Graduate Students
Owen Edwards, MS student, joined the lab in Spring 2022.
His research interests are focused primarily on the ecology and evolution of vertebrates, using reptiles and amphibians as experimental models. He has recently been interested in understanding how climate changes are altering species’ range shifts. Funding support: Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Check Owen's website! |
Jamaal Jacobs, MS student, joined the lab in June 2022. Jamaal's thesis focuses on understanding the impacts of fragmentation and locomotion on ecological dynamics. He performs a series of laboratory experiments using Caenorhabditis elegans to fullfill two aims:
1. Distinguish the impacts of habitat loss and fragmentation on population abundance of species with different locomotion speeds. 2. Determine the impacts of habitat loss and fragmentation on competition outcomes of species with different locomotion speeds. |
Ashley Baragary, Ph.D. student, joined the lab in Spring 2023. She received her BS in Marine Biology from Northwest Missouri State University. Ashley is interested in aquatic ecology and conservation.
Her project focuses on understanding consequences of movement strategies in environments with heterogeneously distributed resource and toxicant. She uses laboratory system of Caenorhabditis elegans and plans to perform field work in the near future. |
Gabriel Hessler, Ph.D. student, joined the lab in the Fall 2023.
Gabriel is interested in how the living things around us respond to environmental changes or stressors inflicted either directly or indirectly by humans and looking at how we can model some of these changes in a lab setting. His project focuses on determining optimal habitat configurations based on locomotion strategies. He uses laboratory experiments and modeling tools to answer his questions. |
Carson D. Turner is our first post-baccalaureate student, who will join the lab for one year, starting in June 2023. Carson is supported by the NSF ON-RaMP post-baccalaureate program, offering mentored research experiences for postbaccalaureate graduates in the biological sciences.
Carson is particularly interested in the integration of GIS and/or cartography into environmental research. Welcome! |
Undergraduate Students
Rabeca Richardson joined the lab in August 2021.
Her research interest includes microbial interactions with environmental and anthropogenic factors and their effect on ecosystems along with implementation of microbes in conservation and sustainability practices. *Recipient of the OSU 2022-2023 Niblack Research Scholarship! |
Collin Koza joined the lab in August 2021.
His research interests include plant responses to abiotic stressors such as high temperature, high salinity, and excessive watering. He’s also interested in knowing how these stressors on certain plant species can affect other plant species and animal diversity within the same habitat. |
Undergraduate research is important to us! We have recruited nearly 30 undergraduate students engaging in several projects that are led by graduate students. We thank their hardwork and engagement and we enjoy seeing them making more progress!
We are proud of seeing our undergraduate students not only gaining research experience in the lab but also presented their results in conferences!
Lab Pet
Q, named after a popular movie, "Quill: The Life of a Guide Dog", is an one-year old Labrador. She is bright, friendly and super food-motivated. She loves to be your excellent lab company, especially when you are tired.
Picture on the left: Q ran and explored the Gloss Mountains, OK at four months old, of course, she is much bigger now, see the right picture :) |