MEES IN THE NEWS

july 2026 - marine conservation month

NEWS ARCHIVE

MEES RESEARCH CENTER

marine conservation & environmental chemistry

dr. beth polidoro (UMCES)

Dr. Beth Polidoro  is an internationally recognized expert in marine science and environmental chemistry who currently serves as the Director of the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory (CBL) and Professor of Marine Conservation and Environmental Chemistry at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES).  Dr. Polidoro studies the impacts of anthropogenic activities on aquatic life, with a particular emphasis on applied toxicology and ecological risk assessments. Her research integrates laboratory analyses, field sampling, and global policy frameworks to better understand how chemical contaminants, microplastics, and global stressors govern species vulnerability, ecosystem health, and human well-being.

Dr. Polidoro earned her undergraduate degree from Portland State University before completing graduate and interdisciplinary doctoral studies in environmental science and aquatic toxicology in the United States and Central America. Throughout her career, she has established an internationally recognized research program focused on environmental toxicology and biodiversity conservation. Her work has advanced understanding of land-based sources of marine pollution, plastic accumulation, and the extinction risks facing thousands of marine species worldwide.

Prior to joining UMCES, Dr. Polidoro built an extensive portfolio of institutional leadership roles. At Arizona State University (ASU), she served as the Deputy Director for the Center for Biodiversity Outcomes and Assistant Director of the School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, where she spear-headed strategic educational initiatives and cross-sector conservation research partnerships. A fundamental pillar of her career is her monumental work with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. As a former Senior Research Associate with the IUCN Marine Biodiversity Unit, she led collaborative global teams to quantify environmental threats and extinction parameters for more than 20,000 marine species. She has further extended this global impact through her ongoing tenure as Co-Chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) Marine Fishes Red List Authority, driving critical data frameworks that assess threatened marine bony fishes, corals, and commercially harvested stocks to prevent species loss on a global scale.

A hallmark of Dr. Polidoro's research is its deeply interdisciplinary and collaborative nature. By coupling chemical toxicology with global conservation policy and sustainable fisheries management, she has helped explain how pollutant runoff affects aquatic biodiversity and sustainable development, providing essential scientific guidance for managing global fisheries and protecting marine wildlife. She has secured competitive funding from diverse federal and international agencies and has authored more than 80 peer-reviewed scientific publications, accumulating thousands of citations. As a mentor and leader, she has trained numerous graduate students and postdoctoral researchers who have transitioned into successful careers across academia, government, and international environmental organizations. Her ongoing research continues to improve understanding of the complex interactions among human-driven pollution, chemical risk, and marine biodiversity, helping scientists and resource managers better anticipate and mitigate the impacts of modern environmental threats on fragile global ecosystems. For more on Dr. Polidaro, please click here.

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eDNA Monitoring of bottlenose dolphins and fish in the chesapeake bay

lauren rodriguez (m,S, ‘23)

Lauren Rodriguez (‘23, M.S.) is a marine biologist and doctoral researcher in the Applied Animal Ecology Research Unit in the Department of Zoology at the University of Innsbruck, Austria, where she is pursuing a Ph.D. in Zoology. Her current research focuses on the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) to study marine mammal distribution, biodiversity, feeding ecology, and population genetics. As part of the international eWHALE research program, she is developing and applying noninvasive molecular approaches to study cetaceans, including sperm whales in the Azores and humpback whales in Iceland. Advised by Dr. Helen Bailey, Rodriguez earned her M.S. in MEES from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) in 2023, conducting her research at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory.  

Her work combines field-based sampling, molecular techniques, bioinformatics, ecological analysis, and citizen science to develop new approaches for monitoring marine mammals and informing conservation.

Rodriguez earned her M.S. in Marine, Estuarine, and Environmental Sciences (MEES) from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science in 2023, conducting her graduate research at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory. Before entering the MEES program, Rodriguez had already established an impressive record of interdisciplinary research experience. She studied Marine Science and Biology at the University of Miami before transferring to Michigan State University, where she earned a B.S. in Zoology with a concentration in Animal Behavior and Neurobiology and a minor in Geographic Information Systems. Her undergraduate research included work in the University of Miami's Shark Research and Conservation Program, where she gained experience with acoustic and satellite tagging, abundance and movement ecology, and community outreach. At Michigan State, she conducted research in an applied nematology laboratory and worked as a GIS Technician in the Data-Intensive Landscape Limnology Laboratory, where she contributed to the development of the LAGOS-US database and gained extensive experience with ArcGIS, Python, R, geospatial analysis, data management, and ecological data visualization.

A particularly important milestone prior to MEES was Rodriguez's selection as a Maryland Sea Grant Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Fellow in 2019 at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory. Working with Dr. Helen Bailey, she conducted an independent study of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the Chesapeake Bay using citizen-science observations collected through the Chesapeake DolphinWatch program. She used GIS to examine spatial distribution and generalized additive models to investigate relationships between dolphin occurrence and environmental variables including temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and tidal state. Her analysis demonstrated the potential for citizen-science observations and quantitative modeling to identify environmental patterns associated with dolphin distribution and to generate information useful for marine mammal management. Her REU research subsequently became the basis of her first peer-reviewed publication, “Spatial and temporal variation in the occurrence of bottlenose dolphins in the Chesapeake Bay, USA, using citizen science sighting data,” published in PLOS ONE in 2021.

Rodriguez was selected to recieve a two-year, full-time Solomons House Graduate Research Fellowship at Chesapeake Biological Laboratory in 2020. The fellowship was highly competitive, with many applicants and only a small number of students selected. While at MEES, Rodriguez shifted her research emphasis from dolphin observations and spatial modeling toward environmental DNA metabarcoding as a tool for assessing aquatic biodiversity. Her master's thesis, Assessing Vertebrate Biodiversity Across the Chesapeake Bay Using Environmental DNA Metabarcoding, investigated whether DNA shed by organisms into the surrounding environment could be collected from water samples and used to characterize vertebrate communities across the Chesapeake Bay. The research results showed strong spatial patterns associated with the Chesapeake Bay's salinity gradient and demonstrated that environmental conditions, particularly salinity, influence vertebrate community composition.

An especially important component of Rodriguez's MEES research was her investigation of bottlenose dolphin eDNA; demonstrating an important step towards developing eDNA aas a tool for monitoring elusive, highly mobile marine mammals.

Throughout her graduate studies, Rodriguez also expanded her scientific communication, leadership, and professional service. She presented her research at scientific meetings and UMCES research events and remained engaged in outreach and interdisciplinary collaboration. Her MEES experience added molecular ecology and eDNA metabarcoding to an already strong foundation in marine mammal biology, GIS, ecological modeling, and quantitative data analysis.

Following completion of her M.S. in 2023, Rodriguez moved into international marine mammal research at the University of Innsbruck, where she is now pursuing doctoral research in zoology. Her current work extends the methodological foundation established during her MEES thesis by applying eDNA to marine mammal ecology on an international scale. Her research examines the use of eDNA collected from seawater to detect cetaceans and obtain information about their distribution, ecology, and genetic characteristics. Recent work has focused on optimizing eDNA sampling from whale-watching vessels, including questions of sampling volume, timing, and filtration methods, while incorporating citizen scientists into marine biodiversity monitoring. Her current research at the University of Innsbruck builds directly on that foundation and extends the application of eDNA from the Chesapeake Bay to international studies of whales, with potential applications for marine mammal conservation, population monitoring, and ecosystem management. For more on Lauren Rodriguez, please click here.

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MEES RESEARCH CENTER

understanding invasive species impacts in the chesapeake bay: a look at the blue crab

madison sholes (‘24, M.S.)

Madison Sholes (M.S. ’24) is a second year MEES Master’s student at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science's (UMCES) Chesapeake Biological Laboratory (CBL).   Advised by Dr. Michael Wilberg, Madison’s thesis research examines the effects of invasive Blue Catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) on Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus) abundance in the Chesapeake Bay and the population dynamics of Blue Catfish in Chesapeake Bay tributaries.

Before entering the MEES program in 2024, Madison had already developed a broad interdisciplinary background in marine science, fisheries ecology, earning a B.S. in Marine Science with a concentration in Biological Oceanography from North Carolina State University (NCSU) in 2024, graduating with a 3.799 GPA. She was named to the Dean's List throughout at NCSU and received several scholarships and awards including the Study Abroad Greatest Needs Scholarship (2022), NCSU’s Provost's Professional Experience Fellowship (2023),, the 2023 Dr. Patricia McClellan-Green Summer Fellowship, the GBHS American Red Cross Scholarship, and the H. B. Blevins Memorial Scholarship.

During a semester at the NC State Center for Marine Sciences and Technology (CMAST) in Morehead City, she completed intensive coursework in oceanography, marine conservation biology, marine fisheries ecology, marine mammal biology, and marine resource management and policy. She also conducted an independent research project examining the relationship between gastrointestinal tract length and diet in cetaceans using more than two decades of marine mammal morphometric data. Her analysis compared species with different feeding strategies and culminated in a presentation of her findings to faculty and fellow students.

Madison subsequently gained research experience in several areas of marine and aquatic science. As an undergraduate assistant in the Lohmann Laboratory, she studied juvenile flounder magnetoreception, analyzing behavioral videos and using image-analysis software and R to quantify animal responses. As a science communication intern with the Paerl Laboratory, she conducted field and laboratory work related to harmful algal blooms and water-quality monitoring while translating research findings into videos, infographics, websites, and other materials for public audiences. She also participated in a semester-long Galápagos study-abroad program through the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, where she studied marine and freshwater ecology, marine research techniques, and resource management and conducted field research in coastal Ecuador, the Galápagos Islands, and the Amazon.

One of the most important steps toward Madison's eventual specialization in quantitative fisheries science was her 2023 Dr. Patricia McClellan-Green Summer Fellowship at NC State's Center for Marine Sciences and Technology. Working with fisheries researchers, she participated in a mark-recapture study of North Carolina Blue Crabs, assisting with trapping and tagging animals and gaining experience with fisheries sampling and population-dynamics research. She also designed an independent study comparing the selectivity of three types of crab traps among sampling sites. Although she had only recently begun working with R and had not yet taken formal statistics courses, she independently learned the necessary analytical methods and used transformations, Kruskal-Wallis tests, generalized linear models, and data visualization to analyze and interpret her results. Her research mentor specifically noted her aptitude for quantitative fisheries science and her ability to rapidly acquire advanced analytical skills.

Madison's undergraduate experiences also shaped her interest in the relationship between fisheries science, resource management, and stakeholder trust. While working in coastal North Carolina, she attended a North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries meeting concerning the Southern Flounder Management Plan and observed significant distrust between scientists and commercial and recreational fishers. A subsequent semester in the Galápagos exposed her to communities affected by the collapse of sea cucumber and lobster fisheries. These experiences led her to conclude that effective and sustainable fisheries management requires not only sound science but also communication and trust among scientists, managers, and resource users. She entered graduate school with the goal of applying quantitative ecology and fisheries modeling to management problems while helping bridge the divide between scientific and fishing communities.

During her final undergraduate year, Madison further strengthened her fisheries research experience through work at NC State's Center for Marine Sciences and Technology. She assisted with blue crab mark-recapture research, processed samples from the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament, contributed photographs to the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council's FISHstory project, and participated in sea turtle nesting surveys and public outreach. She also served as Communications Chair of the NC State Marine Science Club and was active in the Student Fisheries Society and Blue Economy Innovators Club. Her field and laboratory skill set included species identification, sample collection, mark-recapture techniques, animal care, dissections and necropsies, microscopy, SCUBA, and quantitative analysis using R, RStudio, ArcGIS, ImageJ, and related tools.

Madison entered the MEES M.S. program in Fall 2024 and has performed exceptionally well academically, earning a 4.0 graduate GPA in her first year.  Madison's thesis research examines the effects of invasive Blue Catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) on Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus) abundance in the Chesapeake Bay and the population dynamics of Blue Catfish in Chesapeake Bay tributaries.  

Madison's research has already received recognition including the highly competitive Deboarh Morrin-Nordlund Travel Award (2025), presented her research at the 2026 Tidewater American Fisheries Society (AFS) meeting, as well as participating in the Chesapeake Bay Invasive Catfish Workgroup, which brings together scientist, state and federal resource management agencies in an effort to better understand and manage invasive catfish in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. 

Madison has complemented her research with sustained professional service, scientific communication, and outreach. Her activities have included educating the public about fish diets and ecology at the Big Rock Kids' Tournament, presenting information about harmful algal blooms and plankton at a community waterway event, and developing graphic materials for the SciREN Coast science-communication program. Her involvement reflects her broader interest in making scientific information accessible to stakeholders and strengthening communication between researchers, managers, and the communities that depend upon aquatic resources. She has also served as the UMCES-CBL representative for the MEES Graduate Student Organization, providing a leadership role within the graduate program.

Her master's research on invasive Blue Catfish and Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab addresses an important regional fisheries-management problem while also providing quantitative estimates of the potential effects of an invasive predator on an economically and ecologically important species. For more on Madison, please click here.

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