Coastal and Estuarine Fish Ecology

I am very excited to share what our lab has been working on for the 2019 Summer Impact Research Project: Microbial Communities as Indicators of Ecological Health.  Dhanush Banka (a student from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology) and I have been working in Dr. Salerno’s lab at the Potomac Science Center, George … More OSCAR student Tom Hutchison: New Tools, New Techniques, New Technology

This summer, I have been working on a Summer Team Impact Project at the Potomac Science Center in Woodbridge, Virginia.  I have been studying an invasive species of snails―termed mystery snails―and by collecting samples of these invaders and their native counterparts, I aim to learn more about the mystery snails as a whole, as well … More OSCAR student Grace Loonam: My Research, in a Snail Shell

by Kim de Mutsert We are deeply saddened by the loss of ESP alumna Adrian Dahood-Fritz and her husband Andrew Fritz. Adrian was a passionate scientist and caring lab member and friend. She attained her PhD in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy in Fall 2017 with her research on marine protected area placement … More In memory of Adrian Dahood-Fritz

I can see plastic everywhere now– and not just the water bottles on the side of the trail or the plastic bags in branches, but the tab you pull off of a disposable squirt bottle and the tiny corner torn off of a granola bar. The most visually impactful part of this summer has been … More OSCAR student Ben Rhoades: DMV Microplastics Study

Life in the aquatic environment has always had my interest since I was young. It’s just something about life under water that fascinates me. My OSCAR research project this summer has been a phenomenal experience so far. Learning about fish communities and assemblages has shown me a different perspective of life.  I never really knew … More OSCAR student Jeremy Williams: Life in the Fish Lab

My name is Han Nguyen and I am a rising junior majoring in Chemistry with a concentration in Biochemistry. This is my first summer participating in the OSCAR Summer Team Impact Project. Prior to participating in this program, I had never conducted a scientific study that is laboratory based or been in the field to … More OSCAR student Han Nguyen: Microplastics in The Tidal Freshwater Potomac River

NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Sciences (NCCOS) recently published an article about work Dr. Kim de Mutsert’s lab is working on in the Northern Gulf of Mexico: “Building on results of an initial 2017 workshop, a second advisory panel workshop concerning the effects of low dissolved oxygen in water (hypoxia) was held June 24-25, … More With Second Workshop, NCCOS Continues Focus on Hypoxia’s Effects on Fish and Fisheries

We live in a world where plastic is all around us, both where we want it (in inexpensive, lightweight, colorful products) and where we do not want it (in rivers, bays, and coastal areas). Large pieces of plastic are called macroplastics and pieces less than 5 mm in size are known as microplastics. As a … More Graduate Student, Doreen Peters, Finds Microplastic across the Salinity Gradient