PhD, Ecology Pennsylvania State University 2022-
MS, Environmental Biology Hood College 2020-2022
BS, Environmental Science State University of New York at Plattsburgh 2018-2020
AS, Environmental Science Hudson Valley Community College 2017-2018
About Me
Welcome to my website. I am so glad you're here!
I am a freshwater ecologist by training, with a love for the invertebrates that live in our streams. I am currently pursuing my PhD in Ecology while serving as a graduate research assistant in the Allen Lab at Penn State University. I hold a MS in Environmental Biology from Hood College and a BS in Environmental Science from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh. My research focuses on the biotic and abiotic disturbances that affect benthic macroinvertebrates in stream ecosystems. My previous work is on the invasive rusty crayfish and its impacts on macroinvertebrate assemblages. Today, I study how macroinvertebrate community structure changes across stream drying gradients.
.png)
Teaching
Courses I've Taught or Co-taught
January 2022-May 2022
BIOL 201 Lab: Evolution and Ecology
Evolution is the unifying theory of biology. This course will introduce students to the fundamental concepts of evolution, the study of changes in organisms over time and to ecology, the study of organisms and their environment. These two topics are naturally paired, as ecology is the basis of the selective pressures that lead to evolution.
August 2021-December 2021
ENSP 212 Lab: Coastal Community Ecology (Teaching Assistant)
In this course students will study the structure and function of Atlantic coastal communities from South Florida to the Chesapeake Bay. The course investigates adjacent aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and the natural linkages that connect them as large-scale hydroscapes. Case studies of resource management issues and human impacts on these communities and their individual populations will be used to exemplify basic ecological concepts. This course emphasizes laboratory and field investigations that will take place at selected sites along the eastern seaboard of the United States as part of the Coastal Studies Semester.
August 2021-December 2021
ENSP 370: Coastal Studies Practicum (Teaching Assistant)
The origins and answers to coastal environmental problems are found by studying the interplay among science, technology, society, and culture of the region. Working as a team, students will work collaboratively to define a coastal issue facing mid-Atlantic communities. Past topics include the sources and impact of untreated sewage effluent, the effects of marine debris on public beaches, and the importance of abandoned fishing gear. They will design a multidisciplinary study that addresses that issue from several perspectives. Working in teams, students will collect information, synthesize the material and provide their results and interpretations in both a written report and oral presentation. This course is offered as part of the Coastal Studies Semester.
January 2020-May 2020
ENV 304 Lab: Ecology (Teaching Assistant)
ENV 304 provides a survey of concepts and applications in the field of ecology. The primary goal is to provide students with a conceptual framework that will allow them to contextualize future specialized courses in Ecology. The ENV 304L Ecology Lab reinforces concepts of the course and introduces students to a variety field sampling, laboratory, and analytical techniques used in ecology.
"If you want something you've never had, you must be willing to do something you've never done"
Thomas Jefferson
Let’s Connect
