CofC Graduate Program in Environmental Studies

Last week some of our graduate students and recent EVSS alum had the incredible opportunity to attend the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium’s 2026 Coastal Science Research Symposium, gaining valuable professional experience while connecting with the broader coastal science community.

Sessions regarding fisheries science, water quality, education, community resilience, marine debris, coastal habitats, and stormwater management allowed for a wide breadth of learning that represents the connected web of ongoing coastal science research in South Carolina.

Shout out to Kylie Warden for winning best graduate student poster 🥇

🔥 Alumni Highlight 🔥

Brad Thomas is an alumni of the EVSS program. He worked with Dr. Norm Levine where they tested new drone-based remote sensing methods at Deep Water Vineyard on Wadmalaw Island.

Brad currently is the Laboratory Assistant, Greenhouse Manager, and Outreach Coordinator with CofC’s Dept. of Biology.

In 2021, he helped form the College’s Committee for Refugees and Resettlement, which became institutionalized in the Dept. of International Studies and the Cougar Refugee Alliance. And in 2024-25, he studied at Colorado State University, where he contributed to post-wildfire recovery research.

For the last few years, he has assisted with prescribed burns at Stono Preserve to restore longleaf pine stands and am excited to see our students and faculty use those areas for research 🪾

🐬 Student Highlight 🐬

Lily Addicott is a second year EVSS student. She is working with Dr. Norm Levine on her thesis, Investigating a Novel Camera Trapping Method for Monitoring Tamanend’s Bottlenose Dolphins. Lily is also a TA for the BIOL 102 labs and loves teaching the students about salt marshes and tide pools.

This summer she is the Ecological Health Intern for the Conservancy of the Sea Islands, working under Lee Bundrick. She is helping develop the watershed plan for Kiawah, Seabrook, and John’s Islands. Additionally, she is focusing on wildlife studies on John’s Island and hopes to develop a wildlife corridor map by the end of the summer.

Fun Fact: She is the reigning U.S. national champion in the sport of orienteering and plans to represent the US Orienteering Team in Portugal later this summer!

Ecuador Trip 2026 Recap 🇪🇨

Khloe Turner a first year concurrent student spent the first part of summer studying cultural impacts on sustainability in Ecuador. The group traveled to Quito, Coca, Mandari Panga, and Banos to test the water quality of rivers, tributaries, and pools to gain a better understanding of the impacts of monocultural farming, industrialization, petroleum extraction, and the lack of educational resources on water sanitation.

Khloe’s favorite part of the trip was the cultural exchanges between us and the Kichwa. She learned Kichwa terms and phrases, got to make handmade chocolate and try out the pukuna, and learned about the spiritual and cultural uses of the flora and fauna within the Amazon Rainforest!

🦀 Highlight 🦀

Melanie Thorn is a second year EVSS student. She is working with Dr. Michael Kendrick on her thesis, Understanding the seasonal reproductive cycle of Callinectes sapidus, in Charleston, South Carolina, USA
 
She currently is employed through the Crustacean Research and Monitoring Section at SCDNR. And previously served as a graduate assistant for the EVsS office!

Mel’s most recent accomplishment was her group project from Intro to Geospatial Science class won first place at CofC’s EXPO poster session in the Sustainability Category 🎉

⭐️ Highlight ⭐️

Chandler Dickert is a second year concurrent student. He is working with Dr. Norm Levine to complete his thesis, Development of Topographically Derived Ground Water Models for Building Community Infrastructure in Edisto, SC. Chandler is also Research Assistant for the Lowcountry Hazards Center and Santee Cooper GIS Laboratory.

He also recently attended the first in person all hands meeting for the RISCC grant. “We as a research team came together to align our different objectives, clarify community partner needs, and identify key gaps and barriers for scientific convergence within the grant. A big part of this meeting was identifying and prioritizing flagship tools and community-facing outputs for our local partners that are depending on the grant. I was fortunate enough to moderate a session on Strengths and Opportunities. I asked the group to reflect on the resources, capabilities, and institutional knowledge we as a group exhibit so that we can prioritize these strengths in upcoming opportunities within the grant.”

Today was the bees knees! 🐝 6th graders from Ashley Hall learned about native bees in Charleston and their importance. They also got to “bee” creative and paint bee houses to protect local populations!

Bee houses are safe nesting sites, can protect bees from predators and harsh weather (which is important as we start hurricane season) , and overall helps boost pollination for gardens and crops 💐🦋

⭐️ Highlight ⭐️

Ellery Newcomer is an EVSS Spring 2026 graduate. During her time in the program she worked with Dr. John Peters to complete her internship, Exploring the Effects of Motivation and Self-Efficacy of Volunteers at ARCHELON on Volunteer Retention and Engagement in Sea Turtle Conservation Work 🌊🐢

Ellery is going to be the Camp and Volunteer Officer for ARCHELON at their project site in Kyparissia, Greece for the 2026 season. ARCHELON is a nonprofit organization that focuses on the protection and conservation of sea turtles in Greece. At Kyparissia we will be conducting nest monitoring, habitat protection, and public awareness.

“One of my favorite parts of this experience has been getting to work with people from all over the world who share a passion for conservation. Completing research that combines conservation with nonprofit management, while also helping improve understanding of volunteer engagement in conservation work, has been very rewarding.”

Congratulations to all of our Environmental and Sustainability Studies graduates who crossed the stage this commencement season and to those celebrating this milestone in quieter ways. We are so proud of each and every one of you!!

Today we celebrate a group of thoughtful, passionate, and driven sustainability leaders who are ready to make meaningful change in the world. From research and resilience to conservation, policy, education, agriculture, GIS, community engagement, and beyond, your work matters, and we are excited to see the impact you will continue to make in your communities and professions.

Thank you for the energy, ideas, leadership, and care you brought to our program. It has been an honor to support your journeys, and we cannot wait to see where your paths lead next.

Congratulations EVSS graduates!! your future is bright, and the world needs your work now more than ever. 🌎💚

The EVSS program had a great time at the end of the year party yesterday!

We would like to give a HUGE thank you to our wonderful faculty and staff for all of their support throughout the year 💚

We can’t wait to see what next semester brings 🌈