I am excited to announce I was selected as a 2022 Virginia Sea Grant Graduate Research Fellowship! This fellowship will support my graduate work for the next 2 years, provide professional development opportunities, and supports me working with a professional mentor to design outreach materials to share my research with stakeholders. You can read more about me and the other fellows here: ​https://vaseagrant.org/2022-graduate-research-fellows/

I recently returned from Aquaculture 2022 in San Diego! The triennial conferences are always a fantastic opportunity to see diverse research in aquaculture and shellfish research.

This year was a big conference for me! As a Student Co-Chair for the National Shellfisheries Association, I organized student focused events with the Student Organizing Committee. My personal favorite was the Mentor-Mentee Breakfast, which paired current students and professionals for networking. Additionally, I served as a Chair for the "Oysters Contributed" session... which resulted in a ridiculous number of ribbons :) 

I presented two talks on my dissertation research, one on post settlement life history traits in Eastern oysters and a second on the distribution and demography of fossil oysters on the Atlantic continental shelf. My talk on fossil oysters was awarded the Thurlow C Nelson Outstanding Oral Presentation by the National Shellfisheries Association!! I previously received this award in 2019 and am deeply honored to be the 2022 recipient. 

I am thrilled to share this LA Time article featuring the Pismo clam project! 

www.latimes.com/projects/pismo-clams/

Sean Greene beautifully captured the history of Pismo clams in California, my MS research, and ongoing work in the Marine Conservation Lab at Cal Poly.... and also my ridiculous adoration for molluscs. :) 

I am excited for the opportunity to share my work at the 113th National Shellfisheries Association. I gave an oral presentation on my MS research at Cal Poly on "Pismo clams in California: Growth and reproduction of an iconic species" 

Additionally, I presented a poster on the early stages of my PhD research on "Post settlement survival in eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) to inform management and restoration in the Chesapeake bay".
You can see my poster here. 

I am honored to receive the Tidewater Oyster Gardeners Association/VIMS Fellowship for 2020-2021. As this years recipient, I had the opportunity to present to TOGA members at their annual meeting about my research. Last summer I started a new project on growth in juvenile oysters in the Chesapeake Bay. 

Thank you to TOGA for being so welcoming, asking excellent questions, and sharing a love and enthusiasm for shellfish! I look forward to hopefully meeting you all in person in during 2021!