Ricky Agyekum
Hello! My name is Ricky Agyekum. I am a rising senior Biological Sciences major at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. My project looks at whether the ambitious goal of making the Baltimore harbor safe for swimming and habitable by fish is working. I enjoy the project because it combines my two majors: biology and political science. Local Baltimore government have invested over a billion dollars into this harbor initiative but there hasn’t been a major performance evaluation of the project. I am thankful to all my mentors and donors at IMET UMCES for this incredible opportunity! Thanks!
Gelila Begashaw
Gelila Begashaw is a student at the University of Maryland, College Park. She is interested in the field of Biochemistry. She is looking forward to gaining experience in bioinformatics. This summer, she will be working on the project “Bacterial communities, archaeal communities, and the urban estuary.
Lizi Cudal
Lizi Cudal recently graduated from Stevenson University with a degree in Environmental Science. As an undergraduate, she had a research experience in the Galapagos, where she was able to snorkel and study diverse marine life in the area. This solidified her interest in doing hands-on environmental science research, which she is continuing through her summer internship. She is working on the project, "Bacterial diversity in Baltimore Harbor compared with open ocean."
Brianna Gomerez
Hi there! I'm Brianna "Bri" Gomerez, a native New Yorker, amateur roller skater, and avid graphic fiction reader. I'm an undergraduate student studying marine vertebrate biology at Stony Brook University. After earning my master’s degree in marine science, I plan to pursue field research in biology and ecology because there's nothing I want to do more than get my hands wet investigating the live wonders of the ocean! I also aspire to apply my passion for wildlife conservation, inciting a willingness to take action in support of environmentalism in my audiences along the way. This summer, I'll be working on a project, The Blue Crab Food Web in an Urban Harbor, under the mentorship of Dr. Eric Schott and Olivia Pares. I couldn't be more excited, so like a sponge, I'll absorb all the knowledge and skills possible to get myself where I want to be.
Erin Hamner
My name is Erin Hamner and I am in my fourth year at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. My degree is in Geography and Environmental Science and I plan to pursue a career in water quality in relation to urban environments. The IMET summer internship is my first college research experience. I am working with Dr Eric Schott in analyzing fecal bacteria data from Baltimore city and other organizations. I hope I will be able to take data analysis skills learned this summer and apply it to waste water management in Baltimore and restoration efforts in the Harbor.
Jenny Lenhoff
Jenny Lenhoff is a Biochemical Engineering major at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. This field of study is a great fit for her summer research project, "Bacterial communities, archaeal communities, and the urban estuary," for which she is studying methane-producing microorganisms. She is excited to gain research experience as she works toward a career in chemical engineering.
Myia Robinson
Myia Robinson is a senior biology major at Morgan State University. She is an ASCEND scholar and her career goal include veterinary medicine and environmental science. She chose this internship to gain experience in environmental conservation, biotechnology, and public health. Her project is "Stress response genes in the blue crab,a charismatic resident of the Inner Harbor ecosystem.
Bianca Santos
Bianca Santos recently graduated from Stevenson University with a bachelor's in Environmental Science. During my undergrad, I studied abroad at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito in the Galápagos Islands to learn about environmental field studies. I was a part of a research project studying Micro and Macro plastic pollution along the coastlines of San Cristóbal Island. For my capstone, I was a part of the Barcoding The Harbor research project conducted by The Baltimore Underground Science Space (BUGSS), The National Aquarium, IMET, and Maryland Sea Grant. I created and taught classes for BUGSS based on this project. Working with BUGSS allowed me to be a part of the Summer IMET 2021 Internship! I will be working under Dr. Eric Schott and Olivia Pares to understand the Baltimore Inner Harbor biodiversity and blue crab diet through analyzing videos and COX1 DNA metabarcoding data. My interest is in marine biology and conservation. As a recently certified Advanced Open Water PADI Diver, I soon hope to become certified in research diving so I can work both in the lab and out at sea!
Eric Sibanda
Eric Sibanda is an incoming freshman at the University of Maryland College Park. Eric plans to major in Aerospace engineering. Even though he will not be studying science, he hopes in the future that he can continue his interest in the field of marine science through internships and other opportunities. Previously, Eric has worked with projects dealing with a virus in blue crabs, finding out if Zebra Mussels can be used as biofilters, and just wrapped up a project with Dr. Tsetso Bachvaroff on animating the atlas of marine eukaryotic genes primarily dealing with a transmembrane protein named proteorhodopsin. Eric will be working on the project “Stress response genes in the blue crab, a charismatic resident of the Inner Harbor ecosystem” with the following IMET professors; Dr. Sook Chung, Dr. Tsetso Bachvaroff, and Anya Byrd. With his past knowledge and drive to learn more, he hopes to make a huge impact and make immense discoveries.
Venus Yan
Venus Yan graduated from SUNY Cobleskill with a Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology. She is interested in the analysis of molecular genetics to determine the importance of microbial biodiversity in environmental sciences. She is looking forward to learning more applicable skills in bioinformatics from this experience to apply for her future research. She plans to pursue her Masters degree after finding environmental research jobs in New York City and dive further into the field of bioinformatics. Paulina Huanca is the mentor for Venus’ project on “Bacterial diversity in Baltimore Harbor compared with open ocean”. This summer, Venus will be working on analyzing microbial communities in the Baltimore Harbor by 16S metabarcoding.