Research Interests
Conservation, climate change, aquatic ecology, human-impacted systems, equity, justice, diversity, inclusion
Post-doctoral Research - Power dynamics and water management
As a post-doctoral scholar with Dr. Elizabeth Anderson at Florida International University (January - December 2021), I worked remotely from Oregon to examine how power influences environmental flow management in Florida.
Conservation, climate change, aquatic ecology, human-impacted systems, equity, justice, diversity, inclusion
Post-doctoral Research - Power dynamics and water management
As a post-doctoral scholar with Dr. Elizabeth Anderson at Florida International University (January - December 2021), I worked remotely from Oregon to examine how power influences environmental flow management in Florida.
Aquatic invertebrate samples collected from a tributary in the Grand Canyon
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Parker Dam on the Colorado River
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Riding with the USGS to sites downstream of Hoover Dam
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PhD Research - Freshwater Ecology &
Diversity and Inclusion in Scientific Societies
My dissertation quantified the effects of an anthropogenic impact (dams) on aquatic invertebrates. Specifically, I characterized dominance within the aquatic invertebrate communities immediately downstream from seven large dams in the Colorado River Basin. Downstream of Glen Canyon Dam in the Grand Canyon, I used next generation sequencing to determine relatedness of tributary populations of insects with different dispersal abilities. My research will help direct dam operations for the sake of insects, which are the base of the aquatic food web and critical to many of the world-class fisheries in the Western USA. I also worked with a team of scientists from the Society for Freshwater Science to report on society demographics and culture. We made recommendations to the society for improving diversity and inclusion and generated an expansive reading list for members to explore.
Master's Research - Scavenging Ecology
I researched the scavenging pathway within Hawaiian food webs with a focus on invasive species. I looked at the vertebrate scavenging communities that utilized amphibian and reptile carcasses (Summer 2013) and mammal and bird carcasses (Summer 2014). I used a unique trail camera set-up with a motion and pressure sensitive trigger system to record photos of scavengers in the act of consuming carcasses. I also led and assisted with many research projects on the Savannah River Site in Aiken, SC, that examined scavenging, contaminant exposure, and mating systems.
I researched the scavenging pathway within Hawaiian food webs with a focus on invasive species. I looked at the vertebrate scavenging communities that utilized amphibian and reptile carcasses (Summer 2013) and mammal and bird carcasses (Summer 2014). I used a unique trail camera set-up with a motion and pressure sensitive trigger system to record photos of scavengers in the act of consuming carcasses. I also led and assisted with many research projects on the Savannah River Site in Aiken, SC, that examined scavenging, contaminant exposure, and mating systems.
Putative Elliptio arca from Sandy Creek, Chambers County, Alabama
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Jones Mill Dam (175 years old) on Sandy Creek, Chambers County, Alabama
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Undergraduate Research - Aquatic Conservation
For my undergraduate honors thesis at Appalachian State University (ASU), I examined the population genetics of two freshwater mussel species, a putative population of Elliptio arca in Alabama and Elliptio complanata in North Carolina, for evidence of population fragmentation caused by small mill dams that bisects the study streams. I extracted the DNA from tissue samples using a Qiagen kit, ran PCR on the DNA to amplify the genes of interest (ND1 and CO1), and analyzed the sequences with various computer programs for evidence of population fragmentation (Sequencher, MEGA5, TCS, and DNAsp.) There was no evidence of population fragmentation from this data, which may have been due to the fish hosts that these freshwater mussels use to transport their young.
For my undergraduate honors thesis at Appalachian State University (ASU), I examined the population genetics of two freshwater mussel species, a putative population of Elliptio arca in Alabama and Elliptio complanata in North Carolina, for evidence of population fragmentation caused by small mill dams that bisects the study streams. I extracted the DNA from tissue samples using a Qiagen kit, ran PCR on the DNA to amplify the genes of interest (ND1 and CO1), and analyzed the sequences with various computer programs for evidence of population fragmentation (Sequencher, MEGA5, TCS, and DNAsp.) There was no evidence of population fragmentation from this data, which may have been due to the fish hosts that these freshwater mussels use to transport their young.
