Hi, my name is Alyssa and I am a master’s student in the Mulholland lab at ODU. I am generally interested in anthropogenic impacts on water quality in coastal environments. My research analyzes the impacts of land use on nutrient and Enterococcus bacteria loading to the Chesapeake Bay during tidal flooding. I am expanding upon the research performed by Alfonso Macías-Tapia, which found that blue sky tidal flood events could deliver significant loads of nutrients and Enterococcus bacteria to a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. I use citizen science to collect floodwater quality data through the Measure the Muck program, and plan to expand floodwater sampling to new Chesapeake Bay watersheds with a range of different land uses. I hope that my research can contribute to the improvement of Chesapeake Bay models and water quality standards to support ongoing restoration efforts.
I earned a BS in Environmental Science from the University of Connecticut in 2015. During my undergraduate years, I participated in a Research Experience for Undergraduates at the University of Arkansas where I studied the impacts of natural gas well pad construction on sediment and algal biomass in a river. I worked a variety of jobs in the environmental field between 2015 and 2023, including work in an environmental chemistry lab, doing plant restoration in California sand dunes, conducting stream surveys in the Pacific Northwest, and working with an environmental nonprofit on sustainable land use projects. Most recently, I spent 5 years as an environmental scientist at the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board in San Luis Obispo, CA, where I regulated cannabis farms to help them adhere to water quality standards.