May 25, 2023
Two seniors graduating from the University of Rhode Island this spring, a 2020 graduate, and a current graduate student, have been awarded prestigious fellowships through the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships Program.
The Foundation grants winners $12,000 each year for the cost of education, as well as an additional stipend of $37,000 annually for three years which can be applied toward the cost of living and other financial support. The financial support provided by this graduate research fellowship let students focus on their coursework and research.
Bryan Plankenhorn, Ph.D. candidate: oceanography
Bryan Plankenhorn is a first-generation indigenous graduate student, from the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe in Washington, pursuing a Ph.D. in oceanography. His research focuses on harmful algal blooms (HABs) which produce dangerous neurotoxins impacting sea life.
“I have always resonated deeply with my tribal identity,” says Plankenhorn. As an undergraduate, he worked with the Lummi Nation tribe in an environmental outreach program for younger students. At the same time, one of the worst harmful algal blooms (HABs) was occurring in the Pacific Ocean, resulting in devastating consequences to marine wildlife.
“I saw firsthand how this event negatively impacted many coastal tribal communities as a result of their families unable to fish and collect shellfish because they contained potent neurotoxins from bioaccumulation of HAB species,” says Plankenhorn. He decided to make HABs the focus of his study and hopes to help find ways to protect the environment and nearby communities, while also mentoring tribal students pursuing STEM degrees.
Plankenhorn conducts weekly sampling and analysis of Narragansett Bay plankton, as part of GSO’s long-term plankton time series, the longest time series of its kind in the world.
He is treasurer for URI’s Graduate School of Oceanography Chowder & Marching graduate group and vice president for URI’s Native American Student Organization. He’s also led workshops at URI on Native American data sovereignty and advocacy for underrepresented communities.