Graduate Spotlight: Hannah Webber
Hannah Webber is a second-year EES Ph.D. student researching rockweed food web ecology. Her work is part of a larger project, Conserving Rockweed Animal Systems for Sustainable Harvest (CRASSH). “Rockweed is a fascinating foundation species,” says Webber. “Altogether, the CRASSH team research is piecing together an understanding of how this branching intertidal algae affects its environment and what happens when it’s harvested. I played in this stuff as a kid. Today I am interested in the intersection of the ecological and economic benefits of rockweed, and the role science plays in helping to improve our knowledge of the whole system.” This work dovetails with Hannah’s full time job at the Schoodic Institute in Acadia National Park, where she serves as the Marine Ecology Program Director.