Nina Santos is a Ph.D. student at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. For her dissertation, she is focused on small shrimp-like crustaceans called mysids – an understudied yet important part of many estuarine and coastal food webs.
Fellowship Experiences
A blog by and about students supported by Maryland Sea Grant

Photo, Debbie Hinkle
The Many Sides of Being a Modeler
Allison Dreiss •
One thing I learned this summer is modeling has its struggles and frustrations. Yet, once you get through these struggles, the rewards are worth it. Read more...
Sometimes, the best part of being a scientist is saying: “I don’t know”
Leone Yisrael •
When I was seven years old, I believed certain people could always answer my questions about the world: scientists and my mom. Sadly, I think many children (and also adults) think this way because schools teach science in terms of fact, when that isn’t necessarily the way scientific research works. Read more...
Undergoing the Metamorphosis from Student to Professional Scientist (English)
Mairim M. Villafañe-Vicente •
Hello, readers! I am Mairim M. Villafañe-Vicente from Gurabo, Puerto Rico. I am part of the SEAS Islands Alliance, a Maryland Sea Grant-supported and National Science Foundation-funded geosciences student pathways program that focuses on the islands of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands. Read more...
Learn to code and save time
Erika Koontz •
The software program called R provides scientists with a tool for reproducible graphics and statistical analysis. Read more...
Letting Stable Isotopes Tell the Environmental Story
Grace O'Hara •
Stable isotope research set me on a path for graduate school. Now, I’m using stable isotopes to study the effectiveness of stormwater best management practices on nitrogen dynamics. Read more...