People Type: Staff

It is incredibly important to Marissa that her research addresses real-world problems and is applied to help create solutions to those problems. Much of her research focuses on strengthening and diversifying fisheries opportunities in the Gulf of Maine, in an effort to preserve fishing cultures and traditions, while also promoting a healthy and resilient marine ecosystem.

Marissa received a Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology from Northeastern University in 2017, and an M.Sc. in Marine Biology from the University of Maine in 2011. She has studied marine ecology and fisheries in the Gulf of Maine for over a decade. Much of her life has also revolved around working as a commercial fisher.

Marissa is an avid Scuba diver and spends as much time as she possibly can underwater. She uses Scuba for research and as a hobby, but she is also a Scuba instructor. Introducing students to the wonders of the underwater world is one of her greatest joys in life.

Why Manomet?

Much of what drives my scientific curiosity is a deep connection to the fishing traditions and culture that New England is founded upon. My family has been farming and fishing in midcoast Maine since the 1700s. I grew up working on my father’s lobster boat, which is what ultimately led me to marine science. As a result of my family’s history in commercial fisheries, and my career as a scientist, I strive to bridge the gap between scientists and fishermen and create productive collaborative partnerships. Manomet provides the perfect platform to achieve this goal.

Lora Babb is the Director of Manomet’s U360 Business Sustainability Internship Program. The U360 internship is designed to train the next generation of changemakers by helping college students gain the professional, technical, and interpersonal skills needed to make a difference in the world through their future careers. U360 increases students’ knowledge of environmental issues; the “triple-bottom-line” of business sustainability (environmental, social, and governance); and business management—and their critical thinking and problem-solving skills—through real-world applications.

Lora received a BA in Human Ecology from College of the Atlantic and a Masters of Environmental Law & Policy from Vermont Law School. Prior to Manomet, she founded and directed an environmental education nonprofit, was Director of Marketing & Sustainability for a regional, independent restaurant chain, and held other positions that allowed her to work with countless small businesses on sustainability. Lora’s areas of expertise include business sustainability, climate change, toxins, food systems, and environmental communication.

She was born and raised in Portland, Maine, and still lives there today. When she’s not with working with college students, she enjoys cooking, knitting, being by the ocean, riding her bike, geeking out on law and policy issues, and watching more TV than she’d like to admit!

Why Manomet?

The number one reason I work for Manomet is our mission and approach to creating a more sustainable world. Manomet recognizes the importance of both applying strong science AND engaging people on issues of sustainability – two facets that align with my personal and professional philosophies. By working with a diverse variety of partners – not just people who are already on board with sustainability – we’re able to facilitate real, meaningful change, and have a profound impact. Additionally, I value Manomet’s ability to think outside the box, be innovative, and tackle challenges that are often overlooked or underserved.

As the coordinator for the American Oystercatcher Recovery Program, Shiloh is responsible for working with diverse partner organizations along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts to identify and foster research and management programs that will aid the recovery of American Oystercatchers and other beach-nesting birds. This work contributes to Manomet’s larger mission to use science-based collaborative solutions to recover shorebird populations.

Shiloh earned his doctorate at North Carolina State University, where he studied the ecology and population biology of American Oystercatchers on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. During his time in North Carolina, he helped coordinate a coast-wide banding and resighting effort with multiple research partners. Shiloh holds a B.S. in Wildlife Biology from the University of Vermont and has worked on a variety of landbird, seabird, and shorebird projects throughout North America.

As well as an avid birder, Shiloh is a competitive distance runner and holds a 2nd-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do.

Why Manomet?

At Manomet, I am privileged to work with an outstanding team of biologists dedicated to the conservation of shorebirds.  We have the freedom and flexibility to conduct applied research and conservation projects throughout the Americas.

From a very young age I have known that we human beings have a soul-deep need to be connected to nature, and that when this connection is broken, our spirit suffers.

Growing up in a rural town in Illinois, I spent hour-upon-hours playing in the country-side. Adventure-filled days were followed by magical summer evenings listening to the whippoorwill’s ethereal call as fireflies lit up the night.

Just before my 8^th birthday our family moved to Massachusetts. Our new home was an apartment in a tenement in the city. Gone were the golden fields and the call of the whippoorwills. They were replaced by broken slabs of asphalt and the nightly sounds of sirens. Gone were the fireflies – replaced by neon lights that lit up the night. I was overwhelmed with homesickness for the natural world.

But Nature will always find a way to restore the spirit. Beside the stoop of our apartment building, courageously busting its way through the asphalt, grew a hearty Catalpa tree. That tree was my sanctuary; it kept me connected to the natural world that my waning spirit so missed. The Catalpa grew mighty out of that sterile ground, reaching its way to the second floor of the tenement. The leaves, as big as dinner plates, provided perfect shelter on a hot summer day when I escaped upward into the arms of the Catalpa. There amongst all that earthy smelling green, my spirit was restored.

It is this same soul-deep need for a connection to nature that brought me to Manomet 33 years ago. It is a need to smell the scent of flowers and to see their delicious color splashed across a thirsty earth and to feel the warmth of soil in my hands. And it is a deep desire to nurture and protect this natural world, and to share it with others, however I can, that inspired me to become certified as a Master Gardener.

In addition to my Master Gardener role, it is my greatest privilege to be the Operations Manager at Manomet and have the opportunity to provide support to all the amazing staff that are the heart and soul of Manomet and who make it such a unique organization.

When not at work at Manomet, well, I’m still doing the same things – listening to birds, digging in the dirt, and hanging out with amazing people who love the earth. And even, occasionally, climbing a tree.

As Vice President of Science, Stephen helps support Manomet’s scientific work across all of the programs.  He works to improve the scientific rigor of our research, increase its application to real-world problem solving, and make it as widely accessible and inclusive as possible.  His own research focuses on determining what limits populations of shorebirds and developing methods for tracking their populations at a hemispheric scale.  He has led annual field work expeditions in the arctic for the past 20 years.

Stephen has worked in applied science and conservation throughout his career and has spent the last 20 years at Manomet. He has a Ph.D. in Natural Resources from Cornell, an M.S. in Natural Resources from the University of Michigan, and a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Hampshire College. He lives in Vermont in a homestead he has made carbon neutral (heated with sustainably harvested wood and powered from solar energy). In the rare moments when he is not working on shorebird conservation, he enjoys skiing and hikes in the mountains.

Why Manomet?

I work at Manomet because I believe applied science should form the basis for our efforts to address the conservation problems facing us. Manomet is one of only a few organizations that has maintained a commitment to doing cutting-edge scientific work on conservation issues, and applying that science through our networks of partnerships. We have built a program that depends on the best available science and is successful because we use scientific results to guide our way. I strongly believe in Manomet’s mission to apply science and engage people to sustain our world.

ResearchGate