In August, IAN welcomed Meena Toolaabee as a Climate Resilience Fellow through the Chesapeake Conservation and Climate Corps. As her capstone project under the one-year program, Meena will assess vulnerability to natural and human hazards across the state of Maryland in the context of climate change. She graduated from UMD College Park in December 2025 with a bachelor's degree in civil and environmental engineering. She is eager to learn more about the wide variety of careers in environmental science and communication and loves any excuse for a site visit. We're so excited to have her on the team!

Annual Baltimore Ecosystem Study Meeting

Katie May Laumann and Meena Toolaabee attended the Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES) Annual Meeting on October 15th, which was hosted at the Stillmeadow Community Fellowship in West Baltimore. Environmental researchers and professionals gathered to share the projects they’ve been working on, covering a wide array of issues within communities, ecosystems, and green economics. Katie May introduced a new project focused on baselining Maryland’s resilience to climate change and opened the door for future collaboration with the attendees. With community-driven research, it’s always important to recruit a wide range of participants. BES attendees provided wonderful questions and suggestions that will further inform the course of the project.