Research Assistant Professor, School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science
- PhD, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming
- MS, Resource Ecology and Management, University of Michigan
- BS, Biology and Spanish, University of Michigan
Aquatic Ecology
My roles as teacher and researcher are closely linked. Science does not progress unless we continue to train students (both graduate and undergraduate) to become effective problem solvers and thoughtful world citizens, regardless of their future careers. I find that my enthusiasm for research in aquatic ecology is reinforced as I see the spark of interest in students. My goal as a teacher is to link classroom knowledge with direct experience (preferably in the field) to foster curious students that are skilled at problem solving, and assessing and communicating scientific information.
My current research interests include 1) how aquatic and terrestrial systems are linked through the land-water interface, 2) how global climate change affects this linkage, and 3) how to use long term data to monitor environmental change in aquatic systems. Studying how aquatic and terrestrial systems affect one another is critical to understanding how climate will affect both in the future. One way to accomplish this is to study organisms that require both habitats, from moose that forage in aquatic environments to frogs and salamanders that require vernal pools to reproduce. Collecting data and designing research in such a way that aquatic systems can be relatively easily and inexpensively monitored over long periods of time will be critical to determining the effect global change will have on these systems.