Members
Paul Leisnham
Principal Investigator
leisnham@umd.edu
I have research expertise in socio-ecological systems, mosquitoes, vector-borne disease, community ecology, and invasion biology. I serve as the Department of Environmental Science and Technology (ENST) Director of Undergraduate Studies and regularly teach courses. I supplement my classroom teaching by advising undergraduate students on independent research projects and advising graduate students with their Masters and PhD work through ENST and the Marine Estuarine Environmental Sciences Program. I am also the instructor of Advanced Ecosystem Health and Natural Resource Management, which is the core course of the ENST graduate specialization by the same name. I collaborate with numerous researchers, extension professionals, and community partners on projects funded by state and federal grants, including those from NSF, USDA-NIFA, EPA-STAR, and NOAA.
Barry Bowman
Master’s Student, MEES
bowmanba@umd.edu
As an ecologist, I am interested in the interactions between different communities, including anthropogenic effects. Currently, I am a master's student enrolled in the MEES program at College Park, and I am studying how perceptions and attitudes towards stormwater management practices affect stakeholder adoption of best management practices. My interest in streams and stormwater began while earning my bachelor's degree from Appalachian State University. After graduating, I worked in a variety of places and fields, through which I developed my interest for incorporating human dimensions with ecology.
Amanda Rockler
Doctoral Student, MEES
arockler@umd.edu
I am a graduate student researching stormwater and behavior. In my day job, and I am Regional Watershed Restoration Specialist with the University of Maryland’s Sea Grant Extension Program. I work with local governments, non-profits, residents, and other entities to improve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay.
Sarah Rothman
Doctoral Candidate, ENST
rothmans@umd.edu
I am a community ecologist interested in anthropogenic impacts on ecosystem structure and function. I am especially passionate about environmental research with relevance for resource management, environmental justice, and policy. Currently, I am researching the relationship between urban green space and medically important mosquito species across socioeconomic gradients in Baltimore and DC. Previously, as a master’s student in Penn State University’s Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, I studied wildflower meadow restoration on surface mines. As an undergraduate intern for the National Park Service, I investigated forest understory regeneration in Valley Forge National Historical Park in conjunction with a survey of the white-tail deer population to quantify the impact of a new deer-culling program.
Gabriella Chen
Undergraduate Student, ENST
gabriellachen02@gmail.com
I am a current undergraduate student at the University of Maryland earning my B.S. in Environmental Science and Technology with a concentration in Ecosystem Health. Outside of the lab I am a member of the club field hockey team at UMD and recently finished an internship as an Environmental Education Intern at the Howard County Conservancy. I’m very enthusiastic in expanding my knowledge on ecology and ecosystem functions with the hopes to help develop solutions for the current issues our planet faces today.
Josh Hilton
Undergraduate Student, ENST
jhilton3@terpmail.umd.edu