Graduate Students

Ecology, space use, and habitat modeling of blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) in New Zealand's highly industrial South Taranaki Bight region

I will be studying the microclimates of bat hibernacula in New Mexico, how environmental factors relate to bat behavior, and using LiDAR to make 3D cave models. 

I am investigating physiological and behavioral stress responses to chemical cues in sharks, skates, and rays with Dr. Taylor Chapple's Big Fish Lab. 

As a Master’s student in the Big Fish Lab, Josh is investigating the physiology and behavior of sharks as they relate to predator-prey dynamics. As large predatory fish, sharks have few natural predators and therefore are...

Effects of trematode parasites on ecological food webs and community structure of streams in the Pacific Northwest

Exploring novel molecular methods for wildlife management. Currently working with ODFW to create a database of mitogenomes and develop an eDNA monitoring program for Oregon's freshwater vertebrates.

I am a social scientist who uses ideas from social psychology and behavioral science to study and (hopefully) improve conservation program success for people and the planet.

Developing a high-density flow-through system for rearing Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) larvae. 

I am researching Mule Deer Resource Selection looking specifically at the impact of annual grass encroachment on native mule deer forage composition, cover, biomass, and quality. 

My graduate research explores the impact of juniper removal on Greater sage-grouse and the surrounding vegetative and invertebrate communities. More generally, I am passionate about conservation and ornithology. I have prior research experience related to bird banding, robber fly ethology and...

My interests are Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS), also known as Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and how these knowledge systems can used and incorporated in research and policy. 

My thesis project explores potential growth opportunities and mortality risks for juvenile salmonids rearing in seasonally disconnected habitats in the Skagit River.

I use satellite tags and data loggers to study the movement and behavioral ecology of large whales. I'm particularly interested in their feeding ecology, how it varies across different temporal and spatial scales and what it can tell us about the underlying distribution of prey in the areas...

My research focuses on exploring belief systems of Latino/a/x communities in the Pacific Northwest and understanding how these relate to outdoor recreation habits and use of outdoor spaces.  

I am researching plastic pollution in Oregon gray whales and their prey, mysid shrimp, in the Brander Lab.

Researching the foraging and spatial ecology of Atlantic puffins on Matinicus Rock, Maine.  I'm deploying GPS units, TDRs, and using fecal DNA metabarcoding to determine how puffins are reacting to a rapidly warming and increasingly heatwave-prone Gulf of Maine.

I'm also involved in...

I study community ecology and life history patterns in seagrass and reef systems.

Migratory waterfowl usage of semi-permanently flooded wetlands in the Intermountain West and western Prairie Pothole regions

I am conducting research on coastal steelhead and rainbow trout in the Ventura River of Southern California. The focus of my research is genetic population structure, landscape genetics, smoltification patterns, and migration of juvenile O. mykiss.

Structured decision making models for anadromous sturgeon in the Central Valley

My research focus is the environmental impact of anthropogenic contaminants using the measuring stick that matters most: the wildlife. My current research measures how mercury pollution affects dragonfly and amphibian behaviors and bioaccumulates through the food web. 

Evaluating bat species richness and occupancy in south-central Oregon

Social-ecological systems approach to understanding how wolves, wild and domestic ungulates, and drought affect the relationships between people, specifically ranchers, and wildlife on Western rangelands.

The goal of Mee-ya’s master’s project is to perform a feasibility analysis for an alternative form of electronic monitoring in Oregon’s recreational charter fleet. Mee-ya’s research will utilize stereo-video photogrammetry (calculating measurements and/or the creation of models of objects...

PSM Capstone: A SWOT Analysis of Invasive Norway Rat (Rattus norvegicus) Management in Alberta, Canada to Guide Broader Directions

Other academic interests: Wildlife conservation, species management and recovery, urban-wildlife issues, avian migration, human impacts on wildlife, and...

Potential impacts of red imported fire ants and other factors on monarch butterfly reproductive success in the Texas coastal prairie.

Effects of thermal variability on Pacific Cod (Gadus macrocephalus) foraging, growth, and metabolism in the Gulf of Alaska.

I will be using next generation sequencing to analyze the genetic structure of albacore along the Pacific coast and using that data to delineate stock boundaries and help manage sustainable albacore fisheries.

1. Vulnerability of traditional women's foods, medicinals, and product plants to climate change on the Olympic Peninsula, WA: Management projections and implications for tribal perspectives on Usual and Accustomed gathering areas
2. Changes in Non-Migratory Roosevelt Elk (Cervus elaphus...

Research Interest: Subsistence landscape restoration, Elk behavior and movement, and Creating partnerships between Western and Traditional Science.