C-StREAM Alumni Spotlight

Nicholas Coleman is a Maryland native originally from Upper Marlboro. One of his earliest exposures to environmental science research was provided by the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC), when he began volunteering in the Marine Invasions Lab when he was 13. Nicholas went on to attend Coastal Carolina University (CCU) where he received a Bachelor’s of Science in Marine Science and a minor in Biology. During his undergraduate experience, Nicholas was a part of the inaugural C-StREAM cohort in 2017 and spent the summer in the Fisheries Conservation Lab. He returned to participate in C-Stream in the summer of 2018 and worked in the Fisheries Science Laboratory at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS). After graduating from CCU, Nicholas was a Graduate Research Assistant and NOAA Living Marine Resources Cooperative Science Center (LMRCSC) Graduate Fellow at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES). At UMCES, Nicholas worked with his advisor Dr. Dave Secor, to estimate the abundance of Atlantic sturgeon in a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. Nicholas completed his Master’s in September of 2022 and currently works as a contractor for NOAA’s Office of Sustainable Fisheries in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Mackenzie Smith is currently enrolled at Towson University earning her undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies with a concentration in Public Health. Her love for nature blossomed when she was around the age of 8, watching nature documentaries. It became clear to her and from then on, that exploring nature would be one of the biggest goals in her life. Through further education and fellowships, Mackenzie’s biggest goal and passion currently is being a loud and educating voice for nature. She has embarked on this journey by attending college and becoming knowledgeable on the Chesapeake Bay issues through seminars and classes. Last summer she was honored with the opportunity to fellow for C-StREAM, where she worked as a Diversity, Equity, Justice, and Inclusion staffer, hosted by the EPA’s office in Annapolis Maryland. The goal of this job was to spread awareness of DEIJ goals and how to implement them within every project/task created by the EPA. Furthermore, she was responsible for connecting the EPA with a local environmentally focused non-profit organization that needed access to resources available to them. Mackenzie has found her niche in presenting, giving speeches, and having conversations with anyone who will listen to what she feels are the urgent actions the environment requires for true restoration. She was also a facilitator at the Chesapeake Community Modeling Program Biannual Conference in 2022. There she assisted with a panel discussion and worked directly with the audience and helped them get their voices heard and questions out to the panel. Mackenzie is well on her way to a wonderful and adventurous career!