A wave of new students arrives at William & Mary’s VIMS & the Batten School
The graduate and undergraduate cohorts are eager to engage in innovative research and science for solutions.
“I'm so grateful to be immersed in an environment that fosters discovery and encourages exploration,” said new M.S. student Supawadee Surattanont, reflecting on her start at William & Mary’s VIMS & Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences. “It’s clear that the community here prioritizes collaboration and I am thrilled to be a part of it.”
Surattanont is among 32 new students joining VIMS & the Batten School this fall, including 18 graduate students entering M.A., M.S. and Ph.D. programs and 14 undergraduate students entering as the second cohort of Stravitz Scholars majoring in coastal and marine sciences.
“This feels like the start of a life-altering journey,” shared Kai Garcell, an undergraduate Stravitz Scholar. “I can’t wait to begin learning and growing in such a focused, motivated and welcoming environment.”
Before classes kicked off, separate orientation days for the graduate and undergraduate students helped acclimate them to the Gloucester Point Campus. Monday’s graduate student orientation culminated in a campus barbecue overlooking the York River. As conversations flowed, a common thread emerged — each student was drawn to VIMS & the Batten School by the opportunity to pair scientific research with practical solutions to real-world challenges.
For Siddhartha Mitra Ph.D. ’97, associate dean for academic affairs, the new students are representative of the values and priorities that anchor this institution.
"An exceptional group of graduate and undergraduate students has joined us at VIMS & the Batten School,” said Sid Mitra. "They’re bright, talented individuals already equipped with excellent problem-solving skills that will lend to solving our wicked coastal challenges. Our faculty and staff are eager to engage them in meaningful and transformative research and coursework.”
Local research and global partnerships attract diversity of graduates to VIMS & the Batten School
This year’s matriculating class of graduate students brings with them an array of personal, professional and academic experiences that make them well positioned to contribute in meaningful ways toward collaborative research with global impact.
Such impact is what led Ph.D. student Roshani Shrestha to VIMS & the Batten School. Shrestha credits the Nepal Water Initiative (NWI) as a factor in her decision-making.
"I am from Nepal, where I earned my undergraduate degree in fisheries,” explained Shrestha. “As I settle into research exploring the human dimensions of shellfish aquaculture, I’m also looking forward to engaging in work with the Nepal Water Initiative. It's nice that we can focus on our studies while exploring other opportunities during our time here.”
NWI, a collaborative project led by scholars from William & Mary and VIMS & the Batten School, conducts research alongside Nepal-based scientists and stakeholders to understand and assess threats to Nepal’s water resources and empower Nepali scholars and leaders to develop tools and strategies for managing water resources. It’s one of many ways that W&M and VIMS & the Batten School have led in the discovery of innovative solutions to ensure global water resiliency as part of the university’s Vision 2026 initiative.
For Ned Rose, a Virginia native, local waterways and research programming guided him toward VIMS & the Batten School.
“I grew up in Gloucester, and I’ve long considered VIMS to be this shining beacon of scientific curiosity,” shared Rose, an M.S. student who has previously participated in VIMS’ annual freshwater surveys in Southwest Virginia. “Having participated in five or six Roanoke Roundups, I’ve come to appreciate that there is a community of wonderful people behind the outstanding caliber of research taking place here. Even though I have my own specialized interests, I hope to be as engaged as I can be with the rest of my cohort and the many disciplines we’ll study together.”
A surreal next chapter begins for undergraduate Stravitz Scholars
"This is a dream come true,” reflected Isabel Volden, who previously conducted research as part of the Algal Evolutionary Ecology Lab led by VIMS Eastern Shore Laboratory Director Stacy A. Krueger-Hadfield. “When I first came to William & Mary, this degree and program didn’t exist. So to now be a Stravitz Scholar, and to come here after working out on the Eastern Shore, it feels like it was meant to be.”
Alongside the new graduate students, VIMS & the Batten School welcomed 14 undergraduate students, the school’s second cohort of Stravitz Scholars. They begin their Immersion Semester building upon last year’s launch of the undergraduate major in coastal & marine sciences, the first at a Virginia public university.
For Christine Wlosinski, associate director for undergraduate student success, this semester represents a transformative chapter in their personal and professional lives.
“During this unique semester, Stravitz Scholars will now spend five days a week on the Gloucester Point Campus, immersed in learning and research alongside VIMS & Batten School faculty and graduate students,” said Wlosinski. “As part of an expanded cohort, students will have even more opportunities to learn from one another while developing the knowledge, skills and confidence to succeed, whatever career path they choose. We are all committed to the success of our undergraduates and to providing the support they need to thrive.”
The major stands on a foundation of remarkable philanthropy, thanks to a $50 million gift by Dr. R. Todd Stravitz ’82 and the Brunckhorst Foundations that provides full tuition support to undergraduates majoring in coastal and marine sciences and Jane Batten’s HON ’17, L.H.D. ’19 historic $100 million donation, which funds student research opportunities.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be here and to be a Stravitz Scholar with those in my cohort,” shared Max Dunlap. “This is such a unique and immersive program, and I am particularly excited to build upon my experiences researching pathogens alongside faculty and graduate students here on campus.”