New Graduate Assistant Will Study Outcomes of Watershed Alliance Educational Program

By Shari Halik
July 22, 2022

Marisa Immordino has joined Lake Champlain Sea Grant as a Watershed Education Graduate Assistant with the Watershed Alliance K-12 education program. Marisa will work with teachers, partners, and undergraduates from across the Lake Champlain basin to plan and implement place-based educational programs focused on watershed science.

“I am excited to begin working with Lake Champlain Sea Grant and cannot wait to explore the basin through my position,” said Marisa.

Marisa is a graduate student at the University of Vermont with Dr. Kris Stepenuck, Associate Director of Lake Champlain Sea Grant. Marisa’s graduate research is tied closely to her work with Watershed Alliance.

“We are thrilled to have Marisa on board as a graduate student,” said Kris. “Her research will help us to understand long-term outcomes from our Watershed Alliance education program.” 

Marisa will evaluate the program to learn more about its educational impacts on basin communities.

“This research focus is a direct recommendation from the National Sea Grant Office following the Lake Champlain Sea Grant 2019 site review,” said Ashley Eaton, who leads the Watershed Alliance program. “Marisa’s findings will help us to ensure that quality environmental literacy and workforce development efforts in the Lake Champlain basin are being shared more broadly and are contributing to the field of watershed science.”

Originally from New Jersey, Marisa earned her B.S. in environmental studies from Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania. After graduating in 2020, she returned to the Garden State to complete two consecutive terms of service with AmeriCorps as a New Jersey Watershed Ambassador. In this role, she led educational presentations, ran community outreach opportunities, and assessed freshwater streams in the Millstone River Watershed.

“I hope to gain a better understanding of environmental education efforts in Vermont,” said Marisa, “and am thrilled to see different perspectives in a new watershed.”

Learn more about Lake Champlain Sea Grant's Watershed Alliance program.