CofC Graduate Program in Environmental Studies

Congratulations to all of our summer students who successfully defended their thesis 🎓📚

We were honored to co-host the 2026 Gulf & South Atlantic Shellfish Conference alongside the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services!

Over the past few days, we had the opportunity to reconnect with so many of our incredible EVSS alumni as they presented research and shared their work supporting shellfish ecosystems across the Southeast. It was inspiring to see the impact our graduates are making in science, conservation, and coastal management.

We also met new colleagues, learned from experts across the region, and gained valuable insight into the challenges and opportunities facing our shellfish industry.

A huge thank you to our partners at DES and to everyone dedicating their careers to protecting our coastal ecosystems and ensuring a healthy, resilient future for shellfish and the communities that depend on them. We are grateful to be part of such a passionate and collaborative network!

This past week concurrent student Rebecca Wood presented her research on mercury in the Charleston harbor at the global Goldschmidt geochemical conference in Montreal.

In Rebecca’s words, “Through the support of the NASA SC Space Grant and my advisors, Dr. Them and Dr. Harris, I was able to present my research at the global Goldschmidt geochemical conference. This research will provide exciting insights for the Charleston region and I can’t wait to continue developing it with the College of Charleston’s EVSS program.”

🌳 Alumni Highlight 🌳

Rebecca Fanning is an alumna of the concurrent program who completed her thesis, Legacies & Trajectories to Inform Piedmont Stream Restoration, with Dr. Courtney Murren.

Rebecca currently is the Town of Sullivan’s Island’s Director of Resilience & Natural Resource Management. They recently celebrated the Town of Sullivan’s Island’s Native Tree Guide receiving a communications award from the American Society of Landscape Architects. This project was a collaboration with the SC Forestry Commission and designed by Surculus, a local firm with major native plant chops. She said it was such an honor to get to work with them on this project, and the results are simply stunning, packed with great information and visually engaging, as well.

Rebecca has supported the program by teaching Green Places, Open Spaces in Fall 2023, mentoring students as they mapped the campus canopy and explored ways to strengthen urban biodiversity. She also comes to campus often for the Sierra Club chapter meetings held in Rita first Thursdays of the month and always look forward to a great lecture and spending time with great people there.

Why study Environmental & Sustainability Studies in Charleston? 🌿🌊

Because the Lowcountry is your classroom!

From nonprofits like Lowcountry Land Trust, Coastal Conservation League, Charleston Waterkeeper, Green Heart Project, The MARSH Project, The Nature Conservancy, Surfrider, SC Aquarium, Carolina Ocean Alliance, SC Environmental Law Project, The Sustainability Institute, Audubon SC and Charleston Climate Coalition plus many more to government partners like the City of Charleston, Charleston County, SC DNR, SC DES, SC Sea Grant, SC office of Resilience, Charleston County Parks, Clemson Extension and Mount Pleasant Waterworks, you’ll be surrounded by leaders making a real impact.

Add in private firms and for profit organizations like Weston & Sampson, McCormick Taylor, and Mead & Hunt, Coastal Expeditions, Casual Crabbing with Tia, Native Plants to the People plus community groups like the Sierra Club, Charleston Green Drinks, the Charleston Area Beekeepers Association, and the Native Plant Society, and you’ll find endless opportunities to network, volunteer, intern, and launch your career.

And this is just to name a few!!

The passion, collaboration, and energy for environmental work here in the Lowcountry is unmatched and we can’t wait for you to be part of it. 💚

🦪 Student Highlight 🦪

Bernard Brown is a second year concurrent student. He is a full time employee as a Natural Resource Technician with the South Carolina Oyster Recycling and Enhancement (SCORE) Program at the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

The team collects oyster shells from restaurants, oyster roasts, and public drop off bins. They also build and deploy bagged and manufactured wired oyster reefs with the help of many partners and volunteers. These events and community outreach efforts promote oyster conservation, improve water quality, protect shorelines, and enhance coastal habitats throughout South Carolina.

A huge THANK YOU to Dr. Courtney Murren for an incredible year as our Interim Director of Environmental & Sustainability Studies! 💚

Over the past year, Courtney has led our program with thoughtfulness, kindness, and unwavering support through a year full of transitions, growth, and exciting new opportunities. From supporting our students and faculty to helping move important initiatives forward, she has been a steady and encouraging leader every step of the way.

We’re so grateful for the time, energy, and heart she poured into our program this year. Thank you, Courtney, for all you’ve done for our EVSS community!! we’re lucky to have you! 🌿💙 Enjoy your sabbatical!

✨ Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Hollis France ✨
This month we’re highlighting Dr. Hollis France, Chair of the Department of Political Science and a valued member of the Environmental and Sustainability Studies (EVSS) Steering Committee.Dr. France has been a longtime supporter of EVSS through strategic planning, faculty collaboration, student mentorship, and program development. She currently serves as a key collaborator on the Mellon Foundation-funded Foodways Project, working alongside faculty and staff across campus to explore the intersections of food, culture, history, identity, and community.

Her research focuses on comparative politics, human rights, democratization, political violence, and social justice, with particular expertise in Latin America and the Caribbean. Through both her scholarship and service, Dr. France helps students better understand the complex relationships between people, policy, and place.

Recently, Dr. France joined Dr. John Thomas in Belize as they prepared for an upcoming study abroad experience and pictured here you can find her testing out the Zip Line Excursion above the jungles of Belize!
We are grateful for Dr. France’s continued leadership, interdisciplinary perspective, and commitment to supporting the growth of EVSS and its students.

Last week some of our graduate students and recent EVSS alum had the incredible opportunity to attend the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium’s 2026 Coastal Science Research Symposium, gaining valuable professional experience while connecting with the broader coastal science community.

Sessions regarding fisheries science, water quality, education, community resilience, marine debris, coastal habitats, and stormwater management allowed for a wide breadth of learning that represents the connected web of ongoing coastal science research in South Carolina.

Shout out to Kylie Warden for winning best graduate student poster 🥇

🔥 Alumni Highlight 🔥

Brad Thompson is an alumni of the EVSS program. He worked with Dr. Norm Levine where they tested new drone-based remote sensing methods at Deep Water Vineyard on Wadmalaw Island.

Brad currently is the Laboratory Assistant, Greenhouse Manager, and Outreach Coordinator with CofC’s Dept. of Biology.

In 2021, he helped form the College’s Committee for Refugees and Resettlement, which became institutionalized in the Dept. of International Studies and the Cougar Refugee Alliance. And in 2024-25, he studied at Colorado State University, where he contributed to post-wildfire recovery research.

For the last few years, he has assisted with prescribed burns at Stono Preserve to restore longleaf pine stands and am excited to see our students and faculty use those areas for research 🪾