Department of Earth and Environmental Science

Scholarship Recipient Discovers Confidence, Connection, and Calling at UMW

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Mariana Lira wasn’t quite sure where she’d go to college, until her grandparents made a simple suggestion—check out the University of Mary Washington.

Photo of student smiling at the camera.
Senior environmental science major Mariana Lira said earning the Lettie Pate Whitehead Scholarship has opened doors to multiple academic pursuits and leadership roles at the University of Mary Washington. Photo courtesy of Mariana Lira.

“UMW was warm, welcoming, and totally matched my vibe,” said Mariana, who was born in Arizona and attended high school in nearby Spotsylvania. A tour of campus confirmed she was in the right place. “I just felt like I belonged here.”

Mariana, now an environmental science major and a UMW Honors Program scholar, has made her mark at Mary Washington. Serving as vice president of the Latino Student Association and the Tri Alpha First Generation honor society, she has helped students with similar journeys feel connected on campus.

As she takes her next steps—including becoming a Marine Corps officer after graduation—she credits the Lettie Pate Whitehead Scholarship with opening doors to her academic pursuits and leadership roles.

Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans, born on Feb. 21, 1872, in Thaxton, Virginia, made history when she stepped up to lead the company of her late first husband, Joseph B. Whitehead, who had the innovative idea to bottle Coca-Cola at the turn of the 20th century. Three decades later, the company appointed her to its board of directors—making her the first woman ever to sit on the board at a major corporation.

A revered philanthropist, Mrs. Whitehead also gave generously to educational institutions, arts and culture, and religious organizations throughout her lifetime. The Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation, established after her death in 1953, supports tens of thousands of students in need each year as well as senior care facilities across the southeast.

More than 2,000 scholars at the University of Mary Washington have benefited from Whitehead scholarships over the last four decades. In 2024-25, the University awarded financial assistance totaling $292,110 to more than 100 Whitehead recipients, which is a part of the over $2.3 million in donor-driven scholarships from the UMW Foundation.

“Our recipients embody Mrs. Whitehead’s enduring spirit of generosity, resilience, and commitment to higher education,” said Katie Turcotte, vice president for advancement and alumni engagement and executive director of the UMW Foundation. “We’re so grateful to the Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation for their ongoing support that helps ensure that a Mary Washington education remains accessible and affordable for those with financial need.”

Interested in science since childhood, Mariana discovered that UMW’s Department of Earth and Environmental Science gave her the chance to take courses in lots of different areas, including biology, chemistry, ecology, and geology. “It’s such a multifaceted field,” she said. “I love learning how everything fits together and hearing different perspectives.”

Mariana has particularly enjoyed coursework with Associate Professor of Environmental Science Tyler Frankel and Sarah Morealli, an environmental geology senior lecturer. “Everyone at UMW is so passionate about their subject area, so it’s easy to get excited about research when you’re a student,” she said.

Mariana is currently working alongside her faculty mentor, Associate Professor of Environmental Science Melanie Szulczewski, and her classmates to conduct data analysis that investigates metal contaminants in the soil and how they might affect produce that ends up in grocery stores. They recently presented their findings at CANVAS, a conference focusing on environmental and soil science, in Salt Lake City.

Mariana Lira ’26 (right) and Madeline Binkley ’28 presenting their environmental science and soil research at the CANVAS conference in Salt Lake City. Photo courtesy of Mariana Lira.
Mariana Lira ’26 has conducted soil research with Associate Professor of Environmental Science Melanie Szulczewski, which they’ve presented at professional conferences in their field. Mariana said: “Here, I am filtering soil samples that have been incubated after being treated with an acid phosphatase substrate. The absorbance (or in simpler terms, the color) of the liquid that will filter out will tell us how biologically productive the soil is.” Photo courtesy of Mariana Lira.

“This opportunity has truly enhanced my experiences in my major,” said Mariana, who plans to present her Honors College capstone project at UMW’s Research and Creativity Symposium on April 24. “I’m applying the knowledge I learned in class to address concerns and develop questions that I can then answer through my research.”

But she’s taking a different path for her career. She was recently accepted into Marine Corps Officer Candidate School, which she’ll begin this fall. As the daughter of service members, she admires the military branch’s focus on tradition and discipline.

“Honor, courage, and commitment are all important to me,” Mariana said. “I want to work with other people who uphold those same values.”

Learn more about establishing scholarships and how private support makes a difference in the lives of UMW students who receive scholarships, research fellowships, and internship grants.

-Article by Assistant Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04

UMW Alumni Mourn the Loss of Beloved Environmental Science Professor

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Forty years ago, May Sligh ’88 wandered across the Mary Washington campus with her classmates as Professor Emeritus of Environmental Science and Biology Michael Bass identified trees. She can still recall him pointing out the white oak (quercus alba), red maple (acer rubrum), and American sweetgum (liquidambar styraciflua) to his students.

Professor Emeritus of Environmental Science and Biology Michael Bass passed away Oct. 4, 2024. He was a beloved figure at Mary Washington, especially among the countless environmental science majors he inspired to go into the field, and the Class of 1972, which established a scholarship in his honor. Photo courtesy of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences.
Professor Emeritus of Environmental Science and Biology Michael Bass passed away Oct. 4, 2024. He was a beloved figure at Mary Washington, especially among the countless environmental science majors he inspired to go into the field, and the Class of 1972, which established a scholarship in his honor. Photo courtesy of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences.

“I knew that I had made the right choice by coming to a small school with a professor filled with the same wonder and passion for nature that I had,” said May, who has spent decades protecting water quality along the East Coast. “Dr. Bass’ kindness, ability to listen to his students, and desire to share his knowledge was unmatched. I’m forever grateful for the role he played in helping me find a career that I love.”

It often takes generations for tiny saplings to become towering trees, but in just a few years, Dr. Bass grew Mary Washington’s fledging environmental science program to one that has cultivated careers for countless alumni over the decades. After he passed away on Oct. 4, 2024, tributes poured in, from graduates who were influenced by their former professor to enter professions relating to his field, and those who appreciated the support that he and wife Heather gave the Mary Washington community.

“Dr. Bass helped plant some seeds for me to work in environmental conservation,” said Jessie Thomas-Blate ’03, a director of river restoration at American Rivers, a national nonprofit organization where she specializes in dam removal. “I wish I had the chance to talk with him about some of the big issues we’re facing today.”

Sidney Griffith Keith ’85 remembered how Dr. Bass supported her work with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and her decision to become an educator. “He told me that teaching was the best way to truly share a love of science, inquiry, and an understanding of our world and universe,” she said.

Dr. Bass from the 1972 Battlefield Yearbook. He taught environmental science and biology and served as sponsor for the Class of 1972, which later established the Dr. Michael Bass Scholarship in his honor. Photo courtesy of UMW Special Collections and University Archives.
Dr. Bass received emeritus status from the University of Mary Washington in 2018, after a 45-year teaching career.

Dr. Bass held several research positions before joining the Mary Washington faculty, where he became the first chair of the Department of Environmental Science and Geology (now Earth and Environmental Sciences). He earned a Ph.D. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1976 and spent more than 45 years in the classroom at Mary Washington before retiring in 2018.

Throughout his career, Dr. Bass partnered with nearby localities on projects to monitor water quality, stream bank erosion, and the impact of construction on bodies of water like Massaponax Creek and Ni River. He also helped design retention ponds for the Central Park development in Fredericksburg. Students often contributed to his field work, which enabled them to present their findings at regional and national conferences.

Kathryn Collison Ray ’72, who was a student in the first biology course Dr. Bass taught at Mary Washington, recalled how as a young professor, he was assigned the role of class sponsor for first-year students. “He accepted the challenge and went above and beyond,” she said. “The Class of 1972 loves him for it, and he and his lovely wife, Heather, attended all of our class reunions.”

Dr. Bass and wife Heather (center) with Mary Saunders Williams (left) and Nancy Mahone Miller (right) from the Class of 1972, which established the Dr. Michael Bass Scholarship in his honor. Dr. Bass served as the freshmen class sponsor for the Class of 1972. Photo courtesy of Nancy Mahone Miller.
Junior Grace Hannah Buck, the recipient of the Class of 1972 Dr. Michael Bass Scholarship, takes a photo while doing field work for a geology class in Alum Spring Park in Fredericksburg. Photo courtesy of Grace Hannah Buck.

In celebration of their 50th reunion in 2022, she and her fellow graduates honored the professor with the Class of 1972 Dr. Michael Bass Scholarship, which was awarded for the first time to junior Grace Hannah Buck, an environmental geology and historic preservation major who plans to pursue a career in architectural preservation.

“Receiving this award was like someone telling me they saw my hard work and my potential and wanted to partner with me so I could achieve my educational goals here at UMW,” she said. “I’m so grateful to Dr. Bass and the donors who have made this scholarship possible for me and future students.”

UMW’s Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences will celebrate Dr. Bass’ life and career at Mary Washington with an open-house memorial in the Cedric Rucker University Center’s Chandler Ballroom on Saturday, Feb. 1 from 2-4 p.m. The event is free and open to all current and former members of the UMW community and the public.

For more information about the Class of 1972 Dr. Michael Bass Scholarship or other giving opportunities, please contact the Office of University Advancement at advance@umw.edu or 540-654-1024.

-Article by Assistant Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04

Summer Science Students Earn Perkins Research Awards

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As temperatures soared near triple digits last Wednesday, the weather formed a compelling case for Ava Spencer’s research on how extreme heat impacts Fredericksburg’s most marginalized communities.

“I wanted to look at these issues from a sociological perspective, in a way that could help people,” said Ava, a rising senior majoring in environmental science at the University of Mary Washington.

She was one of a pair of students who took home the top prizes at UMW’s Summer Science Institute (SSI), which engages undergraduates in an intense 10-week research experience with professors and peers. At a public symposium held in the Hurley Convergence Center’s Digital Auditorium, she and physics major Kevin Leong were chosen by a panel of faculty judges to each receive a scholarship award through the John C. and Jerri Barden Perkins ’61 College of Arts and Sciences Student Research Endowment. The funds will help the students continue their projects through the upcoming school year.

Participants in Mary Washington’s 2022 Summer Science Institute pose for a picture with their professors and peers. “I have witnessed the power of SSI to transform lives and send students down career paths that they would have never considered before,” says Associate Professor of Chemistry Randall Reif (front row, center), who led this year’s cohort with Assistant Professor of Mathematics Jeb Collins. Photo credit: UMW’s Summer Science Institute.
Last Wednesday, UMW students, faculty, staff, family and friends came to the Hurley Convergence Center to listen to presentations delivered by participants in the 2022 Summer Science Institute. Photo credit: UMW’s Summer Science Institute/Ava Spencer.
Students presented their posters to professors and peers in the Hurley Convergence Center. Photo credit: UMW’s Summer Science Institute/Ava Spencer.

Second place winners were Curtis Kasiski for his research on determining the dietary diversity of bumblebees, and Orianne Mbuyi Mujinga Kazadi for her work identifying fungal strains that can destroy invasive spotted lanternflies.

“I hope this award inspires them to open their minds to possibilities in life,” said Dr. Jerri Barden Perkins, who watched the presentations via Zoom. She was amazed at the variety and relevance of topics, she says, from fighting antibiotic resistance with phage therapy to using sockets to create video games. “The liberal arts and sciences education students find at Mary Washington broadens their perspectives and prepares them for the real world.”

Dr. Perkins earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry at Mary Washington and a M.D. from the Medical College of Virginia. She went on to conduct her own trailblazing research into rheumatoid arthritis and approved one of the first FDA drug therapies to combat AIDS. Her endowment, one of several she established at UMW, is in honor of her late husband, Cal, who practiced internal medicine.

“The Perkins scholarship award will allow us to recognize UMW students demonstrating exemplary performance,” said College of Arts and Sciences Dean Keith Mellinger. “This elevates SSI to a professional level.”

Rising senior Kevin Leong, a physics major, presented his poster detailing how he created a solar-powered cell phone charging station for the homeless with Assistant Professor Desmond Villalba. Photo credit: UMW’s Summer Science Institute.
Rising senior Ava Spencer, an Earth and environmental science major, presents her research on how extreme heat impacts Fredericksburg’s most marginalized communities, which she conducted with Assistant Professor Pamela Grothe. Photo credit: UMW’s Summer Science Institute.

Kevin, a rising senior, received the “Best Poster” award for his creation of a solar-powered cell phone charging station for homeless people. Working with Assistant Professor of Physics Desmond Villalba, he used a 3-D printer, and created and programmed circuits, to assemble a functioning prototype he hopes can be replicated in Fredericksburg.

“I feel so honored to have won the Perkins award,” said Kevin, adding that SSI has inspired him to pursue a career or further education in research. “The entire experience has been fantastic.”

Ava, who won the “Best Presentation” award, collaborated with Assistant Professor of Environmental Science Pamela Grothe ’06 and a team of volunteers to map temperatures across Fredericksburg.

They discovered that some neighborhoods historically zoned for African Americans were up to five degrees warmer than others due to lack of tree canopy and green spaces. “Research like this has been performed in larger cities, but not smaller communities like ours,” Ava said.

Receiving the Perkins award, she said, will help her continue the research through the fall semester. She hopes her findings will eventually aid local officials with the city’s climate action plan. “It’s a great feeling to be recognized for a project you’ve poured your time, energy and love into.”

For information on endowing scholarships at the University of Mary Washington, please contact the Office of University Advancement at advance@umw.edu or 540-654-1024.

– Article written by Assistant Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04