An Oregon State University graduate student is one of 20 recipients nationally of the Ecological Society of America’s 2026 Katherine S. McCarter Graduate Student Policy Award (GSPA). Lily Olmo is a Ph.D. student in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences at Oregon State University.
She is broadly interested in how human-managed and human-made habitats can support fish biodiversity, particularly in coastal environments. Olmo has worked with state and federal agencies, universities, tribal groups and nonprofits to create research directly relevant to community needs and management priorities. She serves as a mentor to the next generation of STEM professionals. Olmo’s research is supported by an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and a NOAA Living Marine Resources Cooperative Science Center Graduate Fellowship.
Students in the 2026 cohort are engaged in advocacy with an interest in science policy. Awardees will travel to Washington, D.C., for policy, communication and career training followed by meetings with lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
