Thesis and Internship Defenses

Graduate students in the Environmental and Sustainability Studies program at the College of Charleston are required to present their thesis research during public defenses, showcasing their work to peers, faculty, and the community. These events highlight the students' contributions to environmental knowledge and solutions, marking a significant milestone in their academic journey. Please email Lucy Davis (davislh@cofc.edu) to receive access to recordings or to get notified for upcoming defenses. 

Defenses by Semester

EVSS Thesis defenses are open to the public and available for viewing online and in-person.
  • Summer 2024

    Sarah Jones

    • EVSS Thesis: "Analyzing Highly Populated US Cities for Gentrification and Cultural Loss Metrics: Addressing Gaps in Environmental Justice Data"
    • Advisor: Dr. Jen Jones
    • Commitee Members: Dr. Matt Nowlin, Dr. Susan Lovelace, Dr. Kathleen Trejo Tello
    • Monday May 10th at 4pm
    • Location: SSM 255

    Hannah Quast

    • EVSS Thesis: "Assessing Coastal Streamflow and Compound Flooding Risk"
    • Advisor: Dr. Tim Callahan
    • Commitee Members: Dr. Vijay Vulava, Joshua Robinson, M.S., Landon Knapp, M.S.
    • Monday July 10th at 9:30am
    • Location: SSM 255

    Molly Paige

    • EVSS Thesis: "Examining the Governance of Salmon Fisheries on the Yukon River"
    • Advisor: Dr. Annette Watson
    • Commitee Members: Dr. Brennan Keegan, Dr. Matt Nowlin, Nick Principe, M.S.
    • Monday July 17th at 1:30pm
    • Location: SSM 255
  • Spring 2024

    Cheyenne Twilley

    • EVSS Thesis: "Evaluating the Impacts of Boundary Spanning at the Coastal Science-Policy Interface in Folly Beach, South Carolina"
    • Advisor: Dr. Matt Nowlin
    • Commitee Members: Dr. Kendra Stewart, Dr. Jerry Gordon, Dr. Nicole Elko
    • Monday March 24th at 1pm
    • Location: SSMB 225 and Zoom

    Greg Rothman

    • EVSS Thesis: "Investigating the Transmission of White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) from the Non-Native Red Swamp Crayfish, Procambarus clarkii, to the Native Shrimp, Penaeus setiferus"
    • Advisor: Dr. Michael Kendrick
    • Commitee Members: Dr. Peter Kingsley-Smith, Dr. Allison Welch, Dr. Jody Beers
    • Monday March 27th at 1pm
    • Location: MRRI Auditorium

    Badriyeh Diab

    • EVSS Thesis: "From Their Home Country University to a U.S. University: A Comparative Study of the Sustainability Behavior of International Students"
    • Advisor: Dr. William Veal
    • Commitee Members: Dr. Blake Scott, Dr. Kendra Stewart, Jen Jones, M.S.
    • Monday March 28th at 12pm
    • Location: SSMB 255

    Kent Wicker

    • EVSS Thesis: "Fishing in the Commons: The Effect of Non-Governmental Organizations’ Actions on Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing"
    • Advisor: Dr. Annette Watson
    • Commitee Members: Dr. Matt Nowlin, Dr. Andrew Shedlock, Dr. Allan Strand
    • Monday March 29th at 3pm
    • Location: SSMB 255

    Sarah Haslinger

    • EVSS Thesis: "An Evaluation of the Sustainability Internship Program at the College of Charleston"
    • Advisor: Dr. Tracey Burkett
    • Commitee Members: Dr. Keonya Booker, Dr. Holly Whitfield, Jen Jones, M.S.
    • Monday March 29th at 1pm
    • Location: SSMB 255

    Robin Coker

    • EVSS Thesis: "Habitability Index: Estimating Systematic Habitability for the Longfin Squid Under Climate Change Using Estimated Future Ocean Environmental Parameters"
    • Advisor: Dr. Norm Levine
    • Commitee Members: Dr. Allan Strand, Dr. Tracey Smart, Charlie Kaufman, M.S.
    • Monday April 2nd at 9:00am
    • Location: SSMB 255

    Lauren Greenwood

    • EVSS Thesis: "Land of Water: Residents’ Perceptions of Flooding, Septic Systems, and Buyout Programs in South Carolina”
    • Advisor: Dr. Matt Nowlin
    • Commitee Members: Dr. Brita Jessen, Dr. Brennan Keegan, Dr. Doug Rivet
    • Monday April 2nd at 3pm
    • Location: SSMB 255

    Aidan Christopher

    • EVSS Thesis: "Identification and Assessment of Indoor Air Quality Exposures at a Manufacturing Facility"
    • Advisor: Dr. Norman Levine
    • Commitee Members: Dr. Narayanan Kuthirummal, Lucy Davis M.S., Sarah Tennant, MPH
    • Monday April 4th at 11:30am
    • Location: SSMB 255

    Julia Chrisco

    • EVSS Thesis: "The Application of Two Remote Sensing Platforms for Water Quality Monitoring of Residential Stormwater Ponds in Coastal South Carolina"
    • Advisor: Dr. Barbara Beckingham
    • Commitee Members: Dr. Adam Ali, Dr. Norm Levine, Dr. Andrew Tweel
    • Monday April 4th at 1:30pm
    • Location: SSMB 255

    Treyson Gillespie

    • EVSS Thesis: "Generation of Multibeam Acoustic Data Processing Training Modules for Undergraduate Students using QPS Qimera"
    • Advisor: Dr. Leslie Sautter
    • Commitee Members: Dr. Tracey Hunter-Doniger, Lauren Maurizio, M.S., Robin Humphreys, M.S.
    • Monday April 4th at 3:30pm
    • Location: SSMB 255

    Britney Prebis

    • EVSS Thesis: "Magnifying Microplastics Monitoring: Developing a Community Science Monitoring Program for the Charleston Harbor Watershed"
    • Advisor: Dr. Barbara Beckingham
    • Commitee Members: Dr. Vijay Vulava, Cheryl Carmack, M.S., Elizabeth Bell, M.S.
    • Monday April 5th at 8:30am
    • Location: SSMB 255

    Kit Kelly

    • EVSS Thesis: "Mapping Connections: Engaging Co-Production of Knowledge and Counter Mapping with Non-Federally Recognized Tribes"
    • Advisor: Dr. Brennan Keegan
    • Commitee Members: Dr. Annette Watson, Dr. Matt Nowlin, Dr. Can Dalyan
    • Monday April 5th at 9:30am
    • Location: SSMB 255

    Briar Ownby-Connolly

    • EVSS Thesis: "Analyzing Flaws in the use of Stormwater Modeling: Stormwater Management Implications for the Chesapeake Bay Watershed"
    • Advisor: Dr. Scott Harris
    • Commitee Members: Dr. Barbara Beckingham, Dr. Randolph Chambers, Landon Knapp, M.S.
    • Monday April 5th at 11:30am
    • Location: SSMB 255

    Duncan Williamson

    • EVSS Thesis: "Assessing Septic System Vulnerability to Sea Level Rise Using a Hybrid Groundwater Modeling Approach - Beaufort County, SC"
    • Advisor: Dr. Norm Levine
    • Commitee Members: Dr. Matt Nowlin, Dr. Alicia Wilson, Landon Knapp, M.S.
    • Monday April 5th at 2:00pm
    • Location: SSMB 255

    Claire O'Loughlin

    • EVSS Thesis: "Characterizing Nutrient Dynamics in Lake Environments"
    • Advisor: Dr. Vijay Vulava
    • Commitee Members: Dr. Tim Callahan, Dr. Amy Scaroni, Dr. Heather Spalding
    • Monday April 9th at 8:30am
    • Location: SSMB 255

    Max Zollinger

    • EVSS Thesis: "The Influence of a Coastal Environment on the Evolution of Quasi-Linear Convective Systems (Squall Line Thunderstorms) in the U.S. Southeastern Lowcountry"
    • Advisor: Dr. Gabriel Williams
    • Commitee Members: Dr. Lee Lindner, Dr. Daniel Poll, Dr. Christoph Vogel
    • Monday April 9th at 3:30pm
    • Location: SSMB 255

    Nolan Irey

    • EVSS Thesis: "Impacts of Drought on Water Quality: A case study on the Edisto River at Givhans Ferry in South Carolina"
    • Advisor: Dr. Tim Callahan
    • Commitee Members: Dr. Allan Strand, Kathryn Ellis, M.S., Jason Thompson
    • Monday April 9th at 3:30pm
    • Location: SSMB 255
  • Fall 2023

    Hannah Infanti

    • EVSS Thesis: "Navigating Coastal Conservation Careers: How to increase early undergraduate students' self-efficacy and science identity in pursuing an environmental career"
    • Advisor: Julie Binz, M.S.
    • Commitee Members: Dr. William Veal, Dr. John Peters, Elizabeth Vernon Bell, M.S.
    • Monday November 27th at 9:30am
    • Location: SSMB 225 and Zoom

    Ally Copenhaver

    • EVSS Thesis: “Perceptions of Citizen Science and its Use as a Tool for Policy Development: A Case Study of Charleston Water Keeper’s Citizen Science Programs”
    • Advisor: Dr. Matt Nowlin
    • Commitee Members: Dr. Kendra Stewart, Dr. Barbara Beckingham, Cheryl Carmack
    • Monday, November 20th at 12pm
    • Location: SSMB 253 and Zoom

    Megan Arnett

    • EVSS Thesis: “Association of Human Longevity with Local Environmental Factors in Blue Zones”
    • Advisor: Dr. Brian Bossak
    • Commitee Members: Dr. Matt Nowlin, Dr. Doug Rivet, Dr. Annette Watson
    • Thursday November 16th at 11am
    • Location: SSMB 211

    Hannah Houston

    • EVSS Thesis: “Fine-rooted problems: The Effects of Defoliation and Fine Root Senescence on Mycorrhizal Nutrient Transfer in Tsuga canadensis”
    • Advisor: Dr. Seth Pritchard
    • Committee Members: Dr. Courtney Murran, Dr. Allan Strand, Dr. Can Daylan
    • Friday, November 10th at 10am
    • Location: SSMB 255

    Caroline Moore

    • EVSS Thesis: “Microplastic Capture Efficiency in Particle Capture Devices Installed in Seperated Stormwater Sewers in Mount Pleasant, SC”
    • Advisor: Dr. Barbara Beckingham
    • Committee Members: Dr. Tim Callahan, Dr. John Weinstein, Hilary Repik
    •  Location: SSMB 255
  • Summer 2023

    Ansley Williamson

    • EVSS Thesis: “Passive Acoustic Monitoring Detects Different Frequencies and Diversity of Songbirds Than a Point Count Method: A Case Study of Ephemeral Wetlands”
    • Advisor: Dr. Dan McGlinn
    • Commitee Members: Dr. Allison Welch, Jennifer Tyrell, David Bishop
    • Wednesday July 19th at 1pm
    • Location: SSMB 253 and Zoom

    Kayla Squiggins

    • EVSS Thesis: "Identification of Ampicillin-Resistant Coliform Bacteria in Urban Floodwater of Peninsular Charleston, SC”
    • Advisor: Dr. Vijay Vulava
    • Committee: Dr. Heather Fullerton, Dr. Brian Bossak, Dr. Geoffrey Scott
    • Wednesday July 19th at 11am
    • Location: SSMB 253 and Zoom

    Oliver Jones

    • EVSS Thesis: "Self-Reporting Sustainability Frameworks and Stakeholder Buy-In: A Case Study of AASHE Stars at the College of Charleston”
    • Advisor: Dr. Matt Nowlin
    • Commitee: Dr. Christine Finnan, Darcy Everett, Jen Jones
    • Tuesday July 18th at 3:30pm
    • Location: SSMB 225 and Zoom

    Alyssa Lundy Corpez

    • EVSS/MPA Thesis: "Toward Collaborative Floodplain Management: An Exploration of the Community Rating System in Charleston County, South Carolina"
    • Advisor: Dr. Matt Nowlin
    • Commitee: Dr. Kendra Stewart, Dr. Gerald Gordon, Hakim Bayyoud
    • Thursday July 13th at 2pm
    • Location: The Riley Center, 176 Lockwood, and Zoom
  • Spring 2023

    Meadow Noonan

    • EVSS Thesis: “Evaluating the Potential for Transfer of Heavy Metals Through Trophic Interactions in Spartina alterniflora and Littorina irrorata”
    • Advisor: Dr. Matt Rutter
    • Committee Members: Dr. Vijay Vulava, Dr. Paul Pennington, Dr. Lou Ann Reed
    • Wednesday April 12th at 2:30pm
    • Location: SSMB 203 and Zoom

    Michael Wiser

    • EVSS Thesis: “Managing Data For Comprehensive Environmental Projects: Case Studies and Recommendations"
    • Advisor: Dr. Norm Levine
    • Committee Members: Dr. Kendra Stewart, Lancie Alfonso, Matthew Gorstein
    • Wednesday April 12th at 8am
    • Location: SSMB 245 and Zoom

    Bailey Horn

    • EVSS Thesis: “Using Satellite-Derived Bathymetry (SDB) to Visualize Bathymetric Change Over Time In The Stono River Inlet, South Carolina”
    • Advisor: Dr. Norm Levine
    • Committee Members: Dr. Leslie Sautter, Alan Shirey, Jennifer Kist, Rachel Bobich
    • Tuesday April 11th at 4pm
    • Location: In the Hazards Lab SSMB 230 and Zoom

    Hastings Marek

    • EVSS Thesis: “Identifying Resilience Organization and Gaps in Resources for Charleston County”
    • Advisor: Dr. Norm Levine
    • Commitee Members: Dr. Kendra Stewart, Landon Knapp, Lucy Davis
    • Tuesday April 11th at 2pm
    • Location: SSMB 225 and Zoom

    Kristin Horn

    • EVSS Thesis: “Fish Do Grow On Trees: Analysis of Deep-Sea Anglerfish Adaptive Immunogenomics Using Phylogenetic Trees”
    • Advisor: Dr. Andrew Shedlock
    • Committee Members: Dr. Norm Levine, Dr. John Zardus, Dr. Garrett Mitchener
    • Tuesday April 11th at 11am
    • Location: SSMB 225 and on Zoom

    Katie Rowe

    • EVSS Internship: “South Carolina Commercial Fisheries Infrastructure Needs Assessment”
    • Advisor: Dr. Matt Nowlin
    • Commitee Members: Dr. Gorka Sancho, Dr. Russell Spears, Amy MacKown
    • Monday, April 10th at 4pm
    • Location: SSMB 203 and on Zoom

    Jackson Barratt-Heitmann

    • EVSS Thesis: “Are Ephemeral Wetlands Hotspots for Avian Biodiversity in Pine Savanna Ecosystems"
    • Advisor: Dr. Dan McGlinn
    • Committee Members: Dr. Matt Rutter, Dr. Travis Folk, Dr. Lisa Lord
    • Friday April 7th, at 3pm
    • Location: SSMB 225 and Zoom

    Nicole Killen

    • EVSS/MPA Thesis: “Nudging Toward Sustainable Waste Practices Within Athletic Facilities at The College of Charleston”
    • Advisor: Dr. Calvin Blackwell
    • Commitee Members: Dr. Lisa Ross, Dr. Matthew Nowlin, Darcy Everett
    • Friday April 7th, at 1pm
    • Location: SSMB 203 and Zoom

    Jena Copley

    • EVSS Thesis: "Mapping the Future of Charleston's Canopy Cover"
    • Advisor: Dr. Doug Rivet
    • Commitee Members: Dr. Morgan Hughey, Dr. Annette Watson, Dr. Courtney Murren, Landon Knapp
    • Thursday, April 6th at 2pm
    • Location: SSMB 255 and on Zoom

    Samuel Burke

    • EVSS Thesis: “Long-Term Population Trends for Pinfish (Lagodon rhomboides) off the Southeastern U.S."
    • Advisor: Dr. Gorka Sancho
    • Commitee Members: Dr. Marcel Reichert, Dr. Wally Bubbley, Dr. Kendra Stewart
    • Monday, Aoril 3rd at 10pm
    • Location: MMRI Auditorium at Fort Johnson, SC DNR and on Zoom 

    Caitlin Bolger

    • EVSS/MPA Thesis: “Engaging Grass-Tops and Grass-Roots Stakeholders to Validate Environmental Justice Indicators: An Evaluation of the Charleston Climate Coalition's Environmental Justice Profile"
    • Advisor: Dr. Jen Wright
    • Commitee Members: Dr. Matt Nowlin, Dr. Kendra Stewart, Omar Muhammad 
    • Friday, February 17th at 3pm
    • Location: 202 Calhoun Street, SSMB Room 203 and Zoom
  • Fall 2022

    Sean Cannon

    • EVSS Thesis: ”A SURVEY TO IDENTIFY BARRIERS PREVENTING STORMWATER RETENTION POND VEGETATED BUFFER IMPLEMENTATION IN SOUTH CAROLINA”
    • Advisor: Dr. Kendra Stewart
    • Commitee Members: Dr. Tim Callahan, Dr. Matthew Nowlin, Abi Locatis Prochaska
    • Monday November 21st at 10:30am
    • Location: 202 Calhoun Street, Room 200 and on Zoom

    Rebecka Ravago

    • EVSS Thesis: “Exploring FT-NIR Spectroscopy to Determine the Age of Black Sea Bass and White Grunt with Otoliths and Scales”
    • Advisor: Dr. Walter Bubley
    • Comittee Members: Dr. Marcel Reichert, Dr. Allan Strand, Dr. Annette Watson 
    • Friday November 18th at 1:30pm
    • Location: MRRI Auditorium at Fort Johnson, 217 Fort Johnson Rd, Charleston, SC 29412 and on ZOOM 

    Kayli Patterson

    • EVSS/MPA Thesis: “CAPTURE OF TIRE ROAD WEAR PARTICLES AND HEAVY METALS BY MANUFACTURED TREATMENT DEVICES IN STORMWATER SEWER SYSTEMS IN MOUNT PLEASANT, SOUTH CAROLINA” 
    • Advisor: Dr. Barbara Beckingham
    • Commitee Members: Dr. John Weinstein, Dr. Matt Nowlin, Hillary Repik
    • Friday November 11th at 1pm
    • Location: 202 Calhoun Street, SSMB Room 255 and on Zoom

    Chloe Vandermolen

    • EVSS/MPA Thesis: “Extending the Red Band Difference Algorithm to Regions Impacted by Harmful Algal Blooms"
    • Advisor: Dr. Marie DeLorenzo 
    • Comitee Members: Dr. Matt Nowlin, Dr. Allan Strand, Michelle Tomlinson
    • Thursday, November 3rd at 10am
    • Location: Zoom