Congratulations to graduate student, Joseph McIver for receiving the Rich L. Noble Best Student Presentation Award at the recent North Carolina Chapter American Fisheries Society Meeting! His award-winning talk was, “Assessing the Toxicity of Sea Salt to Freshwater Mussels: Implications for Sea Level Rise in Coastal Rivers.”

“Receiving this award from a group of my peers has encouraged me in my research,” says McIver. “It is nice to know that the time and effort I’ve devoted to this work has been recognized, and I am grateful.”

When asked about his origin story and how he became interested in studying mussels, Joseph provided the following: “I grew up exploring creeks and rivers, fishing, swimming, walking in the woods, outdoor activities etc… I knew a “desk job” was not for me. Eventually, I went to NC State where I obtained my B.S. in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology. This is where my love for the complexity and beauty of the natural world really solidified. During and after completing my B.S. I had the opportunity to work with various graduate students studying freshwater mussels, sport fish, and non-game fish. A few years later I worked for the NC Wildlife Resources Commission as a technician in the Aquatic Wildlife Diversity program, where I worked with mussels most of the time. I enjoyed working with non-game aquatic species and felt that it suited my skill set. I knew I needed a M.S. to obtain a full-time position in the field, so I pursued that path. A few months after my tech position ended I got accepted into grad school at NC State, where I began my research on freshwater mussels and sea salt toxicity.”

Joseph’s M.Sc. research is supervised by Prof. Greg Cope.

Congratulations!