Photo story: Science meets education where the river meets the sea

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This summer, 13 NOAA Scholars conducted research and education internships at National Estuarine Research Reserves from Maine to Puerto Rico. Estuaries, where freshwater meets the salty ocean, are among the most productive ecosystems on earth. Estuaries provide nursery grounds for 75% of commercial fish species, naturally filter runoff, sequester carbon, and protect the coast from storms. To celebrate Estuaries Week, September 16-23rd, we are featuring the stories of NOAA Scholars who spent their summer interning at seven different National Estuarine Research Reserves around the United States.

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Hollings Undergraduate Scholars who interned with the National Estuarine Research Reserves summer 2017.
Hollings Undergraduate Scholars interning with the National Estuarine Research Reserves during summer 2017. Front row (left to right): Brianna DeGone, Katie Frame, Daniel Hribar, Mallory Munden, Colleen Brown & Abigail Thomas. Back row: Blair Morrison, Alicia Juang, Courcelle Stark, Emily Starobin, Tim Nagle-McNaughton, Kacey Hirshfeld & Mitchell Miller.Credit: NERRS
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The National Estuarine Research Reserve System is a network of 29 coastal sites nationwide designated to protect and study estuarine systems. These reserves are managed in partnership between NOAA and the coastal states. Learn more about NERRS.

Each year, National Estuarine Research Reserves (NERRs) throughout the country host Hollings and EPP/MSI Undergraduate Scholars as summer interns. The Reserve System provides living laboratories for students to study estuarine ecosystems, as well as opportunities to develop locally relevant education and outreach projects.

Chesapeake Bay (Virginia)

Mallory Munden, a rising senior at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, interned this summer at the Chesapeake Bay NERR in Virginia, leading marine science projects for elementary and middle school camps. She also created age-appropriate evaluations for each camp to assess students’ changes in knowledge and attitude, and conducted a longitudinal study of past campers to assess long-term impacts of participating. Mallory had the opportunity to grow as an educator while learning valuable
Mallory Munden, a rising senior at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, interned this summer at the Chesapeake Bay NERR in Virginia, leading marine science projects and designing age-appropriate evaluations for elementary and middle school camps. Mallory had the opportunity to grow as an educator while learning valuable evaluation skills, and she plans to present her work at the Mid-Atlantic Marine Educators Association conference.Credit: Mallory Munden
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Delaware

Daniel Hribar, a junior at The Ohio State University, assessed the role of salinity gradients on blue carbon stocks in the tidal marshes of Delaware Bay’s western shore during his summer internship with the Delaware NERR. Blue carbon is the carbon stored in coastal ecosystems. Throughout his summer in the nation’s first state, Daniel learned about research and made great friends and professional connections along the way.
Daniel Hribar, a junior at The Ohio State University, assessed the role of salinity gradients on blue carbon stocks in the tidal marshes of Delaware Bay’s western shore during his summer internship with the Delaware NERR. Blue carbon is the carbon stored in coastal ecosystems. Throughout his summer in the nation’s first state, Daniel learned about research and made great friends and professional connections along the way.Credit: Drexel Siox
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Jobos Bay

During her internship with Jobos Bay NERR in Puerto Rico, Colleen Brown, a NOAA Scholar from the University of North Carolina Wilmington, studied the spatial and temporal variations in pH within Jobos Bay, a dynamic coastal environment consisting of a mangrove-wetlands forest complex, seagrass beds, mangrove islands, and adjacent fringing reefs. Colleen gained experience developing a protocol, field sampling techniques, carbonate chemistry lab analysis, and the overall topic of ocean acidification. She
NOAA Scholar Colleen Brown curing water samples at a station in Jobos Bay. During her internship with Jobos Bay NERR in Puerto Rico, Colleen, a rising senior from the University of North Carolina Wilmington, studied the spatial and temporal variations in pH within Jobos Bay, a dynamic coastal environment consisting of a mangrove-wetlands forest complex, seagrass beds, mangrove islands, and adjacent fringing reefs. Colleen gained experience developing a protocol, field sampling techniques, carbonate chemistry lab analysis, and the overall topic of ocean acidification. She hopes to pursue marine chemistry research in graduate school. Credit: Colleen Brown
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Abigail Thomas, a junior at Eckerd College, collected data on the spatial variability of blue carbon stored in mangroves this summer at Jobos Bay NERR in Puerto Rico. She found that blue carbon in Jobos Bay, and potentially other tropical regions, is stored at significantly greater soil depths than blue carbon in temperate climates. Abigail will present her data at scientific conferences over the next year and plans to study hydrological engineering in graduate school.
Abigail Thomas, a junior at Eckerd College, collected data on the spatial variability of blue carbon stored in mangroves this summer at Jobos Bay NERR in Puerto Rico. She found that blue carbon in Jobos Bay, and potentially other tropical regions, is stored at significantly greater soil depths than blue carbon in temperate climates. Abigail will present her data at scientific conferences over the next year and plans to study hydrological engineering in graduate school.Credit: Abigail Thomas
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Lake Superior

NOAA Scholar Kasey Hirshfeld (right) sampling for invasive rusty crayfish in Superior Bay, alongside a student research intern from a local university. Kacey Hirshfeld, a rising senior at the College of Charleston, spent her summer internship at the Lake Superior NERR in Superior, Wisconsin. She worked in the Reserve’s Coastal Training Program to create a shipboard learning experience for coastal decision makers in the Western Lake Superior area, which demonstrated the connection between land-use
NOAA Scholar Kacey Hirshfeld (right) sampling for invasive rusty crayfish in Superior Bay, alongside a student research intern from a local university. Kacey, a rising senior at the College of Charleston, spent her summer internship at the Lake Superior NERR in Superior, Wisconsin. She worked with the Reserve’s Coastal Training Program to create a shipboard learning experience for coastal decision makers in the Western Lake Superior area which demonstrates the connection between land-use practices and water quality. This project provided Kacey with an increased appreciation for estuaries, as well as an understanding of how to implement effective coastal training.Credit: Dr. Shon Schooler
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Padilla Bay

Alicia Juang, a junior at Harvard College, followed her interest in ecological restoration to Padilla Bay NERR in Mount Vernon, Washington. There, she spent her summer internship studying the variation in carbon stocks between natural and restored wetlands. In the fall, Alicia will embark on a senior thesis building off of her work at Padilla Bay, and after graduating, she hopes to work in water resources management or habitat restoration.
Alicia Juang, a junior at Harvard College, followed her interest in ecological restoration to Padilla Bay NERR in Mount Vernon, Washington. There, she spent her summer internship studying the variation in carbon stocks between natural and restored wetlands. In the fall, Alicia will embark on a senior thesis building off of her work at Padilla Bay, and after graduating, she hopes to work in water resources management or habitat restoration.Credit: Alicia Juang
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This summer, Emily Starobin of University of Maryland College Park served as the education intern at Padilla Bay NERR, assisting with school and youth group programs. She developed lesson plans that incorporated real-time data to communicate ocean science principles, and presented them to local Skagit County teachers at a workshop. Her experience was eye-opening in terms of understanding how students learn, and the hard work that informal and formal educators do to enhance student learning learning.
This summer, Emily Starobin of the University of Maryland College Park served as the education intern at Padilla Bay NERR, assisting with school and youth group programs. She developed lesson plans that incorporated real-time data to communicate ocean science principles, and presented them to local Skagit County teachers at a workshop. Her experience was eye-opening in terms of understanding how students learn, and the hard work that informal and formal educators do to enhance student learning learning.Credit: Holli Watne
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Courcelle Stark, a rising senior at Smith College, spent the summer studying microbial respiration rates at the Padilla Bay NERR. She conducted experiments to investigate the impact of warmer temperatures on microbial respiration rates. The data she collected will improve our understanding of the importance microbial communities for carbon cycling as well as the fragility of this system to climate change.
Courcelle Stark, a rising senior at Smith College, spent the summer studying microbial respiration rates at the Padilla Bay NERR. She conducted experiments to investigate the impact of warmer temperatures on microbial respiration rates. The data she collected will improve our understanding of the importance microbial communities for carbon cycling, as well as the fragility of this system to climate change.Credit: Courcelle Stark
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South Slough

Katie Frame’s project at South Slough NERR in Charleston, Oregon, focused on studying the range and variability of carbon storage in the aboveground vegetation of four estuarine wetland types: low marsh, high marsh, degraded high marsh (pastures), and eelgrass. Katie, a junior from University of South Carolina, also assisted with many other projects at South Slough, including ground water instillation to help monitor the endangered western lily population, capturing the invasive green crabs, assisting
Katie Frame’s project at South Slough NERR in Charleston, Oregon, focused on studying the range and variability of carbon storage in the aboveground vegetation of four estuarine wetland types: low marsh, high marsh, pastures, and eelgrass. Katie, a junior from University of South Carolina, also assisted with many other projects at South Slough, including ground water instillation to help monitor the endangered western lily population, capturing the invasive green crabs, assisting on the monthly seining project, biomonitoring of marshes and water quality research.Credit: Leila Giovannoni
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Tim Nagle-McNaughton, a junior at Williams College, spent the summer at South Slough NERR, conducting biomonitoring surveys for the Reserve’s restoration mission and studying ocean acidification dynamics in the estuary. After the internship, Tim plans to finish his undergraduate thesis on the movements of coastal boulder deposits on the Aran Islands and attend graduate school for planetary geology in 2018.
Tim Nagle-McNaughton, a junior at Williams College, spent the summer at South Slough NERR, conducting biomonitoring surveys for the Reserve’s restoration mission and studying ocean acidification dynamics in the estuary. After the internship, Tim plans to finish his undergraduate thesis on the movements of coastal boulder deposits on the Aran Islands and attend graduate school for planetary geology in 2018.Credit: Tim Nagle-McNaughton
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Wells

Hollings Scholars Brianna DeGone and Blair Morrison, along with intern Madeline Fenderson, with research director Jason Goldstein during their internship at Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve in Maine.
(Left to right) Hollings Scholar Blair Morrison, Wells Research Director Jason Goldstein, intern Madeline Fenderson and Hollings Scholar Brianna DeGone in the lab. At Wells NERR in Maine, Blair Morrison of the University of Alabama studied patterns in the early life history of invasive green crabs and their interactions with climate change. Conducting lab and field operations, she analyzed size distributions of egg-bearing female green crabs, sex ratios of male and female crabs, timing of green crab spawning events and resilience of green crab larvae to ocean acidification. Blair plans to present her work at the annual NERRS conference and pursue a PhD in marine ecology after graduating.Credit: Brianna DeGone
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Rising senior from University of Maine Brianna DeGone collected water quality data and bacteria samples from the Kennebunk River in order to study sources of bacterial contamination at Wells NERR. During her internship, Brianna learned about data analysis, worked with multiple volunteers and developed outreach material for project partners and stakeholders. Brianna plans to apply to graduate school for her Master’s in Business Administration in hopes to combine business and scientific research.
Rising senior from the University of Maine Brianna DeGone collected water quality data and bacteria samples from the Kennebunk River in order to study sources of bacterial contamination at Wells NERR. During her internship, Brianna learned about data analysis, worked with multiple volunteers and developed outreach material for project partners and stakeholders. After graduating, Brianna plans to pursue her Master’s in Business Administration in hopes of combining business and scientific research. Credit: Michelle Furbeck
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NOAA Scholar Mitchell leads “The Age is Right,” a gamed designed to teach campers about decomposition rates during Earth Stewards week. A junior at St. Olaf College, Mitchell Miller interned this summer at Wells NERR assisting with environmental camps and conducting research on climate change perceptions across the NERR System. Mitchell helped lead camp activities for elementary and middle school students on topics ranging from environmental art to salt marsh ecology.
NOAA Scholar Mitchell Miller leads “The Age is Right,” a game designed to teach campers about decomposition rates, during Earth Stewards Week. A junior at St. Olaf College, Mitchell interned this summer at Wells NERR, assisting with environmental camps and conducting research on climate change perceptions across the NERR System. Mitchell led camp activities for elementary and middle school students on topics ranging from environmental art to salt marsh ecology.Credit: Amanda Bailiff
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More Photos

Quiz: Find the right Earth Day activity for you!
Earth Day art to color, download, and share
2023: The year in photos
Holiday cards: Sea-son's greetings from NOAA Education
What is your precipitype? Take our precipitation personality quiz to find out!
View all