Originally from Toronto, I received my PhD in limnology in Berlin, Germany (at the IGB Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries / Potsdam University) studying the effects of regime shifts between turbid and clear-water states on the primary production and carbon cycling of shallow lakes. Before that, I completed an MSc in Montreal, Quebec (University of Quebec at Montreal) for which I examined the effects of landscape flooding by boreal hydroelectric reservoirs on carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere. I also hold a BSc in conservation biology with a minor in political science from the University of British Columbia (in Vancouver, BC). From 2013 to 2017 I was a program manager and post-doctoral fellow for "Multiple Stressors and Cumulative Effects in the Great Lakes: an NSERC CREATE Program to Develop Innovative Solutions through International Training Partnerships" at the University of Guelph. During that time, my work focused on long-term shifts in planktonic and benthic primary production in the Laurentian Great Lakes, as well as hypoxia formation in Lake Erie and long-term oxygen dynamics in Lake Superior. From 2017 to 2021 I was the Assistant Professor of Limnology in the Department of Watershed Sciences and Ecology Center at Utah State University.
Melissa Cobo (MS, Utah State University) Melissa is from Cali, Colombia. She spent most of her childhood years in the beautiful green rich valleys of Colombia and some years in the Caribbean, which led her to have a profound passion for nature. This interest and passion brought her to Utah State University where she developed a love for kayaking and therefore a love for lakes and rivers. She got her BS degree in Environmental Studies with a minor in Sustainable Systems. Her MS research examines the seasonal and salinity gradients of CO2 emissions from desiccated lake beds in the Great Salt Lake basin, as well as the primary production of the lake. This research will improve our understanding of how landscape carbon cycling responds to desiccation, and will hopefully be useful to water management agencies and climate mitigation strategies for improving our environment and reducing our carbon footprint.
Leighton King (MS, Utah State University) Graduated 2019 Leighton was born and raised in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Her desire to learn more about the natural processes that she witnessed as a child on various canoe trips led her to the University of Montana. She received her BS in Wildland Restoration, with a focus on aquatic ecosystems. As an MSc candidate, she will be doing a paleolimnological analysis examining the history of eutrophication in Utah Lake. She will also examine the role that internal nutrient loading plays in maintaining the current eutrophic state of the lake. This information will be used to guide remediation efforts to aid in the recovery of the endangered June Sucker population.
Jack McLaren (PhD, Utah State University)
Jack grew up in Denver, Colorado where he developed an interest in the natural world while fishing, hiking, and camping in the Rocky Mountains. Jack received his B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Notre Dame, then received a Masters in Environmental Science and a Masters in Public Affairs from the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Now he returns to the west at Utah State. Jack’s PhD research effort will integrate existing data, field experiments, and statistical methods to understand the factors restricting fisheries production and overall ecosystem health, focusing specifically on the Henry's Fork River (Idaho). Results from this project will support efforts by state and federal agencies and the Henry's Fork Foundation to inform design of a local wastewater treatment plant to help improve conditions for trout in the Henry's Fork.
Undergraduate Researchers: Rachel Chamberlain Maycee Page Angelia Klein Dylan Anderson Havaleh Rohloff