Graduate Students

Tori Agnew

Tori attended Roger Williams University where she received a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology with a minor in Chemistry. During her undergraduate studies, she worked in the Aquatic Diagnostic Laboratory (ADL) on campus under Dr. Roxanna Smolowitz. During those four years Tori assisted with research projects involving Vibrio spp., Perkinsus marinus, MSX, and SSO in oysters, and worked to develop a SYBR Green qPCR to detect a parasite in blue mussels. After graduating, Tori was hired as an assistant lab technician in the ADL where she continued to help with ongoing research projects and performed general diagnostics on various shellfish species. Now Tori is attending the University of Maryland, Baltimore County for her Master’s degree in Marine-Estuarine Environmental Science while completing her graduate assistantship in the Aquatic Animal Health lab with Dr. Burge. Her thesis will involve studying eelgrass wasting disease, and exploring if oysters may be co-cultured with eelgrass to filter out the pathogen responsible for disease.

Tori Agnew

Chelsea Bergman

Chelsea attended San Diego State University where she received a Bachelor of Science in Biology with an emphasis in marine studies. While there, she completed an honors thesis on how climate change will impact eelgrass communities under the advisement of Dr. Kevin Hovel in the marine conservation laboratory. As an undergraduate, Chelsea assisted fellow students in the field as well as research projects looking at eelgrass habitats, climate change, and biodiversity. After graduating, Chelsea was hired as a lab technician in the Hovel Lab where she continued to help with research that surveyed eelgrass wasting disease along the West Coast. Now Chelsea is completing her graduate assistantship in the Aquatic Animal Health lab with Dr. Burge while attending the University of Maryland, Baltimore County for her Master’s degree in Marine-Estuarine Environmental Science. Her thesis will focus on surveying the presence of the pathogen responsible for eelgrass wasting disease in the Chesapeake, if oyster can filter out the pathogen, and if climate change will impact the oyster’s pathogen mitigation.

Mariah Kachmar

Mariah attended Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania where she received her Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology and Environmental Science. During her undergraduate studies she was an intern for Trout Unlimited in Lock Haven, PA. During this internship she assisted on various fisheries surveys and data analysis for a Healthy Watersheds Project in Central Pennsylvania. Post graduation, Mariah obtained a position as an Environmental Educator spreading environmental literacy to young students in the greater Philadelphia area. Now, Mariah is attending University of Maryland Baltimore County completing her Master’s degree in Marine-Estuarine Environmental Sciences. During this time she will be completing a graduate assistantship in the Aquatic Animal Health Lab with Dr. Burge. Her thesis will involve studying the Ostreid herpesvirus 1 in Pacific Oysters


Prospective Graduate Students

We are interested in hearing from prospective graduate students, please e-mail the PI and include your CV and a brief statement of interest. Navigate through our Research page to find information on the types of research we perform and our current projects. Graduate students entering into IMET primarily come through the MEES (Marine Estuarine Environmental Sciences) graduate program as part of the University of Maryland System.  We can also take students that are part of the GPILS (Graduate Program in Life Sciences) through the University of Maryland School of Medicine. We do encourage you to explore fellowship opportunities.

Several key fellowships include (but are not limited to):

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program

NOAA Nancy Foster Scholar’s Program

USDA NIFA Graduate Fellowships