What brought you to Drexel, and why did you decide to study environmental science? 

I think my tenure at Drexel is longer than my tenure at PDE! I did an accelerated program, so I was there for five years to do my bachelors and masters. I actually started at Drexel thinking I would be an engineer. I got work-study money and linked up with Dr. Walter Bien, who was doing research in the Pine Barrens. I started doing plant work for him and just got hooked on it. The coursework for engineering was fine, but my heart wasn’t in it. I started my sophomore year as an environmental science major, continued working with Dr. Bien in the Pine Barrens and did my master’s working with pine snakes. I just knew that this was it — that studying environmental science was worth the investment. The professors at Drexel were so great in environmental science. I had a lot of great experiences there, especially in my field courses. 

Why did you decide to pursue a PhD? 

After graduating from Drexel, I got a consulting job, and then an internship with the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary. I fell in love with all the fieldwork that the PDE was giving me, and I thought, “I could really do this.” I could focus on collecting data, analyzing data and making something of it. And that's what I continue to do. I got the opportunity to go back to Drexel for my doctorate. It's hard to do your doctorate and work full time at the same time, but I always wanted to get a doctorate. During my undergraduate and master's work at Drexel, I had worked with a lot of PhD students, helping them with their research. That convinced me that I could do that in the future and that it was something I would be capable of. It could get me to the next level of my career and polish up my scientific skillsets. So when the opportunity did arise, I jumped on it... and then worked through all the gritty detail and emotional turmoil that comes from trying to balance a full-time job with the extra workload of a doctorate. I'm fortunate that I chose something to study for my doctorate that was so in line with what we're doing at PDE. There is quite a bit of overlap, especially with the fieldwork and analysis. 

What does a typical day look like for you?  

Every day is a little different. I started as an intern helping with fieldwork — that was definitely my strong suit. And then as I worked my way up the ranks, I've had more office work to do. But from starting that position, and especially with long-term monitoring, you start to become very familiar with the way things look over time, and so being able to do that fieldwork component is crucial to me. It's also good to be able to get out and see the things that we're trying to protect. I appreciate the consistency with which I've been able to do that. 

What should people know about your work, and why it’s important?  

Environmental science as a topic is really important because we all rely on the environment, whether people feel like they have a direct connection to it or not. It is something that I think we need to grow our respect for. In the past, especially during industrial times, we've certainly abused our relationship with nature. But I think the tide is changing, and we're starting to understand that nature is important. Nature is important for our economy. It's important for our mental health. Even if you can’t see it, there's ecology everywhere, and it has direct connections to people. Bringing that to light and making people understand is how things change. 

My focus is on coastal environments. An estuary is where the ocean meets a river, so there's an influx of nutrients and migratory species. It was an important food source historically. The Lenape living here heavily depend on the estuary. Europeans used it a means of commerce. Having the ability to tap into the resources of the estuary contributed to people's success. Now we depend on it for commerce, food, resources and as a means to secure clean and abundant water. We're fortunate to have a lot of water in this watershed and to also have a robust economy. Industry is important, but a lot of the work we do in the estuary is making sure that these resources — the fish, the water, the habitats — are still safe, and that we can do both at the same time. 

What can individuals do to help protect the environment?  

At PDE, we have an engagement department that does a lot of great work with the community. Litter is a huge problem in the Delaware estuary; not dumping things into storm drains is also important. Little things like that seem to help overall. If everyone follows suit, then we have big change on our hands. Then there are things like politics — making sure that we have government leadership that respects our relationship with the natural environment and understands that it's not going to protect itself. It takes energy and money to solve problems and keep the environment healthy. The politics around the environment have been tumultuous the last few decades, but we’re making progress. It's not all a gloomy story. But it is going to take intentional effort and intentional work. 

What advice would you give to a current student looking to pursue a similar career path? 

Environmental science is not easy, but it’s a passion that you have to have. Out of all the jobs, environmental science probably doesn't pay the best salary, but it pays the best in passion output from my perspective. I'm a little biased as an environmental scientist. We do so much good work, and there's really obvious impact to the work that we do. I think the passion that environmental scientists have for the natural environment is special. To realize that early on feels overwhelming, but if you stick with it because it's your passion you will find success.