• Ph.D. - Environmental Science, Policy, and Management (Aquatic Ecology focus), University of California, Berkeley
• B.S. - Environmental Science, University of Oregon, Eugene

• SCI 100 - Being a STEM Professional in the 21st Century
• ESM 230 - Environmental Methods
• ESM 303 - Applied Natural History & Ecology
• ESM 355 - Principles of Ecological Restoration
• ESM 455 - Applied Ecological Restoration

I teach courses in environmental science and ecological restoration. These courses investigate ways to understand and address anthropogenic impacts and disturbances on ecosystems. I try to promote a learning atmosphere that allows students to interact with the natural environment and learn structural and functional processes first-hand. Therefore, I try to get my students outside and interacting with the environment as often as possible so they can fully experience the topic.

I teach two field courses:

• International Environmental Issues & Globalization: Costa Rica Field Course
• Klamath Basin Field Course

My research interests are within the areas of aquatic ecology and ecological restoration. Specifically I study stream and wetland restoration, the ecology and eradication of invasive species, the impacts of wildfire and dams on stream communities, and the biological significance of step-pool sequences in mountain streams. My research methods focus on using benthic macroinvertebrates as indicators of water quality in urban and natural freshwater ecosystems.  I conduct much of my research through Cal Poly Humboldt’s River Institute.

More specifically my research explores how biological stream communities respond to disturbance within a watershed. My bioassessment research uses benthic macroinvertebrates as indicators of water quality to develop indices for the management of water bodies. One of my research projects examined ways to analyze long-term bioassessment data for the Lake Tahoe Basin. Another project compared urban gradients and aquatic biological indicators of urbanization in three climatic regions of the United States: San Jose, CA (west coast); Baltimore, MD (Mid-Atlantic); and Cleveland, OH (Midwest). The biological indicators of urbanization developed for these three regions were intended to help water agencies prioritize restoration and conservation efforts in urban watersheds. My research has also involved several post- project assessments of urban stream restoration projects in the San Francisco Bay Area in order to evaluate their success. These assessments included biological, habitat, and sociological assessments of several urban stream restoration projects to determine the condition of each site over time.

I am interested in the ecological significance of mountain step-pool streams. I collaborated with a professor at the University of Colorado, Denver to compare biological communities in step-pool streams of northern California (Smith River) and Colorado.  We are also examining the bio-physical impacts of wildfire on high-gradient mountain streams.

Some of my research at Cal Poly Humboldt has involved wetland ecosystems. My graduate students have explored research questions related to an invasive non-native plant species (Spartina densiflora) in the salt marshes of Humboldt Bay.

I am also interested in how dams and other anthropogenic factors influence river ecosystems.  I am particularly interested in dams on the Eel River and Klamath River.

If your research interests are in the areas of stream ecology, bioassessment, or restoration ecology, and you are interested in working on a thesis (developing research questions and hypotheses, collecting and statistically analyzing the data), and you will work to publish your research results in a journal, here are some things you should know and some steps you should take.

Understand that space is limited and competition can be strong. I generally accept only one to two new graduate students each year. If you are interested in working with me, I strongly encourage you to do two things: 1) send me an email stating why you are a good fit for my lab, a summary of your research-related experience (if any), and what topic/area you would like to explore for your Masters thesis (this can be broad or specific); 2) if at all possible, meet with me in person or over Zoom.

Look over my current and former graduate students' research descriptions below to see the types of projects students that work with me pursue.