The Batten School & VIMS campus will be closed on Monday, March 15 due to the National Weather Service prediction for severe weather including periods of rain, damaging winds and the potential for tornadoes.

- About
- With 500+ faculty, staff and students and three campus locations, the Batten School & VIMS are equipped to tackle pressing challenges through research, education and advisory service.
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- Research & Advisory
- Purple marsh crabs are significantly disrupting carbon cycling in salt marshes along the East Coast of the U.S., according to a study led by Batten School & VIMS scientists.
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- Batten School
- The R. Todd Stravitz Scholars Program will provide full tuition support for students pursuing the new bachelor’s degree in coastal & marine sciences at the Batten School & VIMS.
  
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- Engage
- Popular, free camps enable rising third through eighth graders to learn about the Chesapeake Bay, coastal ecosystems and environmental stewardship.
  
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- News & Events
- National TRAP Program funds large-scale cleanup of discarded fishing gear, first round of subawards totaling more than $1.4M supports 11 projects focused on removing derelict fishing gear from coastal waters in nine U.S. states and Palau.
  
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- Giving
- As an expression of parental pride in their daughter, Taylor Spencer ‘83 and Martha Spencer recently established an undergraduate field research endowment at the Batten School & VIMS.
  
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Samantha Dowiarz

Research Specialist

Email: [[v|sadowiarz]]
Phone: (804) 684-7351
Office: Nunnally Hall 142
Section: Natural Resources

Education

B.S., Marine and Atmospheric Science (Marine Science and Biology double major), University of Miami, 2017
M.Sc., Biology, East Carolina University, 2021

Research Interests

My research interests include marine and freshwater ecology, population biology of commercial and recreationally important finfish and invertebrates, and conservation ecology.

Current Projects

Juvenile Finfish Trawl Survey
American Eel Monitoring Program
Fish Response to Ecosystem Restoration in Burtons Bay