About my work
Currently, I am a graduate student at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. I am pursuing a Ph.D. in Aquatic Sciences from the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources in Dr. Tomas HÖÖk’s lab. My dissertation research focuses on the importance of different nursery habitats for alewife recruitment in Lake Michigan. Over the next two summers, I will be sampling drowned river-mouth lakes along southeastern Lake Michigan to collect alewives at progressing early-life stages with help from collaborators at the USGS Great Lakes Science Center and the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. At the conclusion of this sampling, I will assess the potential contribution of these drowned river-mouth lakes to the recruitment of the greater Lake Michigan population.
In response to the COVID shutdown in spring 2020, I delayed the beginning of my field sampling by a year. With the additional time off the water, I continued my research in a different form and modeled alewife recruitment by analyzing annual survey data for the year-class strength of previous cohorts. This will later be used to help understand the drivers of strong alewife year classes among several Great Lakes.
Why IAGLR?
I joined IAGLR earlier this year not only to help advance my knowledge of current research going on in the Great Lakes but also to interact with the IAGLR community. In the future, I hope to attend conferences (in person!) and present my work to other Great Lakes scientists. IAGLR also provides many opportunities for students to advance their education through awards, scholarships, and travel awards.
