as a research assistant in the MV lab. She also assisted Melanie with her mangrove project in Jobos Bay, Puerto Rico in August 2014.
Alexandra started out in the MV lab as an NSF-EPSCoR Fellow for the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship in the summer of 2014 working with Ph.D. student Melanie. Through this experience she was able to use her SCUBA skills (SDI instructor) to collect bivalves from the Narragansett Bay and examine their greenhouse gas fluxes when exposed to increased temperature and nutrients. She presented her research at the 2014 SURF conference held at URI titled "Mechanisism behind the production of harmful greenhouse gas from M. edulis and M. mercenaria: is it really their fault?." She will also present her summer research at the international ASLO 2015 conference in Granada, Spain. Through her hard work during her summer fellowship, she was hired on by the lab to continue her studies as a research assistant in the MV lab. She also assisted Melanie with her mangrove project in Jobos Bay, Puerto Rico in August 2014.
Demerise Johnston
Demerise worked as an undergraduate assistant in the MV lab managing salt marsh soil samples and conducting PCR trials in the Fall of 2013 to understand the microbial community and received independent research credit for her continued work in the Spring of 2014. In the Spring, Demerise mainly focused on amplifying the mcrA genes in the soil samples and analyzed the PCR data obtained in the Fall with the Miseq program. She has been fortunate enough to be the recipient of the 2014 Richard D. Wood Academic Achievement Award in Biological Sciences for her work in the MV lab.
This summer she will be working at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station assisting the mosquito surveillance program to monitor West Nile virus and Equine Encephalitis. Afterwards, her hope is to gain more research experience in marine conservation before attending graduate school.
Demerise worked as an undergraduate assistant in the MV lab managing salt marsh soil samples and conducting PCR trials in the Fall of 2013 to understand the microbial community and received independent research credit for her continued work in the Spring of 2014. In the Spring, Demerise mainly focused on amplifying the mcrA genes in the soil samples and analyzed the PCR data obtained in the Fall with the Miseq program. She has been fortunate enough to be the recipient of the 2014 Richard D. Wood Academic Achievement Award in Biological Sciences for her work in the MV lab.
This summer she will be working at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station assisting the mosquito surveillance program to monitor West Nile virus and Equine Encephalitis. Afterwards, her hope is to gain more research experience in marine conservation before attending graduate school.
Jesse Iacono
Jesse is a current marine biology major at the University of Rhode Island and an experienced SCUBA diver. He recently received his Dive Master and Instructor certification through SDI and the dive program at URI. He volunteered in the field with the MV lab in the summer 2013 as Melanie’s research dive buddy. In the Fall of 2013, he extended his scientific experience by quantifying the nitrous oxide emissions of the bivalve Mercenaria mercenaria in response to increased nutrient levels and water temperature.
He wishes to combine his love of SCUBA diving and marine science within a scientific research capacity after he graduates from URI in the Spring of 2014.
Jesse is a current marine biology major at the University of Rhode Island and an experienced SCUBA diver. He recently received his Dive Master and Instructor certification through SDI and the dive program at URI. He volunteered in the field with the MV lab in the summer 2013 as Melanie’s research dive buddy. In the Fall of 2013, he extended his scientific experience by quantifying the nitrous oxide emissions of the bivalve Mercenaria mercenaria in response to increased nutrient levels and water temperature.
He wishes to combine his love of SCUBA diving and marine science within a scientific research capacity after he graduates from URI in the Spring of 2014.
Robert Ventura
Robert "Roblems" Ventura worked with Ph.D. student, Melanie Garate as part of the Summer Graduate Research Fellowships in Oceanography (SURFO) at URI. For his SURFO fellowship, he examined the greenhouse gas production of subtidal bivalves in the Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island in response to elevated nutrients and water temperatures. Rob presented his findings at the 2014 Ocean Sciences Meeting in Honolulu, HI and reportedly added 8 Hawaiian shirts to his wardrobe while at the conference. His poster was titled “Marine macroinvertebrates and greenhouse gas production: effects of anthropogenic nutrient and temperature stressors on coastal filter feeders.” Rob is graduating from Pomona College in the spring of 2014 with a duel B.S. in Neuroscience and Environmental Chemistry. He plans to take a year to work while he applies to graduate programs in marine neuroscience, aiming to get a doctorate that will enable him to work on tropical reef systems.
Robert "Roblems" Ventura worked with Ph.D. student, Melanie Garate as part of the Summer Graduate Research Fellowships in Oceanography (SURFO) at URI. For his SURFO fellowship, he examined the greenhouse gas production of subtidal bivalves in the Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island in response to elevated nutrients and water temperatures. Rob presented his findings at the 2014 Ocean Sciences Meeting in Honolulu, HI and reportedly added 8 Hawaiian shirts to his wardrobe while at the conference. His poster was titled “Marine macroinvertebrates and greenhouse gas production: effects of anthropogenic nutrient and temperature stressors on coastal filter feeders.” Rob is graduating from Pomona College in the spring of 2014 with a duel B.S. in Neuroscience and Environmental Chemistry. He plans to take a year to work while he applies to graduate programs in marine neuroscience, aiming to get a doctorate that will enable him to work on tropical reef systems.
Emily Bishop
Emily is an undergraduate at URI and for the summer of 2013, she was a part of the MV lab as a SURF Fellow. Her research investigated the rate of decomposition of Spartina alterniflora along a nitrogen gradient in Narragansett Bay. she found that Spartina at sites with higher nitrogen concentrations experienced significantly higher rates of decomposition.
Emily is a 2013 NOAA Hollings Scholarship Fellow. As part of her scholarship she will be conducting surveys of bull kelp in Puget Sound. In the future she hopes to work in coastal habitat restoration.
Emily is an undergraduate at URI and for the summer of 2013, she was a part of the MV lab as a SURF Fellow. Her research investigated the rate of decomposition of Spartina alterniflora along a nitrogen gradient in Narragansett Bay. she found that Spartina at sites with higher nitrogen concentrations experienced significantly higher rates of decomposition.
Emily is a 2013 NOAA Hollings Scholarship Fellow. As part of her scholarship she will be conducting surveys of bull kelp in Puget Sound. In the future she hopes to work in coastal habitat restoration.
Katharine Egan
Katharine, a URI undergraduate, worked in the Moseman-Valtierra lab during the summer of 2012 into the spring of 2013 under URI'S Coastal and Environmental Fellowship Program and under EPSCoR's Undergraduate Research Experience. She examined the different greenhouse gas emissions of methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen between the different zones of different salt marshes in New England. In the spring, she geared her project towards understanding more about methane emissions in areas of salt marshes that contain pools or puddles of water that rarely go away. Since then, Katherine has explored other fields of marine ecology, specifically algal and coral reef ecology (though her love of salt marshes still stands!).
In the spring of 2013, Katharine was awarded a NOAA Hollings Scholarship, which will allow her to compare different methods of surveying coral reefs in Puerto Rico in the summer of 2014. She hopes to graduate URI in the May of 2015 and attend graduate school to focus on either algal, coral reef, or coastal wetlands ecology.
Katharine, a URI undergraduate, worked in the Moseman-Valtierra lab during the summer of 2012 into the spring of 2013 under URI'S Coastal and Environmental Fellowship Program and under EPSCoR's Undergraduate Research Experience. She examined the different greenhouse gas emissions of methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen between the different zones of different salt marshes in New England. In the spring, she geared her project towards understanding more about methane emissions in areas of salt marshes that contain pools or puddles of water that rarely go away. Since then, Katherine has explored other fields of marine ecology, specifically algal and coral reef ecology (though her love of salt marshes still stands!).
In the spring of 2013, Katharine was awarded a NOAA Hollings Scholarship, which will allow her to compare different methods of surveying coral reefs in Puerto Rico in the summer of 2014. She hopes to graduate URI in the May of 2015 and attend graduate school to focus on either algal, coral reef, or coastal wetlands ecology.
Tim Lima
Tim worked with Dr. MV researching greenhouse gas fluxes from salt marshes along a nitrogen gradient in Narragansett Bay, RI in the summer of 2012. This study was conducted to further our understanding of the potential impact nutrient loading may have on saltmarsh ecosystem processes.
Tim has recently participated in a 3 month long Smithsonian Institution research project in Chiapas Mexico where he studied mammal diversity on three types of coffee farms. The primary objective of the research is to better understand the role of coffee agroforestry in wildlife habitat and biodiversity protection.
For the summer of 2014, Tim will be working with the DEM's Mosquito Abatement Committee collecting and identifying mosquitoes in part of an early warning system for the triple e and west nile viruses. He hopes to continue his research with the Smithsonian research project in Costa Rica in the future.