(Photo by CRC)
Welcome to the C-StREAM Symposium 2025 page!
At the beginning of August 2025, we held our annual C-StREAM Symposium. C-StREAM interns gave presentations on their research and work in front of an audience of mentors and guests from the Chesapeake Bay Region. You can view the student presentations and abstracts below. The projects from Summer 2025 C-StREAM interns reflect the priorities of the grants at the time. View the agenda here.
Presentations
Liliana Ramirez
The University of Mary Washington
Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF)
&
Linda Miranda
Hampton University
Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF)
Title: “Pine Cone Harbour: Incorporating Natural Infrastructure to Increase Resilience”
Ezra Krantz
Reed College
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) / Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP)
Title: “Tracking Trends in Bay Water Quality”
Abstract: Ezra spent his summer developing tributary summary reports and geonarratives for the Maryland Mainstem and York tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay. These tools visualize 40 years of water quality monitoring data using graphs and interactive maps, while describing patterns in water quality and factors that cause changes over time.
Janiece Jefferson
St. Edward’s University
Potomac Environmental Research and Education Center (PEREC) at George Mason University
Title: “Investigating the cHAB Microseira wollei in the Tidal Freshwater Potomac”
Abstract: During my internship at George Mason University’s Potomac Science Center, I assisted with ongoing research on Microseira wollei and other harmful algal blooms. I conducted microscopy, participated in field sampling and lab processing, and contributed to pigment analysis including chlorophyll a and phycocyanin. My work supported investigations into the ecological impact of benthic cyanobacteria in freshwater systems.
Tara Blue
Virginia Tech
Potomac Environmental Research and Education Center (PEREC) at George Mason University
Title: “Fish Ecology Lab at George Mason University”
Abstract: This summer, I worked part time assisting PhD students with their research in the Fish Ecology Lab at George Mason. I worked on a multitude of projects, such as building predation tracking devices, coding Arduino boards, electrofishing for invasive fish, dissecting Snakeheads and Blue Catfish, and collecting samples from the benthic zone of Pohick Bay.
Vivian Maneval
University of Maryland at College Park
Underwood & Associates
Title: “A Vegetation-Based Evaluation of Shoreline Restoration on the Severn River”
Abstract: This study investigates how vegetation community structure and productivity differ between restored living shorelines and unrestored shoreline marshes across three paired sites in the Severn River. The findings display the degree to which living shoreline restoration supports diverse and productive tidal marsh vegetation.
Kami Lentzsch
Washington College
Center for Ecosystem Recovery (CER)
Title: “A Field Guide to Beavers in the MD Coastal Plain: Impacts on Water Quality and Temperature”
Abstract: Kami spent her summer as a Restoration Science Intern with the Center for Ecosystem Recovery (CER), in partnership with Underwood & Associates, studying the influence of beaver activity on stream water quality in the Jabez Branch (Severn Run) ecosystem. By measuring dissolved oxygen, temperature regimes, conductivity, and turbidity, her work examines the ecological role beavers play in Maryland’s coastal plain streams.
Charlie Nick
Ohio University
Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay / Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP)
Title: “Visual Storytelling Across the Chesapeake Bay Watershed”
Abstract: This project explores the value of visual communication through translating environmental stories to audiences across the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. An image is a way of translating information by putting the viewer in the shoes of the observer. Highlighting the Chesapeake Bay Program’s goals with a camera connects people with their community and creates a stronger sense of urgency in conserving the environment through empathy, awareness and understanding.
Emily Gumbrecht
Boston College
Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF)
Title: “Bands in the Sand & Beyond for the Bay”
Abstract: I spent three months at Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s headquarters learning how the organization’s flagship philanthropy event—a beachside concert drawing 1600+ attendees to Annapolis—comes together. It taught me everything about community, conservation and systems thinking.
Ruth Olawumi
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Jug Bay Wetland Sanctuary
Title: “Assessing the Presence of Microplastics in Jug Bay”
Abstract: Little is known about the presence of microplastics in the Patuxent River. Thus, this study aims to help fill in the gaps and expand upon the current understanding of microplastics in this region.
Mady Rhoades
West Virginia University
Jug Bay Wetland Sanctuary
Title: “Salamander baseline research at Jug Bay Wetland Sanctuary”
Abstract: I collected data on salamander populations in jug bay wetland sanctuary. I was testing if there was any relation between stream temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen levels and the presence and absence of salamanders. I was also assessing if there was a difference between salamander populations in between the 5 streams of Jug Bay.
Melinda Lin
Cornell University
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) / Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP)
Title: “Spatial Accounting of Ecosystem Services”
Abstract: Ecosystem services communicate how ecosystems benefit humans. To incorporate ecosystem services into the CBP, the 2023 STAC workshop recommended developing a tool quantifying ecosystem services. My internship addresses this need by 1) mapping ecosystem service measurement tools, 2) building knowledge graphs that connect these tools to the CBP’s new Outcomes, and 3) compiling these findings into a public StoryMap.