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.
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
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
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
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 onZoom
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