Jonathan CraigMS environmental science ’24

This summer, Jonathan Craig is doing research at the Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, providing data on microplastics, an emerging pollutant of concern that may be playing a role in the health of Jug Bay wetland ecosystem.

Jonathan is collecting water samples and analyzing them for the presence of microplastics to provide the sanctuary with baseline information. He is also looking at water quality parameters and analyzing sediment samples for the presence of PAHs (a type of organic pollutant). Alongside all of this, he is also working on his thesis research with Dr. Barbara Balestra, which focuses on microplastics in sediment samples from the Anacostia River watershed.

“This internship is a rewarding opportunity that allows me to gain valuable fieldwork experience and lab experience to help me hone my skills as a scientist and researcher,” he says. “My thesis research helps provide information on microplastic pollution in the Anacostia River and could be a basis for determining the health of the river in the future.” 

Glory IorliamMS environmental science ’24

Graduate Merit Award Winner Glory Iorliam has worked with Professor Karen Knee at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, the world’s largest museum and research complex. They are measuring radon gas as a natural tracer for methane emissions from trees in wetland and upland ecosystems. Scientists know that methane is emitted from trees. But there are many mysteries around it: its source, how it moves, and whether it originates from soil and groundwater, or is produced from the heartwood of the trees. 

Glory, who is from Nigeria, points out that this research conducted in the United States will give her hands-on research experience and increase her understanding of greenhouse gases while helping her discover sustainable solutions to global environmental challenges like climate change. 

“It is no longer news that the climate is changing and changing fast, says Glory. “Lowering methane emissions, an important greenhouse gas that is 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide in a 20-year time period, offers the fastest chance to address climate change, an opportunity we can grab only if we understand the mechanisms behind its emissions.”