Coastal Systems Program Staff
Micheline Labrie, PhD
Director, Coastal Systems Program
Dr. Labrie is a Research Professor in the department of Estuarine & Ocean Sciences at SMAST. She earned her PhD from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in 2021, and her bachelor's degree from the University of New Hampshire in 2011.
Jennifer Benson is a Research Associate at the Coastal Systems Program at SMAST. Ms. Benson has regularly facilitated field activities, including conducting surface water samplings, sediment core collections, tidal and bathymetric measurements, marsh measurements, and laboratory assays. Ms Benson is also certified research SCUBA diver, is a member of the SMAST Dive Board and senior dive leader for this project.
John Clark is a graduate student in the Coastal Systems Program working on his MS degree. John is studying the biogeochemistry of restored salt marshes in Massachusetts. John received his bachelor’s degree in environmental science from the University of California, Santa Barbara and spent five years monitoring endangered salmon species in Northern California before moving to Massachusetts in 2022. When John is not knee deep in marsh mud he enjoys backpacking and hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and fishing and foraging on Cape Cod.
Eduard Eichner is a Principal/Senior Scientist at TMDL Solutions LLC, an adjunct professor at SMAST, and has been completing surface water and groundwater quality assessments in southeastern Massachusetts for over 30 years. A limnologist by training, Mr. Eichner was a technical lead for the MEP project, one of the initial leads for the creation of the Cape Cod Commission integrated water quality regulatory and planning system, and one of prime leads creating and sustaining the Cape Cod and Plymouth Pond and Lake Stewards (PALS). His projects have involved coordination and involvement of citizen groups, regional environmental groups, towns, counties, Massachusetts, and EPA.
Dale Goehringer Toner was a Senior Research Associate with the Coastal Systems Program. Dale played many roles within CSP, most recently handing contracts, scopes of work and finances. A distinguished leader in environmental science, Dale’s research improved our understanding of salt marsh biogeochemistry and the use of citizen scientists in estuarine water quality monitoring. In 1987, she co-founded the Falmouth Pondwatchers, a citizen-based monitoring program that became the basis of the Massachusetts Estuaries Project. This program represents the model for citizen-based water quality monitoring throughout Southeastern Massachusetts. Methods developed by the Falmouth Pondwatchers program continue to be the standard for data collection using trained citizens for monitoring the health of our coastal water bodies and providing long-term data needed for compliance monitoring as required by the MA DEP as part of Comprehensive Wastewater Management Plans.
Jillian Hubbard started as a research technician at CSP in December of 2022. She got her MSc in Marine Biology, as well as her scientific diver certifications, through Northeastern University's Three Seas Program. Having worked in many different areas, from Alaskan salmon fisheries to South African seabird colonies, Jill loves being able to learn about new marine ecosystems. When not working at CSP, Jill stage manages for a community theatre in Providence, travels all over the country to visit family and friends.
Mia Oliveira is an undergraduate intern. She is in her junior year at UMASS Dartmouth, where she majors in Marine Biology with a minor in Sustainability. Mia hopes to find her future in fisheries and aquaculture sustainability and fighting against ocean pollution. Outside of school and work Mia rides horses and competes, plus takes care of the 40+ fish she has at home!
Roland Samimy is a Chief Resilience Officer for the Village of Key Biscayne and has a 22-year long professional association with Coastal Systems Program at SMAST where he continues to hold the position of Senior Research Manager. Dr. Samimy was the Technical Coordinator and Technical Lead in Hydrology for the Massachusetts Estuaries Project, the largest estuarine restoration program in New England, including coordination of: (a) program management, (b) development of grant proposals and scopes of work, (c) contract negotiation, (d) public presentations, (e) data analysis, assessment, technical report preparation and presentation, (f) conduct of a regional stream gauging and constituent transport assessment, (g) freshwater pond nutrient related assessments, (h) estuarine data collection on water quality and biogeochemical processes. He is an Explorers Club Fellow, is bilingual in English/French with partial fluency in Spanish and is a Trimix certified decompression diver.
Sara Sampieri Horvet is a Research Associate and the analytical laboratory manager at CSP. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from Providence College and a Master’s Degree in Coastal Systems Science from UMass Dartmouth-SMAST. Sara provides technical expertise in all water quality assays, laboratory procedures, and quality assurance/quality control and sample integrity. Sara also provides assistance in coordination and scheduling of field activities, including sample transfer procedures, and regular sampling interface with Town and regional staff. Her primary research focus is on water quality and the impact of nutrient enrichment on the habitat health of estuaries and freshwater ponds. Sara is dedicated to protecting and restoring natural habitats so her children and future generations can enjoy the same beautiful places.
Coastal Systems Program Founder, Dr. Brian Howes
Brian Howes was the founder and the Director of the Coastal Systems Program until he passed away in December 2022. Dr. Howes’s research centered on the processes controlling the relationships between nutrient loading (nitrogen, phosphorus) and the ecological health of watersheds, freshwater and saltwater lakes and ponds, nearshore coastal waters, and coastal embayments. Dr. Howes's research group conducted the Massachusetts Estuaries Project, which is providing the technical basis for nitrogen Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) to restore eelgrass and benthic functions in over 70 estuaries in southeastern Massachusetts for Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and US Environmental Protection Agency. Additionally, Dr. Howes helped initiate most of the citizen water quality monitoring on Cape Cod over the past 30+ years, including town-based estuary sampling and the Cape Cod Pond and Lake Stewards (PALS) Snapshot. Dr. Howes’s Coastal Systems Analytical Facility annually completes over 30,000 nutrient analyses, including analysis of estuary, wetland, and ponds samples collected throughout southeastern Massachusetts. Most of his projects have involved public citizen groups, municipalities, and state and federal agencies.