Students and staff

Current students            Mascots                Past students

 

Joe Gerken, Ph.D. student

Joe arrived at K-State in January 2008 to work on recruitment of large river fishes.  He received his MS from Central Arkansas University in December, where he has worked on habitat use of grotto sculpin.  

 

Email: gerkenje@ksu.edu

Phone: 785-532-1818

 

Andrea Severson, M.S. student

Andrea started at K-State in summer 2007 as part of the Research Experience for Undergraduates Program studying recruitment of large river fishes.  She received her BS from Utah State in December 2007 and her MS work at K-State began in January 2008 on the effects of zebra mussels on reservoir fishes.  

 

Email: severson@ksu.edu

Phone: 785-532-6171

 

Dr. Angela Strecker

Angela is a post docororal research associate that will be working on conservation planning related to desert fishes in the Lower Colorado River.  She has her PhD from Queens University in 2007 and has a research focus on the effects of invasive species on aquatic systrems, climate change, and spatial dynamics of populations.  She will be co-advised by Julian Olden at University of Washington, and will begin in fall 2009.  More details on Angela can be found here.

 

Dr. Joanna Whittier

Jodi is a Research Assistant Professor at K-State and is a Co-PI on the Lower Colorado River Aquatic GAP project.  She has a Ph.D. from Oklahoma State University and has worked for the US Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service before coming to K-State.  Her primary research interests are endangered species conservation.

 

Email:   whittier@ksu.edu

Phone: 785-532-5761

 

 

Lab mascots

Cherokee (1998-November 5, 2009) Hannah  Konza 

 

OK, they may not be researchers but they are common partners around the lab.  Hannah is about 11 years old and Konza is a 3 year old golden retriever that was one of our rescue dogs that we adopted.  

 

Cherokee passed away from bone cancer on November 5, 2009.  He was a daily resident on the top floor of Leasure Hall and visited anyone who would pet him.  He will be missed.

 

We also currently have 6-7 technicians working on various projects.  Contact the students and staff related to specific projects for more details.  

Past students

Mackenize Shardlow.  M.S., 2009.  Kansas State University

Thesis: Factors affecting the detectability and distribution of the North American river otter.

Employment:  Biologist, National Park Service/University of Idaho

Wesley Bouska.  M.S., 2008.  Kansas State University

Thesis: Road crossing design and their impact on fish assemblages and geomorpholgy of Great Plains streams.

Employment:  Biologist, US Forest Service

Current Email: wbouska@hotmail.com

Jeff Eitzmann.  M.S., 2008.  Kansas State University

Thesis: Spatial habitat variation in a Great Plains river: effect on the fish assemblage and food web structure. 

Employment:  Environmental Scientist, Dade County Florida

Current Email: jle4477@gmail.com

Kristen Pitts.  M.S., 2008.  Kansas State University

Thesis: Assessing threats to native fishes in the Lower Colorado River Basin.

Employment:  Biologist, US Forest Service

Current Email: pitts.kris@gmail.com

Josh Schloesser, M.S., 2008.  Kansas State University

Thesis: Large river fish community sampling strategies and fish associations to engineered and natural river channel structures.

Employment:  Biologist, US Fish and Wildlife Service

Current Email: Joshua_Schloesser@fws.gov

Jesse Fischer.  M.S., 2007.  Kansas State University

Thesis: Structural organization of Great Plains stream fish assemblages: Implications for sampling and conservation. 

Employment:  Ph.D. student, Iowa State University

Current Email: fischer@iastate.edu

Andy Makinster. M.S.,  2006. Kansas State University

Thesis: Flathead catfish population dynamics in the Kansas River. 

Employment: Research Biologist, Arizona Game and Fish Department  

Current Email: amakinsteragf@qwest.net