Summer Fellow Helps Improve Beachgoers’ Knowledge of Cyanobacteria

Grace Fang, a rising senior from Wellesley College, joined Lake Champlain Sea Grant for the summer as a University of Vermont (UVM) Agroecology Summer Extension Research Fellow. With Lake Champlain Sea Grant Extension Leader Kris Stepenuck as a faculty mentor, Fang will survey Lake Champlain beachgoers’ knowledge of cyanobacteria to help improve public awareness and education.

Fang is engaging with nine other Agroecology Extension Fellows as they learn about sustainable food systems, tour the UVM Horticulture Research and Education Center Farm, mentor high school students, and explore Burlington.

“I am especially looking forward to contributing to Lake Champlain Sea Grant’s extension program, since outreach is a longtime passion of mine. I do not have a biological or environmental sciences background,” said Fang who, on her first day, had to ask what a watershed was! “Thus, I hope to learn a lot of new knowledge while helping to educate others.”

At Wellesley College, Fang is majoring in political science and minoring in economics. She plans to study international environmental law and policy in graduate school with a focus on pesticide use and regulation.

“I feel privileged to have Grace on our team this summer,” said Stepenuck. “She brings unique knowledge, strong communication skills, and thoughtful curiosity. In just a few weeks with us, she has made meaningful contributions to our cyanobacteria research and outreach efforts—and those of our partner organizations, too! I hope she will come away from the fellowship experience with new-found knowledge and skills that will be beneficial to her in her education and future career.”

The Agriculture Extension Fellowship is a collaboration between UVM Extension and the UVM College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ Plant and Soil Science Department and coordinated by the Agroecology and Livelihoods Collaborative on UVM’s campus.