IAN farewells Christina Lyerly and welcomes Vanessa Vargas

Christina Lyerly has accepted a position at the Maryland Department of Environment, working on stormwater issues. She will dramatically reduce her daily commute and be able to work on issues close to her heart. Christina was able to complete the New Insights report before leaving and her assistance with the MADE Clear project and various other IAN projects will be missed. Vanessa Vargas recently joined IAN as a Science Communication Assistant. She recently obtained her Master's in Marine, Estuarine, and Environmental Science from the University of Maryland while working as a Graduate Research Assistant at the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology in Baltimore. Vanessa hails from the Philippines where she obtained a Bachelor's and Master's degree from the University of the Philippines (UP). She worked as a Research Associate at the Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) laboratory at the UP Marine Science Institute, focusing primarily on the microbial ecology and toxicity of Pyrodinium bahamense var compressum and other HABs species. Vanessa is an avid SCUBA diver and traveler. In her free time, she enjoys exploring new places and adventures, and studying movement through the Martial Arts.

---