Registration is now open for the 7th International Symposium on River Science, held in Davis, California from Oct 6-9, 2025! Early Bird Registration will remain open until 15 August 2025.
“Where are they now:” is a blog series on the California WaterBlog, written by our alumni. The series will celebrate the many alumni who got their start at the Center for Watershed Sciences (CWS) and have now gone on to bigger and better things. Blog posts from the “Where are they now:” series will be peppered throughout our regularly scheduled line up blogs, and they will highlight both former students and past employees of CWS. We hope you enjoy their stories in their own words.
Next up is Caroline Newell, who was at CWS 2017 – 2025.
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I had the pleasure of working at the Center for Watershed Sciences (“the Shed”) from December 2017 – February 2025. In my long time spent at the Shed, I developed strong research skills and foundational knowledge of fishes and landscape ecology. I was a member of the Durand lab, researching wetland fish (food web) ecology in the upper San Francisco Estuary. I first joined the lab after learning they studied Suisun Marsh – the place that I grew up! It felt really exciting to learn about what lay beneath the mysterious murky waters I would visit as a kid.
In the lab, I grew a deeper connection with my hometown’s ecology and learned field skills such as how to wrangle fish from a tub, how to catch bass on hook and line, and how to operate a boat. I also had the pleasure of participating in the 2019 Ecogeomorphology (EcoGeo) class, rafting down the Yampa and Green Rivers – an experience I will never forget!! Perhaps my favorite memory from EcoGeo was our riverside talent-show where I did spot-on bird impressions through fits of laughter. We were a stunningly talented group. Taken together, my experiences at the Center for Watershed Sciences helped me think deeply about inland fish ecology issues – including influences of hydrology, food webs, and climate change on wetland fish. Those experiences inspired me to get my Master’s at UC Davis, focusing on climate change impacts to fishes in Suisun Marsh. I was fortunate enough to get my work funded by the CWS Incubator Program, allowing me incredible freedom to complete a robust novel analysis.
After wrapping up my studies earlier this year, I transitioned to my current role as California State Sea Grant Fellow with the California Fish and Game Commission. As a fellow, I get to work on a lot of exciting projects supporting regulation and policy development for marine fisheries topics. I am beyond grateful for all the Center has provided me and I am forever changed for the better by my experiences there. I met my lovely husband and many wonderful friends at CWS, explored my research interests, and found my path.
While I am still in my early career, I would say that the most helpful career navigation advice I have is to find supervisors/mentors/advisors that give you the time of day and don’t make you afraid of failure – they will take you where you want to go!
About the Author
Caroline Newell completed her Master’s degree in Ecology at UC Davis in 2025 studying Suisun Marsh climate change impacts. She is currently a California State Sea Grant Fellow at the California Fish and Game Commission, where she supports the science-side of the regulatory rulemaking process.
Support experiences like this
If this story resonated with you, consider making a gift to the Center to help us create more meaningful opportunities for students across our programs. Want to support the specific experience featured here? You can do that too, by supporting the CWS Ecogeomorphology Fund and CWS Fishes, Floodplains, and Springs Research.
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