Congratulations, Veronica!

Veronica Malabanan Lucchese, a PhD candidate and NOAA-LMRCSC Fellow II at IAN-UMCES, was recently awarded the Bill Huppert Endowed Student Award in Marine, Estuarine, and Environmental Sciences. Funded by the Maryland Saltwater Sportfishermen's Association (MSSA) Scholarship Foundation, this recognition celebrates her contributions to community engagement and invasive fisheries management in Chesapeake Bay. Her research focuses on conducting a socio-ecological network analysis of invasive blue catfish alongside native striped bass and blue crab fisheries to enhance stakeholder participation in decision-making processes. This summer, she will be conducting paid surveys with fishery stakeholders to further inform her work and research efforts. Those who complete the survey will be entered into a raffle to win $50! To take the survey and enter the raffle, CLICK HERE or email Veronica at vlucchese@umces.edu

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