Investing in the Future of Wetlands: 2025 VAWP Scholarships and Spring Meeting Student Poster Session

A standout moment of the 2025 VAWP Spring Meeting was the recognition of emerging talent through VAWP’s Student Research Scholarships and Poster Session—both central to our commitment to education, research, and innovation in wetland science.

2025 VAWP Student Research Scholarship Recipients

For the past several years, VAWP has offered student scholarships to encourage promising research in wetlands and related environmental fields. While traditionally only one $1,000 scholarship is awarded, the VAWP Board was so impressed by the strength and diversity of this year’s applications that—thanks to support from the RES EcoGuardian grant—we expanded the program to fund all four qualified applicants. In total, $3,500 in scholarship funding was awarded to support student-led research addressing real-world environmental challenges:

Sam Dutilly, William & Mary
Project: Vascular Flora of Fones Cliffs, Virginia, and Novel Habitat Enhancement Method for the Preservation of Aeschynomene virginica

This research supports the Rappahannock Tribe’s conservation goals while contributing to rare plant ecology, with a focus on the federally threatened Sensitive Joint Vetch (Aeschynomene virginica).

Jessica Fergel, Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS)
Project: Evaluating nekton use of living shorelines relative to natural marshes and unvegetated shorelines

This project will evaluate nekton use of living shorelines compared to natural marshes and unvegetated shorelines. Research will also include infrared trail cameras to monitor shorebird behavior across shoreline types.

Kaitlyn Pounders, Old Dominion University
Project: Investigation of nutrient loading effect on services through plant functional traits in restored marshes

This study uses a plant trait-based approach to explore how nutrient levels influence key marsh ecosystem services.

Ciarra Loukus, Christopher Newport University
Project: Optimizing Nutrient Removal in Floating Wetlands: Evaluating Water Quality Improvements and Plant Performance

The study will assess floating treatment wetlands as a tool for water quality improvement by examining nutrient removal capacity and other water quality parameters.

Each scholarship recipient is invited to present their research findings at an upcoming VAWP meeting, providing an opportunity for members to follow their work and engage with these future leaders in the field.

Spring Meeting Student Poster Session

The Spring Meeting also featured a Student Poster Session, providing a platform for emerging researchers to engage with professionals from across Virginia. Both posters were well received and sparked meaningful conversations during the networking break

This year’s presenters included:

• Zlatka Rebolledo Sanchez, Old Dominion University
  Poster: Carbon and vegetation intrapatch spatial variability in Virginia salt marshes
  This study examined variability in vegetation and soil carbon across salt marsh to tidal flat transitions in the lower Chesapeake Bay—highlighting the need for spatially informed sampling in blue carbon assessments.

This study examined variability in vegetation and soil carbon across salt marsh to tidal flat transitions in the lower Chesapeake Bay—highlighting the need for spatially informed sampling in blue carbon assessments.

• Caroline Dillard, Christopher Newport University
  Poster: Comparing the salt tolerance of coastal and inland populations of Juniperus virginiana during germination.

This study examined salt tolerance in both inland and coastal populations of J. virginiana, finding broad tolerance across populations and limited morphological differences typically used to distinguish the coastal variety (J. virginiana var. silicicola).

VAWP extends a sincere thank-you to all student participants, faculty advisors, and members who supported this year’s student engagement efforts. Your participation helps foster the next generation of wetland professionals—and reminds us all of the creativity, curiosity, and commitment that drive this field forward.