Ocean Studies

Quahog Awards

Conservancy provides Ocean Studies seniors with research fund backing

Cassie lopez has handled her share of European Green Crabs, which are considered one of the world’s most harmful invasive species.

As one of three Quahog Bay Conservancy (QBC) research award recipients, Lopez will have a chance to see more of them and other marine life as part of her capstone project investigating human disturbance on marine invertebrate biodiversity in Acadia National Park’s intertidal community. The money will allow her more travel to the park, and more chances to investigate, sample and build statistical analysis than would have otherwise been the case.

“I never imagined I would be able to do such unique work in a national park,” she says. “I’m extremely excited at the prospects.”

So is Jim McKenna, Ph.D., Chair of the Corning School for Ocean Studies: “We are excited about our partnership with QBC. They have generously donated $5,000 in support of undergraduate research at MMA. In addition to student financial support, through the competitive application process we have developed for the funds, students are also learning real-world research grant writing skills.”

We decided to work with MMA, which is known for its programming strength.

In creating the fund and selecting winners, the Quahog Conservancy, founded in 2014, considered marine science research that may or may not directly affect its mission of restoring the ecosystem of Quahog Bay, which feeds into Casco Bay.

“We’ve implemented several innovative programs that target threats to Quahog Bay,” says Nicole Twohig, QBC Program Manager. “In the process we’ve worked with local organizations to strengthen our efforts. We wanted to better integrate with the academic community, so we decided to work with MMA, which is known for its programming strength. We see it as the
beginning of a long-term partnership.

“We think students are incredibly creative, and that’s what it takes to solve the complex problems facing the marine environment.”█