{"id":21900,"date":"2016-10-10T14:50:43","date_gmt":"2016-10-10T18:50:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/currents\/?p=9016"},"modified":"2024-05-21T15:54:12","modified_gmt":"2024-05-21T19:54:12","slug":"meet-the-2016-ncsgwrri-graduate-student-fellows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/meet-the-2016-ncsgwrri-graduate-student-fellows\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the 2016 NCSG\/WRRI Graduate Student Fellows"},"content":{"rendered":"

Casey Lindberg from Duke University will study the impacts of multiple environmental stressors on fish populations native to estuaries along the East Coast. Photo courtesy Casey Lindberg.<\/em><\/p>\n

Five recipients of graduate research fellowships, awarded by North Carolina Sea Grant<\/a> and the Water Resources Research Institute of the University of North Carolina system<\/a>, will explore current water resources and coastal issues in North Carolina.<\/p>\n

Research topics range from the prevalence of E. coli <\/em>in North Carolina\u2019s agricultural watersheds, to innovative nanotechnology research for filtering brackish groundwater.<\/p>\n

The 2016 student recipients are from Duke University, East Carolina University, North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis set of projects exemplifies the diversity of topics available to students through the joint Sea Grant and WRRI fellowship, allowing both organizations to expand into new areas of research,\u201d notes John Fear, Sea Grant deputy director.<\/p>\n

Regina Bledsoe<\/strong> is a doctoral student\u00a0in ECU\u2019s interdisciplinary doctoral program in biological sciences<\/a>, where her advisor is Ariane Peralta<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"bledsoe_web\"
Regina Bledsoe<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bledsoe will study a newly constructed stormwater wetland on the university\u2019s campus, designed in part by project collaborator Eban Bean, on faculty at East Carolina and NC State, and recently appointed to faculty at the University of Florida.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fellowship gives me an opportunity to test hypotheses generated from previous studies in an applied context, where hydrological manipulation is a management strategy,\u201d Bledsoe explains. Hydrological manipulation involves a strategic regime of saturating and drying wetland soils to examine potential tradeoffs in water and air pollution.<\/p>\n

The study builds off previous work in restored wetlands by Peralta in 2013. By conducting her project in an urban setting, Bledsoe will address gaps in previous research and determine management strategies for enhancing wetland function. This would include improving urban water quality and decreasing negative side effects, such as greenhouse gas production.<\/p>\n

Bledsoe is from Theriot, Louisiana. She received her bachelor\u2019s degree in environmental science from Nicholls State University in Louisiana. She also is the recipient of a National Science Foundation 2016 Graduate Research Fellowship.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Christenson<\/strong>, a doctoral student\u00a0in applied microbiology at the UNC-Chapel Hill\u2019s Gillings School of Public Health<\/a>, will study the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant, virulent E. coli <\/em>in North Carolina\u2019s agricultural watersheds. Her advisor is Jill Stewart<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"elizabethb_web\"
Elizabeth Christenson<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cTesting surface water for fecal indicator bacteria, such as E. coli<\/em>, is commonly used to identify fecal pollution and human pathogen exposure,\u201d Christenson explains. Using water samples from agricultural watersheds with and without large swine-feeding operations, she will test for differences in the number of pathogenic and antibiotic resistant E. coli <\/em>present.<\/p>\n

Microbial source tracking, a recently developed technique that enables researchers to determine the host source of fecal contamination using a \u201cgene marker,\u201d will identify where E. coli<\/em> originate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m also incorporating spatial analysis to identify whether land-use characteristics, such as wetlands and vegetative river buffers, may help mitigate effects of runoff from swine operations on nearby water bodies,\u201d Christenson adds.<\/p>\n

Originally from Wisconsin, Christenson grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina. She received a bachelor\u2019s degree in environmental science and a master\u2019s degree in environmental sciences and engineering from UNC-Chapel Hill. She is a recipient of a 2016 North Carolina Impact Award by The Graduate School at UNC-Chapel Hill for developing a spatial database of industrial hog farm sprayfields in Duplin County.<\/p>\n

Jack Kurki-Fox<\/strong> is a doctoral student in biological and agricultural engineering at NC State, where his advisor is Michael Burchell.<\/p>\n

\"kurki-fox_web\"
Jack Kurki-Fox <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He will test an innovative lab-scale model of nutrient removal for restored wetlands \u2014 previously developed by Burchell and department members as a jointly-funded Sea Grant and WRRI project<\/a> \u2014 to demonstrate water-quality and ecosystem benefits at a field scale.<\/p>\n

To test the model, agricultural drainage water will be rerouted by pumping it to a large restored wetland in Hyde County. Water quality will be monitored across the wetland to determine how efficiently the restored wetland removes nutrients.<\/p>\n

\u201cResults of this project hopefully can be used to guide further large-scale wetland restoration projects on former agricultural lands, and encourage wetland restoration as a water management strategy in coastal agricultural areas,\u201d Kurki-Fox notes.<\/p>\n

Fox grew up in Ashland, Wisconsin. He holds master\u2019s and bachelor\u2019s degrees in civil engineering from the University of Florida. He also is the recipient of a 2016 William H. and Glenda N. Johnson Graduate Engineering Fellowship, administered by the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at NC State.<\/p>\n

Casey Lindberg <\/strong>is a doctoral student\u00a0in Duke\u2019s integrated toxicology and environmental health program<\/a>, part of the Nicholas School of the Environment<\/a>. Her advisor is Richard Di Giulio<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"lindberg-headshot_web\"
Casey Lindberg<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Using wild-caught populations of Atlantic killifish, Lindberg will study the impacts of multiple environmental stressors on fish populations native to estuaries along the East Coast.<\/p>\n

Atlantic killifish are small, nonmigratory fish commonly found in estuarine systems along the Eastern Seaboard. Subpopulations of these fish have evolved to become resistant to toxic waters caused by certain chemical pollutants found in contaminated ecosystems, including the Cape Fear River system, Lindberg notes.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy research aims to understand how co-exposures to hypoxia, a condition characterized by oxygen-deficient waters, and a class of chemical pollutants known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHS, impact the development and health of local fish species,\u201d she explains, \u201cand how evolved resistance to one stressor may influence tolerance to a secondary stressor, like hypoxia.\u201d<\/p>\n

The work may be used to identify population-level responses to both stressors, and model ecological risks across several regions of the United States.<\/p>\n

Originally from Maryland, Lindberg received her bachelor\u2019s degree in marine science with a concentration in chemical oceanography from the University of South Carolina.<\/p>\n

James Peerless <\/strong>is a doctoral student\u00a0in materials science and engineering at NC State<\/a>. His advisor is Yaroslava Yingling<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"james1_web\"
James Peerless <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Peerless will study a novel technology to filter and desalinate brackish groundwater. \u201cI\u2019m investigating a new filtration method that potentially will remove harmful contaminants from salt water, and produce safe drinking water for North Carolina coastal communities,\u201d Peerless says.<\/p>\n

The design involves combining activated carbon with functionalized nanoparticles. These particles measure 1 to 100 nanometers in size \u2014 for comparison, a human hair is 80,000 to 100,000 nanometers wide. Nanotechnology research is a quickly growing field. Improved water-purification methods currently are being sought for next-generation filtration designs.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur design uses one of the most promising nanomaterials investigated for selective absorption of water contaminants \u2014\u00a0functionalized inorganic nanoparticles, or INPs,\u201d Peerless explains. INPs have been heavily studied in water purification for their antimicrobial, or disease-inhibiting, properties, as well as their ability to remove heavy metals from wastewater.<\/p>\n

Using computer simulations, Peerless will design and optimize the model to potentially inform future fabrication and implementation. \u201cWe have a unique opportunity to investigate an economic and technological bottleneck in clean water production crucial to the environmental and economic stability of North Carolina,\u201d he notes.<\/p>\n

Peerless is a native of Granby, Connecticut. He received his bachelor\u2019s degree in chemical engineering from Northeastern University in Boston.<\/p>\n

For more information on North Carolina Sea Grant funding opportunities and fellowships, visit ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/funding-opps\/<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Meet the five recipients of graduate research fellowships, awarded by North Carolina Sea Grant and the Water Resources Research Institute of the University of North Carolina system. They will explore current water resources and coastal issues in North Carolina.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":63,"featured_media":9062,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[761],"tags":[],"_ncst_magazine_issue":[],"class_list":["post-21900","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-currents"],"displayCategory":null,"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMeet the 2016 NCSG\/WRRI Graduate Student Fellows - Coastwatch<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/meet-the-2016-ncsgwrri-graduate-student-fellows\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Meet the 2016 NCSG\/WRRI Graduate Student Fellows - Coastwatch\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Meet the five recipients of graduate research fellowships, awarded by North Carolina Sea Grant and the Water Resources Research Institute of the University of North Carolina system. They will explore current water resources and coastal issues in North Carolina.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/meet-the-2016-ncsgwrri-graduate-student-fellows\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Coastwatch\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-10-10T18:50:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-05-21T19:54:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dave Shaw\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dave Shaw\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/meet-the-2016-ncsgwrri-graduate-student-fellows\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/meet-the-2016-ncsgwrri-graduate-student-fellows\/\",\"name\":\"Meet the 2016 NCSG\/WRRI Graduate Student Fellows - Coastwatch\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/meet-the-2016-ncsgwrri-graduate-student-fellows\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/meet-the-2016-ncsgwrri-graduate-student-fellows\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-10-10T18:50:43+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-05-21T19:54:12+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/#\/schema\/person\/9462183c95cb42509aed4d3346e43fe1\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/meet-the-2016-ncsgwrri-graduate-student-fellows\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/meet-the-2016-ncsgwrri-graduate-student-fellows\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"\",\"contentUrl\":\"\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/\",\"name\":\"Coastwatch\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/#\/schema\/person\/9462183c95cb42509aed4d3346e43fe1\",\"name\":\"Dave Shaw\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dabfeb46dfe41055acf38c64062edacf?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dabfeb46dfe41055acf38c64062edacf?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Dave Shaw\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/author\/dmshaw\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Meet the 2016 NCSG\/WRRI Graduate Student Fellows - Coastwatch","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/meet-the-2016-ncsgwrri-graduate-student-fellows\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Meet the 2016 NCSG\/WRRI Graduate Student Fellows - Coastwatch","og_description":"Meet the five recipients of graduate research fellowships, awarded by North Carolina Sea Grant and the Water Resources Research Institute of the University of North Carolina system. They will explore current water resources and coastal issues in North Carolina.","og_url":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/meet-the-2016-ncsgwrri-graduate-student-fellows\/","og_site_name":"Coastwatch","article_published_time":"2016-10-10T18:50:43+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-05-21T19:54:12+00:00","author":"Dave Shaw","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Dave Shaw","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/meet-the-2016-ncsgwrri-graduate-student-fellows\/","url":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/meet-the-2016-ncsgwrri-graduate-student-fellows\/","name":"Meet the 2016 NCSG\/WRRI Graduate Student Fellows - Coastwatch","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/meet-the-2016-ncsgwrri-graduate-student-fellows\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/meet-the-2016-ncsgwrri-graduate-student-fellows\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"","datePublished":"2016-10-10T18:50:43+00:00","dateModified":"2024-05-21T19:54:12+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/#\/schema\/person\/9462183c95cb42509aed4d3346e43fe1"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/meet-the-2016-ncsgwrri-graduate-student-fellows\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/meet-the-2016-ncsgwrri-graduate-student-fellows\/#primaryimage","url":"","contentUrl":""},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/#website","url":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/","name":"Coastwatch","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/#\/schema\/person\/9462183c95cb42509aed4d3346e43fe1","name":"Dave Shaw","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dabfeb46dfe41055acf38c64062edacf?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dabfeb46dfe41055acf38c64062edacf?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Dave Shaw"},"url":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/author\/dmshaw\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21900","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/63"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21900"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21900\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23700,"href":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21900\/revisions\/23700"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9062"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21900"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21900"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21900"},{"taxonomy":"_ncst_magazine_issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/_ncst_magazine_issue?post=21900"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}