Department of Environmental Sciences

2022

BEECHER, AMBER A. (M.S. Biology, 2022)
Thesis: “Monitoring Cyanotoxins in the Western Basin of Lake Erie Using Emerging Technologies”
Advisor: Thomas Bridgeman, Ph.D.

KOSTIC, EMINA (M.S. Biology, 2022)
Thesis: “Investigating Links Among Plant Iron (Fe) stress, Root Fe-uptake, and the Concentration of Fe-uptake Proteins in Roots”

LANG, KAITLEN (M.S. Biology, 2022)
Thesis: “Dead Giveaway - Rising Mortality Rates Suggest Effectiveness of Lake Erie Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) Control”
Advisor: Christine Mayer, Ph.D.

OTTEN, JOSHUA G. (Ph.D. Biology, 2022)
Dissertation: “Long-term Impacts of the Kalamazoo River Oil Spill on Freshwater Turtles”
Advisor: Jeanine Refsnider, Ph.D.

THOMAS, MICHAEL D. (M.S. Biology, 2022)
Thesis: Climate Change Affects Leaf Morphology: Investigating Mechanism and Variation across Species”
Advisor: Scott Heckathorn, Ph.D.

YANG, TOUHUE (M.S. Biology, 2022)
Thesis: “Diets of Age-0 Walleye, Reflect Food Web Changes in Western Lake Erie”
Advisor: Christine Mayer, Ph.D.

2021

CARTER, SARAH E. (M.S. Biology, 2021)
Thesis: “Habitat Use & Nest Site Characteristics of Ohio and Michigan Populations of Two Imperiled Freshwater Turtle Species”
Advisor: Jeanine Refsnider, Ph.D.

CLIFTON, IAN T. (Ph.D. Biology, 2021)
Dissertation: “Thermal Physiology and Responses to Climate Change in a Montane, Desert Lizard Community”
Advisor: Jeanine Refsnider, Ph.D.

JAFFEE, SABRINA (M.S. Biology, 2021)
Thesis: “Assessing the Risk of Grass Carp Spawning in Lake Erie Tributaries using Discharge and Water Temperature”
Advisor: Song Qian, Ph.D.

KRAMER, GUNNAR R. (Ph.D. Biology, 2021)
Thesis: “Migration Ecology of Vermivora warblers”
Advisor: Henry Streby, Ph.D.

MARGIDA, MICHAELA G. (Ph.D. Biology, 2021)
Dissertation: “Simulating Microbial Enzyme Allocation during Plant Litter Decay in Response to Litter Lignin Content and C:N Stoichiometry”
Advisor: Daryl Moorhead, Ph.D.

McCORMICK, MATTHEW R. (M.S. Geology, 2021)
Thesis: “Evaluating the Advective Capacity of Regional Groundwater Flow Regimes to Transport Legacy DRP in a Tiled Farm Field of the Maumee River Watershed”
Advisor: James Martin-Hayden, Ph.D.

MYERS, MADISON (M.S. Biology, 2021)
Thesis: “Assessing Potential Spawning Habitat and Barriers of Migratory Walleye on the Sandusky River, Ohio”
Advisor: Jonathan Bossenbroek, Ph.D.

NUMMER, STEPHANIE A. (Ph.D. Biology, 2021)
Dissertation: “A Hierarchical Threshold Modeling Approach for Understanding Biological and Physical Responses to Climate Change”
Advisor: Song Qian, Ph.D.

SASAK, TAYLOR E. (M.S. Biology, 2021)
Thesis: “Effects of Dam Removal on Fish Communities and Habitat in the Sandusky River, Ohio”
Advisor: Jonathan Bossenbroek, Ph.D.

SWAN, ZACHARY (M.S. Biology, 2021)
Thesis: “Acceleration of Phosphorus Flux from Anoxic Sediments in a Warming Lake Erie”
Advisor: Thomas Bridgeman, Ph.D.

2020

GODRE, ALEXANDRA M. (M.S. Biology, 2020)
Thesis: “Effects of Climate Changed on Water Depth and Ecosystem Indicator – The future of Muskrat Lodge Habitat in a Lake Erie Estuary”
Advisor: Song Qian, Ph.D.

JAYAWARDENA, DILEEPA (Ph.D. Biology, 2020)
Dissertation: Effects of Elevated Carbon Dioxide Plus Chronic Warming on Plant Nitrogen Relations and Leaf Hyponasty”
Advisor: Scott Heckathorn, Ph.D.

HULBERT, AUSTIN C. (M.S. Biology, 2020)
Thesis: “Threatened Turtle Species in Ohio and Michigan: The Ecology of Hatchlings and Analysis of GPS Devices”
Advisor: Jeanine Refsnider, Ph.D.

SODEMAN, ALEXANDER D. (M.S. Geology, 2020) Thesis: “Parallel Tunnel Channels: On the Stratigraphy and Formation of a New Variety of Tunnel Channel from the Huron-Erie Lobe”
Advisor: Timothy Fisher, Ph.D.

2019

DEHM, DUSTIN (M.S. Geology, 2019)
Thesis: "A Small Unmanned Aerial System (sUAS) Based Method for Monitoring Wetland Inundation and Vegetation"
Advisor: Rickard Becker, Ph.D.

FISCHER, JASON (Ph.D. Biology, 2019)
Dissertation: “Evaluating Habitat Restoration in the St. Clair-Detroit River System”
Advisor: Christine Mayer, Ph.D.

GARCIA, JESSICA (M.S. Biology, 2019)
Thesis: “The Effects of Microcystin on the Immune Functioning of Aquatic Turtles and Tadpoles”
Advisor: Jeanine Refsnider, Ph.D.

JACKWOOD, RYAN W. (Ph.D. Biology, 2019)
Dissertation: “Coupling Ecosystem Rehabilitation to Water Quality Improvements in the Wolf Creek Watershed”
Advisor: Daryl Dwyer, Ph.D.

MARSHALL, NATHANIEL T. (Ph.D. Biology, 2019)
Dissertation: “Advancing Genetic Analyses and Implementing eDNA Metabarcoding for Invasive Species Detection and Macroinvertebrate Community Composition”
Advisor: Carol Stepien, Ph.D.

McGUINNESS, SARAH (M.S. Geology, 2020)
Thesis: “Evaluating the Application of Multiple Remote Sensing Techniques to Investigate Groundwater-Surface Water Interactions: A Case Study of the Sudd Wetland, South Sudan”
Advisor: Richard Becker, Ph.D.

NINER, MEGAN (Ph.D. Biology, 2019)
Dissertation: "Evolutionary Patterns and Occurrences of the Fish Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia Virus in the Laurentian Great Lakes”
Advisor: Carol Stepien, Ph.D.

PAGEL III, ROBERT KYLE (M.S. Biology, 2019)
Thesis: “Annual Cycle Demography, Habitat Associations, and Migration Ecology of Red-headed Woodpeckers”
Advisor: Henry Streby, Ph.D.

SNYDER, MATTHEW R. (Ph.D. Biology, 2019)
Dissertation: “Environmental DNA Detection and Population Patterns of Native and Invasive Great Lakes Fishes”
Advisor: Carol Stepien, Ph.D.

VALACHOVICS, THOMAS R. (M.S. Geology, 2019)
Thesis: “The Chronology of Glacial Landforms near Mongo, Indiana: Evidence for the Early Retreat of the Saginaw Lobe”
Advisor: Timothy Fisher, Ph.D.

WHITTINGTON, RUTH E. (M.S. Biology, 2019)
Thesis: “What’s the Holdup? Temperature Limitations of Enzyme-catalyzed Arctic Soil Decomposition”
Advisor: Michael Weintraub, Ph.D.

2018

COLLIER, JESSICA S. (M.S. Biology, 2018)
Thesis: “Creating a Spatially-Explicit Habitat Suitability Index Model for Multiple Life Stages of Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) in the Maumee River, Ohio”
Advisor: Jonathan Bossenbroek, Ph.D.

GENTNER, TIFFANY (M.S. Geology, 2018)
Thesis: "Climate Impacts on Nutrient Loading in Lake Erie"
Advisors: Richard Becker, Ph.D. and James Martin-Hayden, Ph.D.

HEBEBRAND, KRISTEN (M.S. Biology, 2018)
Thesis: "Potential Spread of Hydrilla verticillata in the Great Lakes Basin"
Advisor: Jonathan Bossenbroek, Ph.D.

KRAMER, EVA (M.S. Biology, 2018)
Thesis: “Diel Vertical Distribution of Microcystis and Associated Environmental Factors in the Western Basin of Lake Erie”
Advisor: Thomas Bridgeman, Ph.D.

KVISTAD, JAKE (M.S. Biology, 2018)
Thesis: “Modeling ballast water management strategies for slowing the secondary spread of aquatic invasive species on the Laurentian Great Lakes”
Advisor: Jonathan Bossenbroek, Ph.D.

LUCZAK, JONATHAN (M.S. Geology, 2018)
Thesis: "Chronology and Sedimentology of the Imlay Channel, Lapeer County, Michigan"
Advisor: Timothy Fisher, Ph.D.

SUSSER, JESSICA (M.S. Biology, 2018)
Thesis: "Can We Reduce Runoff into Lake Erie by Stimulating Soil Biots?"
Advisor: Michael Weintraub, Ph.D.

2017

BISTA, DEEPESH (Ph.D. Biology, 2017)
Dissertation: "Effect of Climate Change on Nutrient Uptake and Nutrient-uptake Proteins in Roots"
Advisor: Scott Heckathorn, Ph.D.

COLEMAN, KRISTEN (Ph.D. Biology, 2017)
Dissertation: "Environmental Detection and Quantification of Airborne Influenza A Virus in an Elementary School, and its Implications for Student and Community Illness"
Advisor: W. Von Sigler, Ph.D.

DILWORTH, JOHN (M.S. Geology, 2017)
Thesis: "Analysis and Chronology of Glacial Lake Arkona in the Western Lake Erie Basin, USA"
Advisor: David Krantz, Ph.D.

DZIEKAN, MITCHELL (M.S. Geology, 2017)
Thesis: "Origin of Basal Sediment within Kettle Lakes in Southern Michigan and Northern Indiana"
Advisor: Timothy Fisher, Ph.D.

EMBKE, HOLLY (M.S. Biology, 2017)
Thesis: "Assessing the Spawning Potential of Grass Carp in the Sandusky River under Varying Conditions"
 Advisors: Christine Mayer, Ph.D. and Song Qian, Ph.D.

GUIHER, SARA (M.S. Biology, 2017)
Thesis: "A Regional Management Strategy for Invasive Plants in the Oak Openings"
Advisor: Jonathan Bossenbroek, Ph.D.

MATHIS, MICHAEL (M.S. Biology, 2017)
Thesis: "Assessing Relationships Between Social Context, Knowledge and Student Perspective in a College Course on Environmental Science"
Advisor: Daryl Moorhead, Ph.D.

MCMILLAN, CAMERON (M.S. Biology, 2017)
Thesis: "Do the Availability and Accessibility of Soil Saccharides and Nutrients vary with the Phenology of Acer rubrum and Lonicera maackit?"
Advisor: Michael Weintraub, Ph.D.

SIMONSON, MARTIN (M.S. Biology, 2017)
Thesis: "Modeling Nearshore Fish Community Responses to Shoreline Types in Lake Erie"
Advisor: Christine Mayer, Ph.D.

2016

CLINE, MICHAEL (M.S., 2016)
Thesis: "Analysis of Coincident HICO and Airborne Hyperspectral Images Over Lake Erie Western Basin HABs"
Advisors: Richard Becker, Ph.D. and Thomas Bridgeman, Ph.D.

DUFOUR, MARK (M.S. Biology, 2016)
Thesis: "Hydroacoustic Quantification of Lake Erie Walleye (Sander vitreus)"
Advisor: Christine Mayer, Ph.D.

FURLONG, BRITTANI (M.S. Biology, 2016)
Thesis: "Anuran Response to Woody Plant Management in the Oak Openings Region"
Advisors: Todd Crail, Ph.D.

GROAT, LUCAS (M.S., 2016)
Thesis: "The Physical Hydrogeology of the Broader Historical Irwin Prairie Wetland System"
Advisor: James Martin-Hayden, Ph.D.

NUMMER, STEPHANIE (M.S., 2016)
Thesis: "Assessing the Effects of Conservation Practices and Fertilizer Application Methods on Nitrogen and Phosphorus Losses from Farm Fields - A Meta Analysis"
Advisor: Song Qian, Ph.D.

PETERS, JOSHUA (M.S. Geology, 2016)
Thesis: "Geology of Sawyer Quarry Nature Preserve, Lime City, Ohio"
Advisor: Mark Camp, Ph.D.

SCHMIDT, BRIAN (M.S., 2016)
Thesis: "Determining Habitat Limitations of Maumee River Walleye Production to Western Lake Erie Fish Stocks: Unexpected Barrier to Spawning Grounds"
Advisor: Christine Mayer, Ph.D.

2015

COLLIER, CHRISTOPHER (M.S. Biology, 2015)
Thesis: "What are the Impacts of Anthropogenic Nitrogen Deposition on Biological Soil Crust Communities of the Colorado Plateau and Oak Openings Region?"
Advisors: Michael Weintraub, Ph.D. and Daryl Moorhead, Ph.D.

DARMON, THOMAS (M.S. Geology, 2015)
Thesis: "Geophysical Applications to Measure or Monitor the Distribution of Fresh, Brackish, and Saline Groundwater beneath a Barrier Island"
Advisor: David Krantz, Ph.D.

GIBBONS, KENNETH (M.S. Biology, 2015)
Thesis: "Effect of Temperature on Phosphorus Release from Anoxic Western Lake Erie Sediments"
Advisors: Thomas Bridgeman, Ph.D. and Christine Mayer, Ph.D.

GOLNICK, PHOENIX (M.S. Biology, 2015)
Thesis: "Spatial and Temporal Trends in Thermal Structure and Oxygen Depletion in Western Lake Erie"
Advisor: Thomas Bridgeman, Ph.D.

HORTON, JENNIFER (M.S. Geology, 2015)
Thesis: "The Deglacial Chronology of the Sturgis Moraine in South-Central Michigan and Northeast Indiana"
 Advisor: Timothy Fisher

2014

BODAMER-SCARBRO, BETSY (Ph.D. Biology, 2014)
Dissertation: "The Physiological and Behavioral Responses of Yellow Perch to Hypoxia"
 Advisor: Thomas Bridgeman, Ph.D.

BROTHERS, CANDICE (M.S. Geology, 2014)
Thesis: "The Efficiency of Orthophosphate Absorption by Five Different Biochars and Biochar-Soil Mixes"
Advisors: Alison Spongberg, Ph.D. and Daryl Dwyer, Ph.D.

CHU, HOUSEN (Ph.D. Biology, 2014)
Dissertation: "Response and Biophysical Regulation of Carbon Fluxes to Climate Variability and Anomaly in Contrasting Ecosystems"
Advisors: J. Chen, Ph.D. and Johan Gottgens, Ph.D.

ESTIFANOS, BINIAM (M.S. Geology, 2014)
Thesis: “Geophysical Mapping of Concealed Karst and conduits in Bellevue, Oh”
Advisor: Donald Stierman, Ph.D.

FUGATE, JOSEPH (M.S. Geology, 2014)
Thesis: "Measurements of land subsidence rates on the northwestern portion of the Nile Delta using radar interferometry techniques"
Advisor: Richard Becker, Ph.D.

MAHARJAN, RENU (M.S., 2014)
Thesis: "Phytoremediation of Selected Pharmaceuticals and their Phytotoxicity to Aquatic plants"
 Advisor: Alison Spongberg, Ph.D.

MAIKE, CHRISTOPHER (M.S. Geology, 2014)
Thesis: "A Flood-Tidal Delta Complex, the Holocene/Pleistocene Boundary, and Seismic Stratigraphy in the Quaternary Section off the Southern Assateague Island Coast, Virginia, USA"
Advisor: David Krantz, Ph.D.

PEKALSKA, ANETA (M.S. Biology, 2014)
Thesis: "Identifying Escherichia coli Sources Following Enumeration, Storm Sewer Mapping and GIS”
 Advisor: W. Von Sigler, Ph.D.

PRITT, JEREMY (Ph.D., 2014)
Dissertation: "Fish Migration as an Ecosystem Linkage between Lake Erie and its Tributaries"
Advisor: Christine Mayer, Ph.D.

RINKES, ZACHARY (Ph.D., 2014)
Dissertation: "Understanding the Mechanisms of Decay: Interactive Effects of Litter Chemistry, the Microbial Community, and Nitrogen Availability”
 Advisor: Michael Weintraub, Ph.D.

SIERACKI, JENNIFER (Ph.D., 2014)
Dissertation: "Spatial Modeling as a Decision-making Tool for Invasive Species Management in the Great Lakes"
Advisor: Jonathan Bossenbroek, Ph.D.

SVOBODA, AARON (M.S. Biology, 2014)
Thesis: "Effects of Urban River Rehabilitation Structures on the Fish Community of the Ottawa River, Ohio"
Advisor: Johan Gottgens, Ph.D.

THOMAN, HEATHER (M.S. Biology, 2014)
Thesis: "A Critical Temperature Threshold for Early Leaf Litter Decomposition and Microbial Enzyme Activity"
Advisor: Michael Weintraub, Ph.D.

2013

BACA, KIRA (M.S. Geology, 2013)
Thesis: "Environmental Impacts on the Development and Dune Activity of Oxbow Lake along the Southwest Coast of Lake Michigan at Saugatuck, Michigan USA"
Advisor: Timothy Fisher, Ph.D.

BLOCKLAND, JOSEPH (M.S. Geology, 2013)
Thesis: "The Surficial Geology of Fulton County, Ohio: Insight into the Late Pleistocene-Early Holocene Glaciated Landscape of the Huron-Erie Lake Plain, Fulton County, Ohio, USA" Advisor: Timothy Fisher, Ph.D.

BRYAN, NICHOLAS (M.S. Biology, 2013)
Thesis: "Characteristics of the Unionid Community and Habitat in a Power Plant Thermal Plume in Western Lake Erie"
Advisor: Daryl Moorhead, Ph.D.

CHAFFIN, JUSTIN (Ph.D. Biology, 2013)
Dissertation: "Effects of Low Bioavailable Nitrogen and Phosphorus on Cyanobacteria Dynamics in Eutrophic Lake Erie"
Advisor: Thomas Bridgeman, Ph.D.

GIRI, ANJU (M.S. Biology, 2013)
Thesis: "Effect of Acute Heat Stress on Nutrient Uptake by Plant Roots"
Advisor: Scott Heckathorn, Ph.D.

HAPONSKI, AMANDA (Ph.D. Biology, 2013)
Dissertation: "Evolutionary, Biogeographic, and Population Genetic Patterns of Walleye and other Sander. Relationships Across Continents, Corridors, and Spawning Sites"
Advisor: Carol Stepien, Ph.D.

JACKWOOD, RYAN (M.S. Biology, 2013)
Thesis: "Predicting Fate and Transport of Fecal Bacteria through Soils Using an Advection-Dispersion Model"
Advisor: Daryl Dwyer, Ph.D.

KELLER, MARCUS (M.S. Biology, 2013)
Thesis: "The Fate of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus in a Synthetic Field Turf System"
Advisor: W. Von Sigler, Ph.D.

KUHANECK, RACHEL (M.S. Biology, 2013)
Thesis: "Vegetation or Riprapped Shorelines: Implications for Invertebrate Communities and Restoration of Nearshore Areas"
Advisors: Thomas Bridgeman, Ph.D. and Christine Mayer, Ph.D.

LIGHTLE, NICOLE (M.S. Biology, 2013)
Thesis: "Effects of Air vs. Air+Soil Heating During a Simulated Heat Wave on White Oak"
Advisor: Scott Heckathorn, Ph.D.

LONG, DANIELLE (M.S. Biology, 2013)
Thesis: "The Role of Retention Time and Soil Depth on the Survival and Transport of Escherichia coli and Enterococcus spp. in Biosolid-amended Agricultural Soil"
Advisor: Daryl Dwyer, Ph.D.

MANNING, NATHAN (Ph.D. Biology, 2013)
Dissertation: "Modeling the Effects of Turbidity on Age-0 Yellow Perch (Perca Flavescens) in the Western Basin of Lake Erie"
Advisors: Jonathan Bossenbroek, Ph.D. and Christine Mayer, Ph.D.

PIERCE, LINDSEY (Ph.D. Biology, 2013)
Dissertation: "The Evolution and Detection of the Fish Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia virus (VHSv)"
Advisor: Carol Stepien, Ph.D.

ROSS, JASON (M.S. Biology, 2013)
Thesis: "A Coastal Monitoring Program for a Large Lake Fish Community: The first step in Capturing Long-term Trends and Addressing Evolving Questions"
Advisor: Christine Mayer, Ph.D.

SELDEN, JUSTIN (M.S. Biology, 2013)
Thesis: "The Effect of Dredging on Fish Communities in Agricultural Streams in Crawford, Sandusky and Seneca Counties of Ohio"
Advisor: Johan Gottgens, Ph.D.

SIEMER, KYLE (M.S. Geology, 2013)
Thesis: "You've got that Sinking Feeling: Measuring Subsidence Above Abandoned Underground Mines in Ohio, USA"
Advisor: Richard Becker, Ph.D.

SIMMERS LEADY, BRENDA (Ph.D. Biology, 2013)
Dissertation: "Historic Patterns of Deposition and Biomagnification of Mercury in Selected Wetland Systems"
Advisor: Johan Gottgens, Ph.D.

SULLIVAN, TIMOTHY (M.S. Biology, 2013)
Thesis: "A Fine-scale Analysis of Spatial and Temporal Population Genetic Patterns in the Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) 
Advisor: Carol Stepien, Ph.D.

TRAUB, JANET (M.S. Geology, 2013)
Thesis: "Patterns in the Variation of CDOM Spectral Slopes in the Western Lake Erie Basis"
Advisor: Richard Becker, Ph.D.

2012

CRAIL, TODD (Ph.D. Biology, 2012)
Dissertation: "The Ecological Niche of Darters (Pisces: Percidae) Across Multiple Scales in the Ohio River Basin"
Advisors: Jonathan Bossenbroek, Ph.D. and Johan Gottgens, Ph.D.

DUFOUR, MARK (M.S., 2012)
Thesis:  Quantification of Variability, Abundance, and Mortality in the Maumee River Larval Walleye (Sauder vitreus) Drift using Bayesian Hierarchical Models”
Advisor: Christine Mayer, Ph.D.

GRABARKIEWICZ, JEFFREY (M.S. Biology, 2012)
Thesis: "Habitat Use and Community Structure of Unionid Mussels in Three Lake Erie Tributaries"
Advisor: Johan Gottgens, Ph.D.

JACKSON-HARRIS, STACY (M.S. Biology, 2012)
Thesis: "Contact and Consumption Advisories on Ten Mile Creek/Ottawa River (Ohio): Rationale, Scientific Justification and Continued Need"
Advisor: Johan Gottgens, Ph.D.

MAY, BRANDEN (M.S. Biology, 2012)
Thesis: "Optimal Wetland Design for the Removal of Pathogens from Discharges into Lake Erie: Literature Synthesis and Evaluation of the Current Proposed Wetland at Maumee Bay State Park"
Advisor: Johan Gottgens, Ph.D.

MORANDI, MARC (M.S. Ecology, 2012)
Thesis: "Assessing the Influence of Different Inland Lake Management Strategies on Human-mediated Invasive Species Spread"
Advisor: Jonathan Bossenbroek, Ph.D.

PANEK, SARAH (M.S. Biology, 2012)
Thesis: "The Ecology of the Nuisance Cyanobacterium, Lyngbya wollei, in the Western Basin of Lake Erie"
Advisor: Thomas Bridgeman, Ph.D.

2011

ANDERSON, BRAD (M.S. Geology, 2011)
Thesis: "Estimating the Duration of Ancestral Lake Erie using Varve Analysis at and above the Warren Stage in Northwest Ohio"
Advisor: Timothy G. Fisher, Ph.D.

ARMENIO, PATRICIA (M.S. Ecology, 2011)
Thesis: "Nutrient Contributions from Dreissena spp. to Lyngbya wollei and Cladophora"
Advisor: Christine M. Mayer, Ph.D.

BANASZAK, JOEL (M.S. Geology, 2011)
Thesis: "Hydrostratigraphic Framework for the Surficial Aquifer in the Indian River Bay, Delaware, Watershed"
Advisor: David Krantz, Ph.D.

CHATTERJEE, KANISTHA (M.S. Ecology, 2011)
Thesis: "A Novel, Periodic Sampling Method to Assess Airborne Bacteria Populations"
Advisor: W. Von Sigler, Ph.D.

DEVANNA, KRISTEN (Ph.D., 2011)
Dissertation: “Spatial Correlation and Facilitation between Dreissena and Hexagenia: Possible Food-Web Disruption?”
Advisor: Christine Mayer, Ph.D.

FANG, MIN (M.S. Geology, 2011)
Thesis: "Removal of Natural Synthetic Steroid Hormones through Constructed Wetland Microcosm"
Advisor: Alison Spongberg, Ph.D.

GORR, MATTHEW (M.S. Ecology, 2011)
Thesis: "Arsenic Remediation using Constructed Treatment Wetlands"
Advisor: Daryl F. Dwyer, PH.D.

LINDELOF, KARA (M.S. Ecology, 2011)
Thesis: "Contribution of Biosolids-derived Bioaerosols to the Airborne Microbial Population"
Advisor: W. Von Sigler, Ph.D.

SEPULVEDA VILLET, OSVALDO J. (Ph.D. Biology, 2011)
Dissertation: "Population Genetic Structure and Biogeographic Patterns in the Yellow Perch Perca flavescens: An Analysis of Mitochondrial and Nuclear DNA Markers"
Advisor: Carol Stepien, Ph.D.

2010

BARNSWELL, KRISTOPHER (Ph.D. Ecology, 2010)
Dissertation: "Determining Preliminary Components for a Landfill Evapotranspiration Cover"
Advisor: Daryl F. Dwyer, Ph.D.

BOBAK, DEANNA (M.S. Geology, 2010)
Thesis: "Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Characterization in Otter Creek, Northwest Ohio"
Advisor: Alison L. Spongberg, Ph.D.

BUCHANAN, CATHERINE (M.S. Ecology, 2010)
Thesis: "Method to Evaluate Plants and Soils to Optimize Conditions for Phytoremediation of Copper"
Advisor: Johan F. Gottgens, Ph.D.

ELK, MICHAEL (M.S. Ecology, 2010)
Thesis: "A Survey of Plant Root Extracellular Enzyme Activity in Native and Exotic Plants of Oak Openings"
Advisor: Michael Weintraub, Ph.D.

FRIEDRICH, RUSSELL (M.S. Ecology, 2010)
Thesis: "The Short-term Impacts of Burning and Mowing on Prairie Ant Communities of the Oak Openings Region"
Advisor: Stacy M. Philpott, Ph.D.

GONTHIER, DAVID (M.S. Ecology, 2010)
Thesis: "Influence of Soil Quality on Coffee Plant Quality and a Complex Tropical Insect Food Web"
Advisor: Stacy M. Philpott, Ph.D.

HANES, BARBARA (M.S. Geology, 2010)
Thesis: "Paleo-storminess in the Southern Lake Michigan Basin, as Recorded by Eolian Sand Downwind of Dunes"
Advisor: Timothy G. Fisher, Ph.D.

HERMAN, MARIA (M.S. Ecology, 2010)
Thesis: "The Population and Behavioral Response of Woodpeckers to the Emerald Ash Borer Invasion"
Advisor: Jonathan Bossenbroek, Ph.D.

KUREK, DANIELLE (M.S. Ecology, 2010)
Thesis: "Effects of Prescribe Burning on Soil Physical, Biological, and Chemical Properties of the Oak Openings Region of Northwest Ohio"
Advisor: Michael Weintraub, Ph.D.

ROFKAR, JORDAN (Ph.D. Ecology, 2010)
Dissertation: "An Ecologically Engineered System for Remediation of Arsenic-contaminated Water: selecting Plant Species for Northwest Ohio"
Advisor: Daryl F. Dwyer, Ph.D.

STRUFFOLINO, PAMELA (M.S. Ecology, 2010)
Thesis: "Identifying Sources of Escherichia coli to Maumee Bay, Oregon Ohio"
Advisor: Daryl F. Dwyer, Ph.D.

2009

BROWN, JOSHUA (Ph.D. Ecology, 2009)
Dissertation: "Genetic Portraits of Introduced Gobies and Mussels: Population Variation Delineates Invasion Pathways"
Advisor: Carol A. Stepien, Ph.D.

CAMPBELL, MELINDA (M.S. Geology, 2009)
Thesis: "The Evolution and Chronology of the Lake Warren Shoreline in the Oak Openings Region of Ohio, USA"
Advisor: Timothy G. Fisher, Ph.D.

CASTANEDA, MARIO (M.S. Geology, 2009)
Thesis: "The Origin and Dynamics of Coastal Processes at Sand Point, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan, USA"
Advisor: Timothy G. Fisher, Ph.D.

CHAFFIN, JUSTIN (M.S. Ecology, 2009)
Thesis: "Physiological Ecology of Microcystis Blooms in Turbid Waters of Western Lake Erie"
Advisor: Thomas B. Bridgeman, Ph.D.

CROSKEY, AUDRA (M.S. Ecology, 2009)
Thesis: "Evaluating the Costs of Emerald Ash Borer Invasion in Ohio"
Advisor: Jonathan M. Bossenbroek, Ph.D.

DUNCAN, ALEXANDER (M.S. Ecology, 2009)
Thesis: "Evaluation of Azolla Caroliniana to Phytofiltrate Arsenic from Contaminated Water"
Advisor: Johan F. Gottgens, Ph.D.

ESSEILI, MALAK (Ph.D. Ecology, 2009)
Dissertation: "Characterization of Fecal Pollution Sources Associated with Urban Runoff and Land Applied Biosolids"
Advisor: W. Von Sigler, Ph.D.

FISHER, JAMES (M.S. Geology, 2009)
Thesis: "Evaluating the Effectiveness of an Evapotranspirative Cover using an Integrated Hydrologic Model"
Advisor: James Martin-Hayden, Ph.D.

FRIEDHOFF, MICHAEL (M.S. Geology, 2009)
Thesis: "Geophysical Mapping of Karst Features at Sheridan Cave, Wyandot County, Ohio"
Advisor: Donald J. Stierman, Ph.D.

HAMMER, ERIN (M.S. Ecology, 2009)
Thesis: "Effects of Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) on soil Nutrient Dynamics and Microbial Community Function and Structure"
Advisor: Daryl L. Moorhead, Ph.D.

KASSEM, ISSMAT (Ph.D. Ecology, 2009)
Dissertation: "Detection and Characterization of Staphylococcal Pathogens in the Environment: a Community Approach"
Advisor: W. Von Sigler, Ph.D.

LU, NAN (M.S. Ecology, 2009)
Thesis: "Regional Climate Change and Vegetation-Water Relations in Inner Mongolia Lessons Learned within the NASA Project Effects of Land Use Change on the Energy and Water Balance of the Semi-Arid Region of Inner Mongolia, China"
Advisor: Jiquan Chen, Ph.D.

NEILSON, MATTHEW (M.S. Ecology, 2009)
Thesis: "Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Sediments of Marinas, Western Basin Lake Erie, U.S.A."
Advisor: Alison L. Spongberg, Ph.D.

NEILSON, MATTHEW (Ph.D. Ecology, 2009)
Dissertation: "Evolution Systematic, and Phylogeography of Ponto-Caspian Gobies (Benthophilinae: Gobiidae: Teleostei)”
Advisor: Carol A. Stepien, Ph.D.

PISARCZYK, ELIZABETH (M.S. Ecology, 2009)
Thesis: "The effect of Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) Density on Soil Nutrient Availability and Microbial Enzyme Activity in Northwest Ohio: a Gradient Analysis"
Advisor: Daryl L. Moorhead, Ph.D.

SCHAEFER, JESSICA (M.S. Ecology, 2009)
Thesis: "The Effects of Inter-annual Climate variability on Butterfly Communities in a Heterogeneous Landscape of the Oak Openings Region, Northwest Ohio"
Advisor: Jiquan Chen, Ph.D.

2008

GALLANT, PATRICIA (M.S. Geology, 2008)
Thesis: "Geophysical Signatures of Quaternary Sediments in Lucas County, Ohio"
Advisor: Donald J. Stierman, Ph.D.

NORTON, ABBY (M.S. Geology, 2008)
Thesis: "Post-glacial Stratigraphy and Sand Resources in the Western Basin of Lake Erie"
Advisor: Alison L. Spongberg, Ph.D.

OYEWUMI, OLUYINKA (M.S. Geology, 2008)
Thesis: "Sorption Characteristics of Soils for Heavy Metals Uptake within some Landfill Sites of Northwest Ohio"
Advisor: Alison L. Spongberg, Ph.D.

TRIPATHEE, RAJAN (M.S. Ecology, 2008)
Thesis: "Effect of on the Response of C and N Relations to a Heat Wave in Sunflower Corn"
Advisor: Scott A. Heckathorn, Ph.D.

WANG, DAN (Ph.D. Ecology, 2008)
Dissertation: "Effects of Nitrogen on Plant Response to Heat Stress"
Advisor: Scott A. Heckathorn, Ph.D.

WELLINGTON, COLLEEN (M.S. Ecology, 2008)
Thesis: "Effects of Turbidity and Prey Density on the Foraging Success of Age-0 Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens)"
Advisor: Jonathan M. Bossenbroek, Ph.D. and Christine M. Mayer, Ph.D.

2007

ABOU ALAIWI, WISSAM (Ph.D. Ecology, 2007)
Dissertation: "Advances in Biotechnology for the Enhancement of Medicinal Plants Pharmacology"
Advisor: Stephen Goldman, Ph.D.

AUSTIN, BRITTANY (M.S. Geology, 2007)
Thesis: "Holocene Paleoecology and Climate Change in Silver and Stony Lakes, Oceana County, Michigan, U.S.A."
Advisor: Timothy G. Fisher, Ph.D.

BODAMER, BETSY (M.S. Ecology, 2007)
Thesis: "The Effects of Wetland Streams on the Secondary Dispersal of Zebra Mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) in Connected Lake-stream Systems"
Advisor: Jonathan M. Bossenbroek, Ph.D.

BRANDEBERRY, JESSICA (M.S. Geology, 2007)
Thesis: "A Passive Seismic Investigation of the Crustal Structure Under Ohio"
Advisor: Donald J. Stierman, Ph.D.

CRAIL, TODD (M.S. Ecology, 2007)
Thesis: "Testing the Impact of Plant Colonization on Fish Communities in Agricultural Ditches of the Ottawa River, Northwest Ohio"
Advisor: Johan F. Gottgens, Ph.D.

DEVANNA, KRISTEN (M.S., 2007)
Thesis: “Role of Dreissena as Ecosystem Engineers: Effects to Native Bioturbators and Benthic Community Structure and Function”
Advisor: Christine Mayer, Ph.D.

HAPONSKI, AMANDA (M.S. Ecology, 2007)
Thesis: "Molecular, Morphological, and Biogeographic Resolution of Cryptic Taxa in the Greenside Darter Etheostoma blennioides Complex"
Advisor: Carol A. Stepien, Ph.D.

HENDERSON, RACHEL (M.S. Ecology, 2007)
Thesis: "Partitioning Soil Efflux through Vertical Profiles of Manipulated Forests in MOFEP"
Advisor: Jiquan Chen, Ph.D.

MAINALI, KUMAR (M.S. Ecology, 2007)
Thesis: "Impact of Heat Wave on Plant-soil Links in Tall-grass Prairie"
Advisor: Scott A. Heckathorn, Ph.D.

2006

ARGO, DAVID (M.S. Ecology, 2006)
Thesis: "Habitat use by Two Native Turtle Species in the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge"
Advisor: Daryl L. Moorhead, Ph.D.

BENEDICT, MICHAEL (Ph.D. Ecology, 2006)
Dissertation: "Riparian Forests in Northwest Ohio Watersheds: Relations among Landscape Structure, Land Use/Land Cover, and Water Quality in Streams"
Advisor: Johan A. Gottgens, Ph.D.

CHEN, MEI (M.S. Ecology, 2006)
Thesis: "Protein Profile Changes of Arabidopsis Leaves in Response to Boron Stress"
Advisor: Scott A. Heckathorn, Ph.D.

ELKINGTON, BRIAN (M.S. Ecology, 2006)
Thesis: "The Effects of Turbidity Quality and Quantity on Zooplankton Consumption by Young of Year Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens)"
Advisor: Christine M. Mayer, Ph.D.

KOLINSKI, CAINE (M.S. Ecology, 2006)
Thesis: "Integrating Wetlands Ecology in Secondary Science Education"
Advisor: Johan A. Gottgens, Ph.D.

LACROIX, JACOB (Ph.D. Ecology, 2006)
Dissertation: "Interactions Between Fire and Landscape Structure: Applications of the FARSITE Model"
Advisor: Jiquan Chen, Ph.D.

LAWHORN, NICOLE (M.S. Ecology, 2006)
Thesis: "Impact of Coleoptran-active Bt Corn on Extracellular Enzyme Activities and Decomposition Processes of Non-target Microbial Communities in Soil and Litter"
Advisor: Deborah A. Neher, Ph.D.

LI, QINGLIN (Ph.D. Ecology, 2006)
Dissertation: "Carbon Storage and Fluxes in a Managed Oak Forest Landscape"
Advisor: Jiquan Chen, Ph.D.

LOOPE, HENRY (M.S. Geology, 2006)
Thesis: "Deglacial Chronology and Glacial Stratigraphy of the Western Thunder Bay Lowland, Northwest Ontario, Canada"
Advisor: Timothy G. Fisher, Ph.D.

MCKENNA, KERRY (Ph.D. Ecology, 2006)
Dissertation: "Comparing Carbon Dynamics of Pelagic Food Webs in Two Antarctic Lakes: a Practical Application of Ecological Network Analysis to an Ecological Network"
Advisor: D.L. Moorhead, Ph.D.

MEINHART, JAMES (M.S. Geology, 2006)
Thesis: "Building Stones of Toledo, Ohio: a Survey of Dimension Stone use in Significant Structures Including History and Walking Tours of the Downtown Area and the Old West End" Advisor: Mark J. Camp, Ph.D.

MIERZWIAK, SARA (M.S. Geology, 2006)
Thesis: "Enhanced in Situ Bioremediation of a Trichloroethylene Groundwater Plume using a Dilute Vegetable Oil Emulsion"
Advisor: Alison L. Spongberg, Ph.D.

MURBI, HARRISON (M.S. Ecology, 2006)
Thesis: "Use of Geospatial Technology to Map Great Lakes Invasive Species"
Advisor: Daryl F. Dwyer, Ph.D.

2005

ARCEO, AMANDA (M.S. Ecology, 2005)
Thesis: "The Impact of a Small Dam on Fish Community Composition and Structure in the Ottawa River, Ohio"
Advisor: Johan F. Gottgens, Ph.D.

BARNSWELL, KRIS (M.S. Ecology, 2005)
Thesis: "Survey of Naturally Developing Vegetation on an Inactive Landfill in Northwest Ohio"
Advisor: Daryl F. Dwyer, Ph.D.

CONCILIO, AMY (M.S. Ecology, 2005)
Thesis: "Interannual Variability in Soil Respiration and Response to Experimental Burning and Thinning in an Old Growth Mixed-conifer Forest"
Advisor: Jiquan Chen, Ph.D.

HERMAN, JOHN (M.S. Ecology, 2005)
Thesis: "Herpetofaunal Communities in Agro-ecosystems: The Effect of Farm Management Style"
Advisor: Elliott J. Tramer, Ph.D.

LAHNERS, AMBER (M.S. Geology, 2005)
Thesis: "Constraining the Nipissing Transgression in the Central Lake Michigan Basin"
Advisor: Timothy G. Fisher, Ph.D.

MITCHELL, BRIAN (M.S. Geology, 2005)
Thesis: "Identification and Mapping of Greenland Gap (Upper Devonian) Units on the Eastern Limb of Sideling Hill Syncline, Hampshire, Hardy and Morgan Counties, West Virginia" Advisors: Stuart L. Dean, Ph.D. and Mark J. Camp, Ph.D.

ROFKAR, JORDAN (M.S. Ecology, 2005)
Thesis: "Arsenic Accumulation by Plant Species Selected for Growth in Northwest Ohio"
Advisor: Daryl F. Dwyer, Ph.D.

RYU, SOUNG-RYOUL (Ph.D. Ecology, 2005)
Dissertation: "Effect of Disturbances on Fuel Loading, Fire-mosaic, and Interactions in Managed Forest Landscape"
Advisor: Jiquan Chen, Ph.D.

SOKOLOSKI, PETER (M.S. Geology, 2005)
Thesis: "Sedimentology and Ichnology of Late Cambrian to Early Ordovician Skolithos Sandstone in the Deadwood Formation, Northern Black Hills, South Dakota, and Southeastern Bear Lodge Mountains, Wyoming"
Advisors: James A. Harrell, Ph.D. and V. Max Brown, Ph.D.

2004

BRESEE, MARY (M.S. Ecology, 2004)
Thesis: "Photosynthesis Characteristics of Two Climatically Different Landscapes"
Advisor: Jiquan Chen, Ph.D.

DARBY, BRIAN (M.S. Ecology, 2004)
Thesis: "Effects of Biological Soil Crusts on Nematode and Protozoan Communities in Colorado Plateau and Chihuahuan Desert Soils"
Advisor: Deborah A. Neher, Ph.D.

HARTLEY, LINDY (M.S. Geology, 2004)
Thesis: "Characterization of a Heavy Metal Contaminated Soil in Ohio for a Phytoremediation Project"
Advisor: Alison L. Spongberg, Ph.D.

LEMOINE, JAMES (M.S. Ecology, 2004)
Thesis: "Soil Respiration of Three Chronosequences in Chequamegon National Forest"
Advisor: Jiquan Chen, Ph.D.

MCLAUGHLIN, MELANIE (M.S. Ecology, 2004)
Thesis: "Effects of the Toledo Ohio Metroparks on Stream Quality and Fish Community Structure"
Advisor: Elliott J. Tramer, Ph.D.

MULLER, BARRY (Ph.D. Ecology, 2004)
Dissertation: "The Effect of Long-term Nonpoint-source Agricultural Runoff on Assimilative Capacity of Freshwater Marshes – a Paleoecological Approach"
Advisor: Johan F. Gottgens, Ph.D.

MYSOREKAR, KAUSHIK (M.S. Ecology, 2004)
Thesis: "Lidar Remote Sensing as a Tool for Ecosystem Management of the Oak Opening Region, Ohio"
Advisor: Johan F. Gottgens, Ph.D.

RADEMACHER, JOHN (M.S. Ecology, 2004)
Thesis: " Forest Structure and Carbon Allocation Within and Between Two Northern-mixed Hardwood Edges"
Advisors: Jiquan Chen, Ph.D.

SPERA, SHELLEY (M.S. Geology, 2004)
Thesis: "Metal and Pesticide Preservation in the Winous Point Marshes, Sandusky, Ohio"
Advisor: Alison L. Spongberg, Ph.D.

TRAN, SUSAN (M.S. Ecology, 2004)
Thesis: "Habitat Selection by Two Native Turtle Species in a Lake Erie Wetland"
Advisor: Daryl L. Moorhead, Ph.D.

2003

COMES, MANDY (M.S. Ecology, 2003)
Thesis: "Changing Avian Diversity in the Maumee Watershed"
Advisor: Daryl L. Moorhead, Ph.D.

MA, SIYAN (Ph.D. Ecology, 2003)
Dissertation: "Interactions Between Microclimate, Soil Respiration, and Disturbances in a Forest Ecosystem: Lessons from the Teakettle Experimental Forest"
Advisor: Jiquan Chen, Ph.D.

2002

AMONETTE, RACHEL (M.S. Ecology, 2002)
Thesis: "Diversity, Redundancy, and Efficiency in Microbial Decomposition of Typha Litter"
Advisor: Robert L. Sinsabaugh, Ph.D.

CONRAD, FRANK (M.S. Geology, 2002)
Thesis: "Crinoid Deformation and Regional Structural Geology in Northeastern West Virginia, Northwestern Virginia, Western Maryland, and South-Central Pennsylvania"
Advisor: Stuart L. Dean, Ph.D.

FERGUSON, MARK (M.S. Geology, 2002)
Thesis: "A Paleo-stratigraphic Correlation of the Greenland Gap Group (Upper Devonian) in Town Hill Syncline, Whip Cove Syncline, and Whip Cove Anticline, Hampshire and Hardy Counties, Northeastern West Virginia"
Advisors: Mark J. Camp and Stuart L. Dean, Ph.D.

GALLO, MARCY (M.S. Ecology, 2002)
Thesis: "Short-term Effects of N Amendment on Oxidative Enzyme Activity and Microbial Community Composition in three northern Hardwood Forest,"
Advisor: Robert L. Sinsabaugh, Ph.D.

OROS, DAN (M.S. Geology, 2002)
Thesis: "The Occurrence and Impact of Fractures within Glacial Deposits near a Hazardous Waste Landfill, Oregon, Ohio"
Advisor: Alison L. Spongberg, Ph.D.

2001

BUHOVECKEY, GREG (M.S. Geology, 2001)
Thesis: "A Wellhead Protection Plan for the Village of Montpelier, Ohio"
Advisor: James M. Martin-Hayden, Ph.D.

ELLIOT, JEFFREY (M.S. Geology, 2001)
Thesis: "Filtering and Analysis of the Gravity Signature of the Kentland Dome Structure, Indiana"
Advisor: Donald J. Stierman, Ph.D.

IANEV, ROMAN (M.S. Geology, 2001)
Thesis: "Origin of Opal Cement in the Pennsylvania Minnelusa Sandstone, Northern Black Hills, South Dakota"
Advisors: James A. Harrell Ph.D. and V. Max Brown, Ph.D.

LAUBER, CHRISTIAN (M.S. Ecology, 2001)
Thesis: "Characterization of Diffuse Sources of Fecal Pollution and Pathogenic Constituents of Escherichia coli Populations in Maumee Bay State Park"
Advisor: Robert L. Sinsabaugh, Ph.D.

SAIYA-CORK, KELLYANNE (M.S. Ecology, 2001)
Thesis: "The Effects of Long-term Nitrogen Deposition on Soil Microbial Communities in a Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) Forest in Northern Michigan"
Advisor: Robert L. Sinsabaugh, Ph.D.

SCHMELING, JAMIE (M.S. Ecology, 2001)
Thesis: "Sensitivity of Carbon Dynamics to Changing Light Availability of Benthic Microbial Mats in Lake Hoare, Antarctica"
Advisor: Daryl L. Moorhead, Ph.D.

2000

BENEDICT, MICHAEL (M.S. Ecology, 2000)
Thesis: "Successional Development of Cambará (Vochysia divergens)-dominated Forest Stands in the Northern Pantanal of Brazil."
Advisor: Johan F. Gottgens, Ph.D.

BURNETT, LAURA (M.S. Ecology, 2000)
Thesis: "Dynamics of the Deep Chlorophyll Maximum in Lakes of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica"
Advisor: Daryl L. Moorhead, Ph.D.

HATFIELD, NANCY (Ph.D. Ecology, 2000)
Dissertation: "Tracking Diverse Sources of Recreational Beach Contamination by Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (FAME) Analysis and Monitoring Beaches for Public Safety"
Advisor: Robert L. Sinsabaugh, Ph.D.

HOM.S.HER, MICHAEL (Ph.D. Ecology, 2000)
Dissertation: "Time-integrated Contaminant Monitoring in an Aquatic Ecosystem using Semi-permeable Membrane Devices and dreissena polymorpha"
Advisors: Johan F. Gottgens, Ph.D. and Alison L. Spongberg, Ph.D.

McKENNA, KERRY (M.S. Ecology, 2000)
Thesis: "Behavior Interactions between the Introduced Red-eared Slider (Trachemys Scripta Elegans) and the Native Midland Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta marginata)"
Advisor: Elliott J. Tramer, Ph.D.