Mitchell Center Student Researchers
Erin Ciampa
2023 Mitchell Center Intern
Academic Programs: Parks, Recreation and Tourism, Honors, UMaine
Project: Barriers to outdoor recreation faced by Underrepresented Minority groups in Maine
Team Leaders: Sandra De Urioste-Stone, UMaine School of Forest Resources; Rex Turner, Maine Dept. of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
Gab Venne - Graduate Student
2023 Mitchell Center Intern
Academic Program: Forest Resources, UMaine
Project: Barriers to outdoor recreation faced by Underrepresented Minority groups in Maine
Team Leaders: Sandra De Urioste-Stone, UMaine School of Forest Resources; Rex Turner, Maine Dept. of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
Carrie Loomis Graduate Student
2023 Mitchell Center Intern
Academic Program: Communication, UMaine
Project: Bear Outreach and Education Program
Team Leaders: Emily Uhrig, UMaine Center for Research on Sustainable Forests; Amanda DeMusz, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Dawson Pillow - Undergraduate Student
2023 Mitchell Center Intern
Academic Program: Ecology & Environmental Sciences, UMaine
Project: Empowering Community Resilience and Economic Development in Washington County
Team Leader: Tora Johnson, University of Maine at Machias; Jennifer Peters, Sunrise County Economic Council
Ariana Edwards - Undergraduate Student
2023 Mitchell Center Intern
Academic Program: Anthropology
Project: Understanding the Impacts of Off-Shore Wind Technology
Team Leader: Christine Beitl
Gray Jones - Graduate Student
2023 Mitchell Center Intern
Academic Program: Independent Ph.D.
Project: Empowering Community Resilience and Economic Development in Washington County
Team Leader: Tora Johnson, University of Maine at Machias; Jennifer Peters, Sunrise County Economic Council
Karina Cortijo-Robles - Graduate Student
2023 Mitchell Center Intern
Academic Program: Quaternary and Climate Studies
Project: Improving Nature-Based Solutions for Resilient Infrastructure
Team Leader: Nathan Robbins, Maine Dept. of Environmental Protection; Lauren Ross, UMaine Civil & Environmental Engineering; Jessica Jansujwicz, Maine Sea Grant and Mitchell Center; Parker Gassett, Maine Sea Grant
Jorja Hooper - Undergraduate Student
2023 Mitchell Center Intern
Academic Program: Ecology & Environmental Sciences, University of Maine
Project: Strengthening Hazard Mitigation Planning Services in Maine
Team Leaders: Sam Roy, Maine Emergency Management Agency and Adam Daigneault, UMaine School of Forest Resources
Katrina Webster - Graduate Student
2023 Mitchell Center Intern
Academic Program: Anthropology & Environmental Policy
Project: Understanding the Impacts of Off-Shore Wind Technology
Team Leader: Christine Beitl
Rachel Pellis - Undergraduate Student
2022 Mitchell Center Intern
Home Department: Anthropology
Advisor: Cindy Isenhour
Emma Brusie - Undergraduate Student
2022 Mitchell Center Intern
Home Department: Ecology & Environmental Sciences
Advisor: Jessica Jansujwicz
Casey Schatzabel - Graduate Student
2022 Mitchell Center Intern
Home Department: Civil & Environmental Engineering
Advisor: Jean MacRae, University of Maine
Amy Dowley - Masters Student
2022 Mitchell Center Intern
Home Department: School of Computing & Information Science
Advisor: Tora Johnson, University of Maine at Machias
Gabriella (Ella) Gurney - Masters Student
2022 Mitchell Center Intern
Home Department: Dept. of Communication & Journalism
Advisor: Laura Rickard
Lucy Martin - Masters Student
2022 Mitchell Center Intern
Home Department: Ecology & Environmental Sciences
Advisor: Sandra De Urioste-Stone
Gabrielle Venne - Graduate Student
2022 Mitchell Center Intern
Home Department: School of Forest Resources
Advisor: Sandra De Urioste-Stone
Kalina Kinyon, undergraduate student
Home Department: Ecology and Environmental Sciences
Mitchell Center Research Project: Food Waste Management: Empowering Maine Businesses Toward Sustainability
Advisor: Susanne Lee
Feature story on Kalina’s work: Raising awareness, inspiring action, and developing tools to help reduce food waste in Maine (Nov. 2021)
Profile of Kalina
Hannah Mathieu, undergraduate student
Home Departments: Ecology and Environmental Sciences, English
Mitchell Center Research Project: Food Waste Management: Empowering Maine Businesses Toward Sustainability
Feature story on Hannah’s work: Raising awareness, inspiring action, and developing tools to help reduce food waste in Maine (Nov. 2021)
Profile of Hannah
Hannah Crayton, undergraduate student
Home Department: Environmental Science and Policy, Thomas College
Advisor: Jeremy Pare
Mitchell Center Research Project: Food Waste Management: Empowering Maine Businesses Toward Sustainability
Feature story on Hannah’s work: Raising awareness, inspiring action, developing tools to help reduce food waste in Maine (Nov. 2021)
Profile of Hannah
Sara Kelemen, master's student
Home Department: School of Food and Agriculture, UMaine Agroecology Lab
Advisor: Rachel Schattman
Mitchell Center Research Project: Enhancing Equity Outcomes for the Maine Climate Council
News article on Sara’s research: Sara Kelemen: Addressing equity in Maine’s climate strategies (UMaine News, Oct. 26, 2020)
Image credit: Adam Kuykendall
Valeria Briones, master's student
Home Department: School of Forest Resources
Research Program: NRT: Enhancing Conservation Science and Practice
Advisors: Sandra de Urioste-Stone, Daniel Hayes
Mitchell Center Research Project: We’re All in This Together: Participatory Planning for Community-Based Climate Change Adaptation
Feature story on Valeria’s work: ‘We’re all in this together’: Students lead climate-planning project (Dec. 2020)
Profile of Valeria
Asha DiMatteo-LePape, master's student
Home Department: School of forest Resources
Research Program: NRT: Enhancing Conservation Science and Practice
Advisors: Sandra de Urioste-Stone, Sabrina Morano
Mitchell Center Research Project: We’re All in This Together: Participatory Planning for Community-Based Climate Change Adaptation
Feature story on Asha’s work: ‘We’re all in this together’: Students lead climate-planning project (Dec. 2020)
Profile of Asha
Lydia Horne, doctoral student
Home Department: Ecology and Environmental Sciences
Research Program: NRT: Enhancing Conservation Science and Practice
Advisor: Sandra de Urioste-Stone
Mitchell Center Research Project: We’re All in This Together: Participatory Planning for Community-Based Climate Change Adaptation
Feature story on Lydia’s work: ‘We’re all in this together’: Students lead climate-planning project (Dec. 2020)
Profile of Lydia
Gabriela Wolf-Gonzalez, master's student
Home Department: Ecology and Environmental Sciences
Research Program: NRT: Enhancing Conservation Science and Practice
Advisors: Sandra de Urioste-Stone, Sarah Nelson
Mitchell Center Research Project: We’re All in This Together: Participatory Planning for Community-Based Climate Change Adaptation
Feature story on Gabriela’s work: ‘We’re all in this together’: Students lead climate-planning project (Dec. 2020)
Profile of Gabriela
Joey Reed, master's student
Home Department: School of Economics
Mitchell Center Research Project: Developing Economic and Community Resilience Indicators for the Katahdin Region
Advisor(s): Adam Daigneault, Kathleen Bell
Feature article on Joey’s research: Challenges and change: Cultivating resilience in rural communities (September 2020)
Matthew Mensinger, master's student
Home Department: Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology
Research Project: Future of Dams
Research Advisor(s): Joseph Zydlewski, Erik Blomberg
Feature article on Matt’s research: Eels and energy: Can we have both? (August 2020)
Image credit: Kory Whittum
Melissa Flye, doctoral student
Home Department: Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology
Mitchell Center Research Project: Getting Over the Dam
Advisor: Carly Sponarski
Master’s Thesis: Getting Over the Dam: Overcoming Institutional Barriers to the Recovery of Atlantic Salmon by Navigating the Social-science/policy interface
Feature article on Melissa’s research: The art of collaboration in natural resource management (June 25, 2020)
Sarah Risley, master's student
Home Department: School of Marine Sciences
Mitchell Center Research Project: Strengthening Coastal Economies
Advisor(s): Heather Leslie, Josh Stoll
Feature article on Sarah’s research: Strengthening Coastal Economies broadens shellfish focus to include oysters, scallops and mussels (June 4, 2020)
Gabby Hillyer, doctoral student
Home Department: Ecology & Environmental Sciences
Mitchell Center Research Project: Strengthening Coastal Economies
Advisor: Bridie McGreavy
UMaine News article on Gabby’s Brookie Award: Hillyer’s environmental leadership earns her a Brookie Award (June 29, 2020)
News article on Gabby’s research: Drifting with the Tides: A New Beginning (March 21, 2019)
Solutions article: Drifting with the Tides (June 2018)
Sohaib Alahmed, doctoral student
Home Department: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Mitchell Center Research Project: Strengthening Coastal Economies
Advisor: Lauren Ross
Feature article on Sohaib’s research: Strengthening Coastal Economies broadens focus to include oysters, scallops and mussels (June 4, 2020)
Struan Coleman, master's student
Home Department: School of Marine Sciences
Mitchell Center Research Project: Strengthening Coastal Economies
Advisor(s): Damian Brady
Feature story on Struan’s work:
Strengthening Coastal Economies broadens shellfish focus to include oysters, scallops and mussels (June 4, 2020)
Jeremy Braun, undergraduate student
Home Department: Earth and Climate Sciences
Mitchell Center Research Project: Strengthening Coastal Economies
Advisor(s): Sean Smith, Lauren Ross
Feature article on Jeremy’s work: Strengthening Coastal Economies broadens shellfish focus to include oysters, scallops and mussels (June 4, 2020)
Stephanie Ayotte, undergraduate student
Home Department: Civil & Environmental Engineering
Mitchell Center Research Project: Food Waste Management: Empowering Maine Businesses Toward Sustainability
Advisor: Susanne Lee
Feature article on Stephanie’s research: Helping Maine Businesses Find Food Waste Solutions (April 2, 2020)
Profile on Stephanie (April 2, 2020)
Peter O'Brien, undergraduate student
Home Department: Economics
Research Project: Food Waste Management: Empowering Maine Businesses Toward Sustainability
Research Advisor: Susanne Lee
News article on Peter’s research: Helping Maine Businesses Find Food Waste Solutions (April 2, 2020)
Profile on Peter (April 2, 2020)
Katie Tims, undergraduate student
Home Department: Biology & Ecology
Mitchell Center Research Project: Food Waste Management: Empowering Maine Businesses Toward Sustainability
Advisor: Susanne Lee
Feature article on Katie’s research: Helping Maine Businesses Find Food Waste Solutions (April 2, 2020)
Profile on Katie (April 2, 2020)
Brieanne Berry, doctoral student (graduated August 2021)
Home Department: Anthropology & Environmental Policy
Research Project: Materials Management
Research Advisor: Cindy Isenhour
News article on Brie’s research: Waste Not, Want Not (March 6, 2017)
Reopening Reuse: COVID-19 Safety for Community Reuse in Maine (Sept. 2020)
Sonja Birthisel, doctoral student
Home Department: Ecology & Environmental Sciences
Research Project: Economic Sustainability of Maine Organic farms in a Changing Climate
Research Advisor: Eric Gallandt
Newsletter article on Sonja’s research: Bank Robber (June 2018)
Tyler Quiring, doctoral student
Home Department: Communication & Journalism
Research project: New England Sustainability Consortium Future of Dams
Research Advisor: Bridie McGreavy
News article on Tyler’s research: Stories Hatched from the Nest (June 21, 2016)
Sarah Vogel, master's student
Home Department: Wildlife Ecology, Fisheries & Conservation Biology
Research Project: New England Sustainability Consortium Future of Dams
Research Advisors: Jessica Jansujwicz and Joe Zydlewski
News article on Sarah’s research: How do dam decisions get made? (Feb. 13, 2018)
Bea Van Dam, master's student
Home Department: Earth & Climate Sciences
Research Project: Characterizing Watersheds that Influence Coastal Bacteria Pollution
Research Advisor: Sean Smith
News article on Bea’s research: Tree Throws, Puddles and Ponded Water (May 9, 2018)
Emma Fox, doctoral student
Home Department: Ecology & Environmental Sciences
Research Project: New England Sustainability Consortium Future of Dams
Research Advisor: Sharon Klein
News article on Emma’s research: Science with Attitude (May 31, 2016)