Meet the Co-Chairs
Hi, my name is Maxine Chaney, and I am one of two co-chairs of the NSA Student Recruits. I have been a member of NSA since 2007, and I love attending national meetings. NSA encourages an atmosphere for students to communicate their science with colleagues in diverse fields and with many stakeholders concerned with shellfisheries. My current research interests and efforts are focused on oyster biology and physiology within the context of environmental factors. I’ve been working with the Pacific oyster for two years, and am very curious to learn more about how they cope across latitudinal gradients, respond to environmental perturbations, and taste in various recipes! Previously, I began my studies at Oregon State University where I earned a B.S. in environmental science with and emphasis in marine aquatic systems. During my tenure at OSU, I spent a total of 4 quarters abroad learning Spanish in Spain and marine biology in Wales. I have had the pleasure of working in a few marine ecology and physiology labs where I sorted larval invertebrates, measured starfish arm regeneration and gene expression in mussels. These jobs taught me an appreciation for the scientific method, and marine science. I am currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Southern California, in Los Angeles. My research uses molecular tools to understand how marine invertebrates survive in the marine littoral zone. This information is important because it provides base line information to understand our world and gives us tools to understand changes in our environment and the organisms that share it. As co- chair of the Recruits I hope to encourage other student members to become involved in this great society. I look forward to interacting with more students in NSA, and broadening my knowledge of seafood!
My name is Stephanie Reiner and I was born and raised in Glen Burnie, Maryland. I am currently attending the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), College of William & Mary to earn my Master’s in Fisheries Science under the guidance of Dr. Stan Allen. I am interested in oyster aquaculture and my current research is focused on gaining a better understanding of the static and flow-through aquaculture methods for raising the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica. My undergrad education was completed at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, where I received my B.A. in Biology. During my undergrad summers I held two internships, the first at Piney Point Aquaculture Center where I helped raised blue crab larvae. The second was at the Morgan State Estuarine Research Center. Here I worked with George Abbe, participating in a blue crab population survey in Chesapeake Bay and the Patuxent River. I also helped process and analyze oysters for Dermo. It was here that I first became interested in the eastern oyster. The year before I entered graduate school was spent working at VIMS and a commercial hatchery, Middle Peninsula Aquaculture. During this time I was exposed to oyster aquaculture from both the research and commercial perspective. I want to continue working in oyster aquaculture, preferably in a hatchery, in the future. I have only been a member of NSA since 2008, so I look forward to meeting new faces and working with all of you.
Contact Stephanie Reiner or Maxine Chaney if you are interested in getting involved.