Farewell, Nathan!

Last month, we said farewell to IAN science communicator, Nathan Miller. Over the past five years, Nathan contributed to various projects, including the development of environmental health report cards such as the Rio Grande Report Card and the Coral Reef Ecosystem Status Reports. He also managed our extensive media library and led or co-facilitated numerous teaching initiatives for our science communication and data interpretation courses. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors!

Connecting with the community at the CBL Open House

On September 7th, Heath Kelsey and Lili Badri represented IAN at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory's annual open house. The IAN booth offered interactive activities for all ages and showcased information about our socio-environmental assessments. The event highlighted CBL’s innovative research while providing fun, hands-on activities for the local community. It was a fantastic opportunity to connect with community members and reconnect with fellow UMCES faculty and staff. Despite a slightly windy day, the event saw an impressive turnout.

Highlighting UMCES Science at the American Fisheries Society Conference

Veronica Malabanan Lucchese, 3rd year PhD student and NOAA-LMRCSC fellow at IAN, recently attended the AFS Annual Meeting held at the Honolulu Convention Center, HI, from September 15-19. During the conference, she presented her research titled "Tackling Inequality in the Potomac River Watershed Using Social Network Analysis" in the session on "Co-production of Integrated Ecosystem-Based Science for Management Decision." Additionally, she played a key role in facilitating the "Offshore Wind, Fish, and Fisheries - Emerging Knowledge and Applications" session, collaborating with her NOAA-LMRCSC counterparts and industry leaders. Throughout the event, the discussions highlighted critical food and environmental injustices faced by local and Hawaiian communities, specifically rebuilding historic fish ponds. This experience further fueled Veronica's passion for advocating for underrepresented groups, aiming to enhance their inclusion in management processes and empower them in shaping their environmental futures.

Team building at the IAN office retreat

On September 23rd, IAN held a staff retreat at its Annapolis office, offering a day filled with engaging activities focused on team building for the science communicators and science integrators. The retreat featured friendly competitions, fun games, and exciting prizes, creating a relaxed and enjoyable environment for building stronger connections.

Stay tuned for upcoming events

We have a busy schedule this month with several events that we look forward to sharing with everyone soon.