Robert Walter is a geologist, geochemist and geochronologist. He has conducted geological explorations and field research in East Africa (calibration of human origins, rift basin analyses, Plio-Pleistocene climate change, and volcanology), North America (Quaternary geology, surface water and groundwater interactions and environmental geology), around the Pacific Rim (neotectonics), and around the world (groundwater exploration). In 2011, he and Dorothy Merritts received the Kirk Bryan Award for Outstanding Research in Quaternary Geology and Geomorphology from the Geological Society of America for their 2008 paper in Science, "Natural Streams and the Legacy of Water Powered Mills." Currently (2006-present), he is a Professor of Geosciences at Franklin and Marshall College (F&M), where his primary research interests are bedrock fracture analyses, groundwater exploration, water quality analyses, soil-sediment-bedrock-water interactions, and human disturbances of earth surface processes.

He directs the Big Spring Run Restoration Experiment, has authored over 90 peer-reviewed publications, and has co-written and co-directed five short documentary films on human evolution. In 2021, along with colleagues Dorothy Merritts and Patrick Fleming, he co-founded the Chesapeake Watershed Initiative at F&M with a three-year $1.25 million award from the Richard King Mellon Foundation. 

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Dorothy Merritts (B.Sc. Indiana University of Pennsylvania, M.Sc. Stanford University, Ph.D. University of Arizona) is a geologist with expertise in streams, rivers, and other landforms, and on the impact of geologic processes, climate change, and human activities on the form and history of Earth's surface.  Her primary research in the eastern United States is in the Appalachian mid-Atlantic region, where she is investigating the role of human activities in transforming the upland woodlands and valley bottom wetland meadows of Eastern North America to a predominantly agricultural and mixed-industrial/urban landscape since European settlement. Associated with this work is developing new methods of wetland, floodplain, and stream restoration that rely upon geomorphic investigation. She also is using lidar to map the geomorphic evidence for continuous permafrost from the last glacial maximum throughout Pennsylvania and Maryland.  In 2004-2005 she was the Flora Stone Mather Visiting Distinguished Professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.  In 2011-2012 she was the Cox Visiting Professor at Stanford University. She is the author of an introductory textbook in environmental geology, numerous scientific papers and edited book chapters, and contributing author to several National Research Council reports. In 2022, she was inducted to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences.

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Patrick Fleming is an agricultural and environmental economist with research focused on clean water, agricultural sustainability, and the evaluation of public policy to achieve improved water quality goals. His published work includes integrated models of environmental policy, human behavior, and subsequent water quality effects. Dr. Fleming teaches courses on environmental and natural resource economics, ecological economics, statistics, and public policy in relation to sustainability, poverty and human capability.

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Chris Williams has spent most of his academic career researching wetlands, both modern and ancient. As a member of CWI he is interested in better understanding how restoration practices influences carbon cycling and carbon accumulation in floodplains and wetlands in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Chris is particularly interested in developing a better understanding of how wetland plant community composition and wetland hydrology influence microbial activity, carbon accumulation, and organic matter decomposition rates in high organic-matter soils. Chris has experience conducting research on the link between vegetation type, drought, carbon cycling, and trace gas (CO2 and CH4) production in Holocene peatlands and modern wetland soils. His other research has focused on the paleoecology and ecosystem characteristics (e.g., biomass and productivity) of ancient wetlands. His work on the paleoecology of pre-Quaternary wetlands is mainly focused on understanding the link between wetland carbon accumulation and climate through geologic time. 

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Adam Benfield is a paleoecologist and Quaternary geoscientist who specializes in wetland and montane environments. His PhD research at Penn State centered on understanding how the end of Ice Ages during the Quaternary Period shaped the development of modern ecosystems in California and Indonesia. He uses a variety of analytical methods including microfossils and stable isotope geochemistry as well as ecological modeling to understand how ecosystems respond to environmental change. As part of the CWI, Adam works to understand the ecology and biogeochemical cycling of both ancient and restored wetlands in the Chesapeake Bay region. In addition, he is interested in the “thawing and greening” of the Piedmont and Appalachian Mountains during the end of the last Ice Age as an analogue for modern permafrost thawing and boreal forest expansion.

Adam is teaching a course on Conservation Paleobiology (ENE 257) in the Fall semester.

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Hannah Connuck joined the CWI as one of the Outreach and Communication Coordinators this fall after her graduation in May with a B.A. in Environmental Science and Spanish. In the past few years, she has carried out independent projects that reflect her academic interests in tropical montane and maritime forest community ecohydrology, earning her several institutional grants at her alma mater, Franklin & Marshall College, a coveted press release during the AGU Fall Meeting 2021, and a co-author position on an upcoming publication. Hannah has always had a passion for plant science and is pursuing a career in science communication to expand the reach of exciting research and programming to the public. 

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Alice Fodor began working with the CWI in September, after graduating from Franklin & Marshall College in May 2023 with a B.A. in Environmental Science and a Minor in Music Performance. During her undergraduate studies, Alice conducted research on periglacial processes with her advisor, Dorothy Merritts. Alice loves gaining field experience in diverse locations, and has attended both an archaeological field school in Sardinia through the Center for Field Sciences and an ecological field school in Bhutan through the School for Field Studies, where she conducted a directed research project on Human-Wildlife Conflict. Alice focuses on a combination of fieldwork and communications for the CWI. Working alongside colleague Hannah Connuck, Alice strives to connect the CWI with the greater community of homeowners, regulators, and scholars concerned with the quality of our watershed. Through creating and sharing educational materials and engaging in events with the public, we hope to effectively foster regional collaboration and apply the CWI’s mission to local streams. Additionally, Alice is a certified drone pilot and helps develop compelling visuals to represent the CWI's work using drone footage and GIS softwares.

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William (Liam) Connolly is a full-time post-bac research assistant who joined the CWI team in June 2023 after graduating cum laude from F&M in May with a B.A. in Environmental Science (Geoscience Concentration) and a Minor in Environmental Studies. Liam first became interested in wetland research following an introductory course he took during his first year at F&M. This led to his later joint independent thesis that examined soil carbon growth at Big Spring Run (restored wetland in Lancaster County) and Great Marsh (a 10,000-year-old periglacial marsh in Chester County). Liam discovered positive growth of carbon content within the soils at both locations over time, signifying the larger value in continuing to track this growth and examine other wetlands. With the CWI, he works closely with Christopher Williams and Robert Walter to successfully calculate carbon storage potential for wetlands across Lancaster County. Liam supports the CWI through creating 3D models/soil monoliths using Agisoft software, analyzing erosion maps within ArcGIS, and assisting with any gear/technology used in the field. Additionally, he is FAA Part 107 certified, allowing him to fly drones on behalf of CWI for its various projects. His drone photography is used extensively for 3D modeling purposes and to provide media images/videos for outreach efforts (spearheaded by Hannah Connuck '23 and Alice Fodor '23). Currently, he is training to use thermal drones for tracking groundwater temperature and vegetation mapping for multiple ongoing projects. 

Jake Lamb '24.5 is a Postbaccalaureate Environmental Economics Research Associate and Geospatial Analyst with the Chesapeake Watershed Initiative at Franklin & Marshall College. Under the tutelage of Patrick M. Fleming, PhD, Jake is investigating the cost effectiveness of legacy sediment restoration for the mitigation of key pollutants in the Chesapeake Watershed, in comparison with other best management practices commonly utilized in the watershed. His other ongoing research projects include economic valuation of the carbon sequestration benefits of legacy sediment restoration projects utilizing the social cost of carbon, and the accounting of other co-benefits associated with legacy sediment restoration. Jake is a part 107 certified commercial drone pilot for the research group, utilizing the group’s DJI drone fleet to collect RGB and thermal restoration progress photography/videography and create digital elevation models (DEMs) of restoration sites. Jake also conducts various other field & communications activities for the CWI as they arise, including periodic grant writing.

Su Fanok brings a practitioner’s lens and partner-based approach to the CWI.  For over 25 years, she has immersed herself in the dynamic currents and intricate ecosystems of Pennsylvania's streams and rivers and has advanced stream restoration efforts in each of the state’s major river basins. During her tenure, Su has seen the art of stream restoration grow to a community of practitioners, who, understanding how a legacy of alteration has impacted our streams, are advancing restoration projects that build ecosystem resilience, restore critical habitat, and improve the quality of the state’s waters. Originating as a grassroots community-based practitioner, Su's passion lies in forging alliances with the very individuals who drive this transformative work forward, including the CWI. Their unwavering commitment and unparalleled dedication to the restoration of our waters fuels Su's passion. Su's journey commenced at Franklin & Marshall College, where her lifelong work and profound affection for rivers began. 

Jeremy Zimmerman is an environmental regulations specialist who works on environmental and health issues in Pennsylvania. A Lancaster County native, Jeremy graduated from a dual degree program between Sciences Po Paris where he studied Political Humanities and Columbia University where he received a BA in Sustainable Development. Jeremy's primary role on the project is building the story maps, conducting historical research, and building models. In his free times he enjoys hiking, traveling, and singing at his church's choir.