Center for Coastal & Watershed Studies

Welcome!

Hood-Center for Coastal & Watershed Studies (Hood-CCWS) studies all aspects of coastal environments. We use science to find solutions for environmental problems in a socially responsible manner. Starting locally and expanding regionally, we work with communities and organizations to improve water quality, while fostering valuable experiential learning for our students. As a center of excellence within Hood College, we strive to connect students with coastal environments, research important issues, and provide local opportunities to make a positive change. Our work is primarily divided into three focus areas:

Check out recent Intern, Christian Ficarra's, reflection story on his time interning with the Center this past summer '23 at the bottom of this page!

Read our most recent Quinquennial Report (2018-2022) for the latest happenings in the Center!

Follow us on Facebook (Center for Coastal & Watershed Studies) and Instagram (@hoodcoastalstudies) for current happenings!

Vision

Our past and future come together in coastal environments. In keeping with the best of Hood’s liberal arts tradition, our aim is to provide a framework for multi-disciplinary learning and research by students and faculty with the goal of understanding the genesis, complexities, and possible solutions to environmental and social issues that impact the coastlines and watersheds of our region, nation, and world. Simultaneously, we prepare our students to use state-of-the-art technologies and practices that can lead them into productive careers and lives of service within our communities.

Learn more on his Faculty Bio Page.

Email: dferrier@hood.edu

Phone: 301-696-3660

Office: Hodson Science & Technology Center, Room 308E

Office Hours: By Appointment.

Katie (BA '06) is a Coastal Studies Program alum ('04 & '06) and has been an adjunct professor for the Coastal Studies program since 2013. Katie joined the team in 2021 as the CCWS Academic Program Coordinator for the Sustainability Major and Coastal Studies Program.

Email: huy@hood.edu

Phone: 301-696-3318

Office: Hodson Science & Technology Center, Room 308F

Office Hours: By Appointment.

Catherine has been at Hood for 3 years, serving as a Field and Lab technician on many environmental service contracts, with a BS in Environmental Science (Washington College, '19).

Email: gaudlip@hood.edu

Phone: 301-696-3652

Office: Hodson Science & Technology, Room 308F

Office Hours: By Appointment.

Haroun recently joined us in July 2023 as the FFSN manager! He has had much experience in food systems operations, from gardening systems to food distributions throughout communities. He is coordinating local community partner collaboration, garden production, and food distribution in the Frederick area.

Email: hallack@hood.edu

Phone:

Office: Hodson Science & Technology, Room 308F

Office Hours: By Appointment.

Jen manages the upkeep of the many greenhouses and gardens with FFSN.

Email: jc32@hood.edu

Phone: n/a

Office: Gardens/Greenhouses!

Office Hours: By Appointment.

Barry assists with the Coastal Studies Semester, teaching the ENSP 307 Chesapeake Bay course.

Email: burch@hood.edu

Office Hours: By Appointment

Learn more on his Faculty Bio Page.

Email: annis@hood.edu

Phone: 301-696-3662

Office: Hodson Science and Technology Center, Room 149

Office Hours: By Appointment

Learn more on his Faculty Bio Page.

Email: kindahl@hood.edu

Phone: 301-696-3659

Office: Hodson Science & Technology Center, Room 156

Office Hours: By Appointment.

Emily Southgate was formerly a Research Associate Professor at Rutgers University, where she did research at the intersection of ecology and history. She has worked extensively with the National Park Service in their cultural parks, providing historical ecological background to guide management of their natural resources. She was a visiting scholar at Harvard University, where, together with colleagues, she integrated data from palynological research in the northeastern United States to arrive at a composite picture of changing forest composition over the last 500 years. Her book, “People and the Land Through Time. Linking Ecology and History” (Yale Univ. Press, 2019) has inspired both ecologists and environmental historians to incorporate each others’ fields in their research. She is also active in the environmental community in Virginia, serving on the Board of the Virginia Native Plant Society and as a “citizen scientist” sampling stream macroinvertebrates, birds for the Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas, and grassland vegetation.

Email: ewbsouthgate@gmail.com

Phone: n/a

Office: n/a

Office Hours: By Appointment.

Student Stories

Summer Intern, Christian Ficarra, reflects on his time working with CCWS

Summer Intern, Christian Ficarra, reflects on his time working with CCWS Career Center Undergraduate Student

Christian Ficarra spent the summer months staying on campus to complete a 6-credit internship with the Center for Coastal & Watershed Studies, where he dove into the Environmental Services branch. His primary project focused on a small lake in the Catoctin Mountains, ThorpeWood, to determine suitable conditions for different types of fish hatcheries.

Academics
Experiential Learning
Research
Natural Sciences

Life after Hood for Coastal Studies Alumnus, Shane Simms

ENSP Alumnus Spotlight: Shane Simms Alumni Undergraduate Student

" Anyone who is going back and forth about their major… trust your gut and don’t be afraid to try new things and open up to people… you never know where they can take you."