Frostburg, Md. (August 14, 2006) – Appalachian Laboratory researcher Kristine Hopfensperger has been named the inaugural recipient of the President’s Graduate Fellowship at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES).

The award will help Hopfensperger pursue her doctorate by studying wetland plant communities of the National Park Service’s Dyke Marsh Preserve along the Potomac River near Washington, D.C.

The President’s Graduate Fellowship is awarded to an exceptional UMCES student that has excelled in their graduate education and is within two years of completing their degree. With more than 100 graduate students attending UMCES, this award was very competitive. The President’s Graduate Fellowship is supported through individual donors and foundation contributions. The award provides tuition, a modest stipend and benefits to the recipient.

“The fellowship will help relieve the financial burden of graduate school and allow me to focus on the research that will help us better understand this unique wetland environment,” said Hopfensperger. “I’m honored to receive this award and will strive to live up to the high standards it represents.”

“Kristine’s research on the community structure and stability of Dyke Marsh Preserve may lead to important implications regarding the National Park Service’s restoration efforts,” said the president of University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Dr. Donald F. Boesch.

Under the direction of Dr. Katherina Engelhardt, Hopfensperger expects to complete her Ph.D. in June 2007. She earned a M.S in Environmental Science from Washington State University and a B.S. in Wildlife Management and Biology at the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point.

Hopfensperger and other researchers will host an Appalachian Laboratory Open House on Saturday, August 26 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at 301 Braddock Road, just ¼ mile north of exit 33 on Interstate 68. Parking is free, and refreshments and door prizes will be available throughout the day.

Science is the principal research institution for advanced environmental research and graduate studies within the University System of Maryland. With laboratories in Frostburg, Solomons Island and Cambridge, UMCES researchers are helping improve our scientific understanding of Maryland, the region and the world.

CONTACT:
Chris Conner
443-496-0095