• Craig L. Smith Memorial Scholarship
• Kelley Watson Fellowship
• John M. & Marilyn Zeigler Student Achievement Award
• William J. Hargis Jr. Fellowship Award
• The Matthew Fontaine Maury Student Fellowship Award
• Best Student Paper Awards
• 2006 Service Awards

This scholarship is awarded annually to an academically distinguished graduate student to honor the memory of its namesake, former Professor of Environmental Science Dr. Craig Smith.

This year the Smith Scholarship is awarded to Geoff Wikel for his outstanding contributions to research.

Geoff has been an active contributor at VIMS since arriving in 2004. He was awarded that year's William J. Hargis, Jr. Fellowship Award for exceptional promise, and his performance has now validated that prediction. In addition to his graduate studies, Geoff has been simultaneously enrolled in the Thomas Jefferson Program in Public Policy on the Williamsburg Campus, and during the summer of 2005 participated in the NASA graduate student summer program in earth system science at Wallops Island. He has done well in class, impressed his instructors, and begun with his Master's thesis a valuable contribution to the understanding of the Quaternary geology of the Virginia Sea. He earned praise from faculty and fellow students for his service as a Teaching Assistant, and continues to lend a helping hand whenever needed. In addition to all this, Geoff has managed to maintain a life outside of VIMS. The knowledge, skills, attitude, and effort that have earned the Craig L. Smith Memorial Scholarship for Geoff Wikel will continue to serve him as he progresses in his professional career.

Congratulations, Geoff. | top

The Kelley Watson Fellowship recognizes a student who exhibits academic excellence and leadership and has excelled in the core courses during the first year of graduate study. The fellowship is named in memory of Kelley Watson, a member of the incoming class of September 2000 who impressed her teachers and fellow students with her enthusiasm, commitment to academic excellence, and strong promise for a successful marine science career.

This year the core course instructors have enthusiastically nominated Brian Barnes as the recipient of the Kelley Watson Fellowship.

Brian exemplifies the enthusiasm, commitment, and promise of the Watson Fellowship. A Masters student completing his first academic year at VIMS, Brian impressed all of his instructors in the core courses with his performance. As he embarks on his first field season of research, his enthusiasm is palpable and invigorating to others around him. Faced with the usual Masters student's affliction of overly ambitious research goals, Brian's response each time his committee trims his project is to add another piece. Inquisitive, skeptical, enthusiastic, thoughtful, and hard working are characteristics that we seek in all of our students. In the tradition of many excellent students at VIMS, Brian embodies all of these characteristics and is a true asset to the student body and to our institution. He has a bright future in science.

Congratulations, Brian! | top

The Zeigler Student Achievement Award honors the past contributions to student needs of Dr. John Zeigler, the first SMS Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, and the continuing contributions of Mrs. Marilyn Zeigler. The award is presented annually for recognition of scholarly, professional, and personal integrity, and for the contributions made to the VIMS through enthusiastic participation in its academic and research programs.

This year's award recipient is Dr. Todd Gedamke.

Todd logged 78 days on scallop boats for his Master's research, then developed two novel methods for estimating catching efficiency of scallop dredges. The catch quota for scallop fisheries depends directly on the value of the dredge efficiency, which was controversial. At stake were several million pounds of scallops. Todd's work settled the issue.

Todd is unique in having had three co-advisors for his doctoral work. He managed to satisfy all masters. He received a special fellowship from the National Marine Fisheries Service for studies in quantitative science. Todd studied the barndoor skate, a species that was being considered for listing as an endangered species. He developed several new methods for estimating population parameters. His mortality estimators are now being used for skates, monkfish, scallops, and groupers by the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism. It's rare that a student's work becomes important methodology in stock assessment programs. Happily, Todd found the barndoor skate population is growing rapidly on Georges Bank.

Todd was an invited participant at an international meeting on listing endangered fish species. He is the only student to serve on a fishery management Plan Development Team; serving on the Skate Team for the New England Fishery Management Council. He also served as an Associate Editor of the North American Journal of Fisheries Management, quite an honor for a student. He left VIMS with nine papers published or in review. Fisheries Magazine is profiling Todd as a promising new scientist.

Congratulations, Todd! | top

Dr. Hargis established this annual award to recognize a first-year graduate student based on superior academic performance and a demonstration of exceptional promise in marine research. Nominations for the Hargis Fellowship are made by instructors in the first-year core courses and forwarded to the Dean of Graduate Studies.

The co-winners of the William J. Hargis, Jr. Fellowship for 2006 are Katherine Brodie (L) and Stacie Rice (R).

Kate Brodie graduated magna cum laude from Dartmouth College in 2006, earning a B.S. degree in Environmental Earth Sciences. She was a member of the Dartmouth Women's Swimming and Diving Team—winning three Ivy League Diving Championships—and "jumped" at every academic opportunity available to gain experience in marine science. Kate completed an honors thesis investigating sediment-stratified flows, participated in an REU project examining currents at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay, and served as an assistant scientist on research cruises exploring front interactions near Cape Hatteras.

Kate has continued this impressive track record since joining the VIMS community, combining excellent academic performance with a strong work ethic and a mature ability to discern cutting-edge questions from the literature and field observations. She has already made strides in her thesis research by developing processing algorithms needed for a radar system that will be used to understand and predict flooding and erosion of coastal regions during storms.

Kate exemplifies the Hargis Award standards of performance and promise in marine science, and we cheer her on toward future successes.

Stacie Rice combines superlative performance with a kind and thoughtful demeanor. To quote her undergraduate advisor, former VIMS Ph.D. Sid Mitra at Binghamton University, Stacie's accomplishments there: "?ere stellar. Through hard work, dedication (and a lot of chocolate) she rose to the highest echelon in every course and academic endeavor she undertook. Despite Stacie's success, she is extremely pleasant—a friend and colleague to some and a teacher to others."

We are elated Stacie chose VIMS for graduate school. Her accomplishments in the introductory program have indeed been stellar. Even while an exemplar in the classroom and lab, Stacie still finds the opportunity and energy to investigate future research questions. It is rare to find someone so academically talented and focused, yet who exhibits such admirable patience and interpersonal skills. While only being at VIMS a few months now, Stacie has clearly made a significant positive impact. With her capabilities, drive and creativity we eagerly look forward to her future professional accomplishments.

Congratulations, Kate and Stacie! | top

The Matthew Fontaine Maury Student Fellowship Award is made possible by a gift and pledge of Retired U.S. Navy Captain J. Maury Werth to honor his great-grandfather Matthew Fontaine Maury, a son of Virginia often referred to as the "Father of Oceanography" and the "Pathfinder of the Seas." The Maury Award recognizes interdisciplinary achievements in marine and environmental scholarship, research, and/or policy/management efforts, and outstanding publications, thesis, or dissertation work.

This year's winner is Amanda Spivak.

Amanda is one of the most accomplished interdisciplinary students ever enrolled in our graduate program, and exemplifies a high standard of interdisciplinary scholarship. During her tenure in the School of Marine Science, she has designed and executed a highly novel study using eelgrass beds to examine how the structure and diversity of a food web influence the quality and cycling of organic carbon. This work is at the frontier of environmental research, and uniquely integrates an experimental ecological approach with the application of state-of-the-art geochemical tools.

In addition to the intellectual merits of her work, Amanda's dissertation project has the potential to benefit society through its broader relevance to issues of habitat restoration and biodiversity.

Amanda's research transcends the fields of ecology and geochemistry and builds something greater than the sum of the parts. Her creative and interdisciplinary Ph.D. project is highly deserving of recognition via the 2006 Maury Award, and fulfills the highest standards of the award's nature and spirit.

Congratulations, Amanda! | top

Each year a committee of faculty and students must undertake the difficult task of choosing the best journal articles from the many high-quality papers written by VIMS graduate students. Each paper considered is either accepted, in press, or published in a high-quality, peer-reviewed journal. The papers truly reflect the superb quality of the research conducted by VIMS students and the outstanding mentoring of their advisors.

This year's choice for the best paper by a Master's student goes to Ms. Julia Ellis for her article on "Ontogenetic changes in the diet of the sandbar shark, Carcharhinus plumbeus, in lower Chesapeake Bay and Virginia coastal waters," which is in press in Environmental Biology of Fishes. The paper was co-authored by Jack Musick. Committee members note that the paper reflects an impressive student effort, and gives cause for optimism about the future of one of Virginia's most notable fish species. Read the abstract here.

The award for best paper by a PhD student goes to Dr. Jason See for his article on "Uptake of Spartina-derived humic nitrogen by estuarine phytoplankton in non-axenic and axenic culture." Jason's paper was published in Limnology and Oceanography. His co-authors are Deborah Bronk and Alan Lewitus. This very polished work argues for a re-evaluation of coastal marine nutrient budgets worldwide.

Congratulations Julia and Jason. | Read papers online (VIMS only) | top

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