Graduate Student Mentors
Updated by me on 19 August 2008.
Eric Bricker
Area of Specialization in EVSC: Ecology
Degree seeking: Ph.D.
Research interests: My area of study is aquatic ecology and aquatic botany. I work in coastal and estuarine ecosystems located in South Florida and the Caribbean. My doctoral dissertation is an investigation of genetic structure and variability of tropical and sub-tropical seagrass populations.
bricker@virginia.edu
Stephen Chan
Area of Specialization in EVSC: Atmospheric Science
Degree seeking: Ph.D.
Research interests: I am interested in the study of land-atmosphere exchanges of mass and energy over forested ecosystems, particularly the study of trace gases that are emitted by vegetation such as isoprene. I am conducting field research on a 40-m meteorological tower at the Pace Estate in Fluvanna County, Virginia. Starting the summer of 2008, my advisor, Jose Fuentes, and I are deploying a number of new instruments to study the emission and fluxes of biogenic hydrocarbons from the forest. There are a number of areas for participation in the studies at the Pace Estate. Students with interests in micrometeorology, atmospheric field studies, and forest-atmosphere interactions are encouraged to contact me with via email:
chan@virginia.edu
Luke Cole
Area of Specialization in EVSC: Ecology
Degree seeking: Ph.D.
Research interests: My current Ph.D. research is focused on nutrient cycling in restored seagrass beds relative to both bare sediments and pre-existing beds. My study location is in the coastal lagoons of the eastern shore of Virginia. I will begin my initial research during the summer of 2006 with site characterizations and baseline data collection.
lwc8j@virginia.edu
Rishi Das
Area of Specialization in EVSC: Ecology
Degree seeking: Ph.D.
Research interests: Tropical forest ecology, biogeochemistry and land change science. I am working in the Southern Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico on how land use change impacts nutrient cycling in tropical dry forests. In particular, I am looking at how deforestation and fires affect atmospheric deposition of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus. I am also working on modeling ecosystem responses to shifting cultivation and charcoal production, which are major drivers of deforestation in the region. I am looking for students who are interested in these subjects to help with processing field samples and analyzing them for nitrogen, phosphorus and organic components in the lab. I may also have opportunities for short-term field projects in the Yucatan, in the midst of beautiful forests and Mayan ruins. Contact me at:
rishiraj@virginia.edu
Eric Elton
Area of specialization in EVSC: Ecology
Degree seeking: Ph.D.
Research Interests: Both Ecology and Atmospheric Science are focuses of my dissertation research. I am exploring the differences experienced by native forest plant species and non-native invasives when faced with varying levels of air pollution, namely ozone and carbon dioxide. My past research dealt with parasitic dodder (Cuscuta indecora) in the salt marshes on the Texas coast of the Gulf of Mexico, and the effect of past host choice on future host preference. If you are looking to explore a topic in environmental stewardship, applied statistics, forest ecology, invasive biology, and/or atmospheric science please contact me.
eee2a@virginia.edu
Lyndon Estes
Area of specialization in EVSC: Ecology
Degree seeking: Ph.D.
Research Interests: I am currently revising my Master's degree thesis for publication in a conservation/rangeland management journal, and need assistance with data analysis and re-writing this semester. The project in question is a GIS-based model that predicts harvesting pressure on a plant based on abundance and feasibility of harvester access. The model is based on negative binomial regression (SAS) and cost-distance modeling in ARCGIS. I will need assistance with helping to rebuild the model, running sensitivity analyses, and revising the write-up, which would provide anyone interested with good experience in applied use of ArcGIS and SAS and in preparing scientific publications. The help is worth an authorship, depending on level of assistance provided. Some experience with SAS and ArcGIS is necessary.
lde2c@virginia.edu
Jen Fallon
Area of Specialization in EVSC: Ecology
Degree Seeking: MS
Research Interests: I am interested in nutrient cycling in tropical and sub-tropical forests. My current project examines the effect of prior cultivation/ land-use history on carbon stocks in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. I am currently analyzing soils from chili fields, corn fields, and pasture land for carbon and nitrogen content as well as determining particle size. I am mainly interested in inter-site variation in carbon, but have multiple samples from each site and would like to look at intra-site variability as well. If you are interested in nutrient cycling, tropical ecology, gaining lab experience, or (possible) field work please let me know!
jkf3v@virginia.edu
Jennifer Holm
Area of specialization: Ecology
Degree seeking: Ph.D.
Research interests: My area of research is looking at the effects of Hurricane Dean damage on the tropical dry forests of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. This project is trying to understand how different levels of land use change will alter the resilience of tropical dry forests to hurricanes. A goal is to increase the knowledge base for managing both the immediate and more long term effects of such catastrophic events. Over the past summer I collected data on this project in various forest types and levels of hurricane damage. I need some help working with this data and also somebody who would like to gain some laboratory experience working with soil samples. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
jah3fr@virginia.edu
Kim Holzer
Area of specialization: Ecology
Degree seeking: Ph.D.
Research interests: The primary goal of my dissertation project is to understand how herbivores with different feeding strategies (trimming, biting versus rasping) mediate nutrient pollution in seagrass ecosystems. My research takes place in Bermuda and involves a suite of experiments including grazer simulations, nutrient enrichment, plant-tethers and laboratory feeding assays. I am looking for students who are (A) keen to help with lab work and/or image analysis this fall/spring and (B) interested in aiding with fieldwork in Bermuda. I have several ideas for independent study projects relating to plant-animal interactions in seagrass systems and am happy to help apply for additional research funding (e.g. Harrison Undergraduate Research Award). Please contact me with questions:
holzer@virginia.edu
Matt Long
Area of Specialization: Ecology
Degree seeking: Ph.D.
Research interests: My area of study is the biogeochemistry of sub-tropical and tropical marine sediments, with a focus on coral and seagrass interactions. My most current research will involve the application of the eddy-correlation technique in marine environments to determine calcium and oxygen fluxes over coral reefs in the reef track of the Florida Keys. I also investigate sediment dissolution and nutrient dynamics for seagrasses in the Florida Bay estuary. Opportunities for field work, as well as lab work, and individual research projects.
David Morris
Research interests: My research interests focus upon the use of isotopes and other techniques to unravel tricky problems. My Ph.D. research involves using Elemental Analysis, Gas Chromatography and Isotope Ration Mass Spectrometry to study the sediment histories of sites in the Arctic Ocean. I am also very interested in other applications of these technologies, such as human and animal diets, both past and present. At present, my work is lab-based, but I am looking for excuses for field work.
Tom Mozder
Research Interests: Plant Community Ecology, Nutrient Cycling, & Invasive Species. My doctoral research will be set along the North American Atlantic Coast with study sites from Canada to Florida. The base of my graduate work will be at the Long Term Ecological Research site on Virginia's Eastern Shore (VCR-LTER) investigating the common reed, Phragmites australis, and the salt marsh cord grass, Spartina alterniflora. Current topics of interest include determining the quantity and utilization of organic nitrogen along the Atlantic coast, while investigating plant competition and physiology. Additionally, I am investigating the physiological differences between native and non-native types of P. australis to try to determine why the non-native type is so invasive in North America.
Ami Riscassi
Research interests: My general research interests encompass catchment hydrology and contaminant transport. I will be investigating the transport and chemical transformations of mercury between air, land, and water in wetland and stream ecosystems within Shenandoah National Park. Research assistance will be needed with water-quality analysis, field work involving micro-meteorological instrumentation and water sampling, and watershed analysis with ArcGIS.
Virginia (Ginny) Seamster
I am one of Hank Shugart's graduate students and my general research interests lie in the fields of large mammal ecology and conservation. My dissertation research will involve a comparison between mammals living in two regions (southwestern US and southern Africa) that are impacted by a process of land cover change from grassland to shrubland that is known as woody plant encroachment. For southern Africa, the species of interest is the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) and the project will involve the analysis of both satellite images and two long term data sets collected by different research groups based in Africa. For the southwestern US, I will be using genetic and isotopic analyses of hair and scat samples to assess the base of the food chain for coyotes (Canis latrans) living in a transition zone between a grassland and a shrubland habitat.
Guan Song
Research interests: My research interests focus on carbon cycling in mountainous terrain. The effects of meteorology, climate, and ecology on the temporal and spatial variability of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations in mountainous terrain will be investigated using measurements of CO2 concentrations at mountain tops. The major field study area will be in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Shenandoah National Park. Key instruments used in the research are sonic anemometer, a Licor 7500 open path CO2 / H2O gas analyzer, and a highly accurate closed path CO2 concentration sensor. Basic meteorological parameters, such as wind speed, temperature, and relative humidity, etc. will also be measured. Undergraduates with interests in the carbon cycle and mountain meteorology feel free to contact me for further information [gs6r@virginia.edu]. You will gain skills in meteorological instrumentations, numerical modeling, programming, and data analysis. You are also encouraged to develop your own research questions based on these observations.
Katie Tully
Research Interests: My research focuses on nutrient cycling within tropical secondary forests, as well as other land-use types found in tropical wet forests including banana and coffee plantations. I am interested in the fate of nutrients (and fertilizers) as they cycle through tropical systems. My Masters research focused on how climate change could affect nutrient cycling by altering nutrient use efficiency in tropical secondary forest stands. My Ph.D. work will focus on the link between rainfall, and subsequent nutrient (P, N, C, Mg, Ca, K) pulses through the soil to stream water. If you are interested in gaining experience in a laboratory which focuses on leaf, soil and water chemistry, please feel free to contact me.
Karen Vandecar
Research interests: I am generally interested in nutrient cycling in primary and secondary tropical rainforests and the influence of human disturbance on ecosystem functions. My research is focused on the effects of climate and land-use change on Phosphorus-cycling in the wet tropical forests of Costa Rica. If you are interested in gaining laboratory experience involving soil chemistry please feel free to contact me!
Maria Teresa Van Dyke
Research interests: I am interested in Conservation Biology and Applied Ecology. My area of expertise is Native Bee Biology and Ecology. For my Master's research I am studying the substrate preferences of 'ground' nesting bees. My experiment is designed to understand which of a variety of soil qualities (moisture, % vegetation, and soil type) attracts the highest diversity and abundance of ground nesting bees. This information is primarily directed at restoration of degraded lands on small to large agricultural lands as well as other landscapes. With this information land managers will have more information to enact management plans that take into consideration our vitally important bee pollinators. This Fall and Spring I can offer experiences with bee identification, data analysis, data organization, as well as a little bit of field work.
Qin Yu
Research interests: My research focuses on how arctic tundra responses to Climate Change. This includes how vegetation community changes with climate over time using ecological modeling approach. Meanwhile, there is anthropological factor affects arctic ecosystem. Yamal Peninsula is one of the areas greatly influenced by oil industry. I am interested in monitoring vegetation change and retrieval of vegetation characteristics through high spatial and spectral remote sensed data. Research assistance can be GIS analysis, environmental data collection and analysis and image processing. If you have relative experiences or interests in these area, please feel free to contact me.
Area of Specialization: Geochemistry
Degree seeking: Ph.D.
djm7@virginia.edu.
Area of Specialization in EVSC: Ecology
Degree seeking: M.S./Ph.D.
tjm5b@virginia.edu
Area of specialization in EVSC: Hydrology/Interdisciplinary
Degree Seeking: Ph.D.
alr8m@virginia.edu.
Area of Specialization in EVSC: Ecology
Degree seeking: Ph.D.
I am looking for one or two undergraduates interested in working at the Sevilleta Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) site in central New Mexico, USA during the summer (June-August) of 2009. I will work with the student(s) to apply for sufficient funds to cover their travel costs during the summer and, as appropriate, to develop an independent research project that they will work on during spring or fall 2009. Students must have an interest in doing fieldwork and being in the southwestern US for up to three months. If you are interested, please contact me (Ginny) at vas6f@virginia.edu and we can set up a time to meet and talk both about your interests and the details of my research project.
vas6f@virginia.edu
Area of Specialization in EVSC: Ecology / Atmospheric Science
Degree seeking: Ph.D.
gs6r@virginia.edu.
Area of Specialization in EVSC: Ecology
Degree seeking: Ph.D.
klt3y@virginia.edu
Area of specialization in EVSC: Ecology
Degree seeking: Ph.D.
klv5p@virginia.edu
Area of specialization in EVSC: Ecology
Degree seeking: M.S.
mtv4h@virginia.edu
Area of Specialization in EVSC: Ecology
Degree Seeking: Ph.D.
qy4a@virginia.edu