Fellowship Experiences

​A recent NPR Hidden Brain podcast discussed the idea of the edge effect, which is the concept of encouraging collaboration between people with diverse interests and backgrounds.

It’s 5:20 a.m. and the alarm is blaring. I get out of bed, drink a glass of water, and lace up my shoes. I open the door and am greeted by the cold, dark morning. I begin slowly jogging, gradually accelerating to a comfortable pace, and continue this simple exercise of placing one foot in front of the other for the next 30 to 60 minutes.

“Livelihood diversification” describes the process by which an individual or household takes on multiple income-generating activities.

Since moving to Baltimore in 2015, I wanted to be a volunteer at the National Aquarium. At that time, I was a lab technician at Loyola University Maryland who regularly took care of reptiles, rodents, and greenhouse plants, so I thought I would be a shoe-in. Eagerly, I filled out the online volunteer application and waited patiently for an invitation. Weeks, months, and years went by.  Read more...

Oysters are crucial to a healthy Chesapeake Bay. They filter water, attract biodiversity and provide essential habitat for other important Bay organisms. Today, less than one percent of the oyster biomass that existed before European settlers arrived remains in the Chesapeake.  Read more...