people
Current Graduate Students
The following individuals are graduate students in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy. They include only a portion of students from our extensive graduate program.
Albert, Ryan
E-mail: ryanalbert@yahoo.com
Program: PhD Science track
Research Interest: My research interests are examining watershed management, land use change, and water quality. My research currently focuses on historic changes to water quality as a result of urbanization on two watersheds in Northern Virginia, and examines what-if scenarios of the impacts of future urbanization on watershed dynamics and pollutant export.
Allen, C. Scott
E-mail: callen@gmu.edu
Program: PhD Science track
Research Interest: Imaging spectroscopy (hyperspectral imaging), Environmental applications of remote sensing, Liquid hydrocarbon contamination & spills, Soils, Biological and radiological weapons.
Babij, Eleanora
E-mail: ebabij@gmu.edu
Program: PhD Science track
Research Interest: My research will focus on examining the biogeography and size dimorphism of five marine bird species; Red-tailed Tropicbirds (Phaethon rubricauda), Great Frigatebirds (Fregata minor), Brown Boobies (Sula leucogaster), Red-footed Boobies Sula sula), and Masked Boobies (Sula dactylatra).
Bauer, Amy
E-mail: abauer@thalia.org
Program: PhD Policy track
Research Interest: I am interested in the policy process and collaboration in environmental governance in regards to marine ecology, specifically marine mammal and coral reef conservation.
Boakye-Agyei, Kwame
E-mail: kboakyea@gmu.edu
Program: PhD Policy track
Research Interest: Research interest in wildlife conservation. Pursued this interest over the year’s examining the Bushmeat Crisis and its impact in the sub-Saharan region of Africa. Currently undertaking an interdisciplinary study combining anthropological and ecological approaches to evaluate cultural perspectives and wildlife recovery.
Bonomi, Autumn
E-mail: autumn.bonomi@gmail.com
Program: MS Environmental Science and Policy
Research Interest: I am not doing a thesis; however, my research interests include finding ways to utilize environmental resources to help solve economic/environmental problems in underdeveloped countries. I plan to open an eco-tourism company in the Caribbean within the next 3-5 years.
Bozarth, Christine
E-mail: cbozarth@gmu.edu
Program: PhD Science track
Research Interest: I am looking at the population genetics of coyotes (Canis latrans) at Quantico Marine Base in Virginia using non-invasive techniques. Coyotes are a recent migrant to the mid-Atlantic states, arriving in Virginia as early as the 1980s.
Brake, Robin
E-mail: rbrake@earthlink.net
Program: PhD Science track
Research Interest: Participatory modeling, specifically applying spatial models and participatory social processes to identify problem resolutions to environmental situations.
Branson, Deborah
E-mail: dbranson@gmu.edu
Program: PhD Science track
Research Interest: National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and rural communities. Also effect of transportation and urban sprawl on wetlands. Section 404 as it is addressed in Environmental Assessments and Environmental Impact Statements.
Christmas, John
E-mail: jchristm@gmu.edu
Program: PhD Policy track
Research Interest: Invasive species biology, policy, and management.
Cook, Goeffrey
E-mail: gcook3@gmu.edu
Program: PhD Science track
Research Interest: My current research seeks to describe the bacterial communities associated with diseases affecting scleractinian corals. The identification of possible etiological agent(s) may provide additional opportunities for exploring the ecology of coral tissue microflora and, perhaps, lead to the creation of more effective management and/or preservation policies.
Cornell, Joanna
E-mail: jcornell@gmu.edu
Program: PhD Science track
Research Interest: Freshwater Ecology, Sociology, Anthropology.
Crain, Renee
E-mail: rcrain@gmu.edu
Program: PhD Policy track
Research Interest:
I plan to integrate my knowledge of the arctic system, climate change and social science with new knowledge in natural and social sciences, geospatial information systems and policy making to analyze, evaluate and propose solutions to a subset of global climate change issues.
Draheim, Megan
E-mail: mdraheim@gmu.edu
Program: PhD Policy track
Research Interest: I am interested in the ecology of free-roaming canids and other predators in urban areas. I am currently working in Rock Creek Park in DC studying coyotes, red fox, and gray fox. I also study human attitudes towards predators and predator-human conflicts.
Dulal, Hari Bansha
E-mail: hdulal@gmu.edu
Program: PhD Policy track
Research Interest: Urban and Regional Planning, Conservation planning, Environmental Refugees, Integrated Conservation and Development, environmental politics and policy, social dimensions of biodiversity conservation, sustainable development, human population and environment issues, and Natural resource management.
Duray, Amy
E-mail: amy.duray@us.army.mil
Program:
Research Interest: Articulating or measuring the changes in ecosystem structure, function and health resulting from human interactions, including evaluating conservation and restoration program efficacy in order to facilitate program evaluation and design. My interests also include inter-agency planning and the role of private and non-profit landowners in ecosystem restoration and conservation.
Engelman, Lisa
E-mail: lengelma@gmu.edu
Program: PhD Policy track
Research Interest: Climate Change, Population growth, water resources
Fine, Bob
E-mail: bfine@conservation.org
Program: PhD Policy track
Research Interest: Understanding the economic and productive impacts of investments in information technology on achieving conservation outcomes on the ground.
Fowler, Chuck
E-mail: cfowler@gmu.edu
Program: PhD Policy track
Research Interest: Risk-based decision tools for environmental issues.
Geiger, Brandy
E-mail: brandy.geiger@amec.com
Program: Graduate Certificate
Research Interest: I am interested in watershed planning, GIS, BMP’s and Low Impact Development.
Goldberg, Lisa
E-mail: lwilliae@gmu.edu
Program: MS Environmental Science and Policy
Research Interest: Wetlands and water management.
Hanley, Tom
E-mail: tjoom_hanley@urscorp.com
Program: PhD Science track
Research Interest: Coastal processes, riverine processes, historical ecology, environmental geology, groundwater hydrology.
Hauck, Jennifer
E-mail: jhauck1@gmu.edu
Program: MS Environmental Science and Policy
Research Interest: Riparian buffer effects on freshwater macro invertebrate diversity.
Heath, Susan
E-mail: sheath@gmu.edu
Program: PhD Science track
Research Interest: Population effects of pesticide use on birds in agricultural areas.
Jarcho, Mike
E-mail: mjarcho@gmu.edu
Program: MS Environmental Science and Policy
Research Interest: I’m looking at colonization patterns of invasive rodents in the Galapagos Archipelago. I am analyzing tissue samples from these rodents using molecular techniques to determine whether they are migrating between islands. This information will be used in the conservation of rodents and other species endemic to the Galapagos.
Johnson, Sarah
E-mail: sjohnsop@gmu.edu
Program: PhD Science track
Research Interest: Molecular evolution and mammalian systematics, island biogeography, genetic drift and speciation, ecomorphology, and adaptation.
Kanbar, Nancy
E-mail: nancykanbar@yahoo.com
Program: PhD Policy track
Research Interest: Sustainable development, human ecology, environmental values and the human dimensions of global environmental change, economic valuation of the environment.
Keltner, Susan
E-mail:
Program: PhD Policy track
Research Interest: I’m interested in sustainable development and how it relates to business.
Kenneded, Heikal
E-mail: heikalk@yahoo.com
Program: MS Environmental Science and Policy
Research Interest: My main interests lie in environmental management policies that are concerned with issues related to sustainable development, land use management, natural resource management, and international environmental policies that support conservation and development, especially in developing countries.
Kopsick, Deborah
E-mail: dkopsick@gmu.edu
Program: Graduate Certificate
Research Interest:
Cross-border (Mexico-U.S.) tracking of hazardous waste for compliance with RCRA: feasibility of radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology.
Lin, Haiying
E-mail: hlin@gmu.edu
Program: PhD Policy track
Research Interest: Environmental Economics, NGO, Environmental policy in developing countries.
Mickelberg, Jennifer
E-mail: jmickelb@gmu.edu
Program: PhD Science track
Research Interest: I am interested in small population biology and metapopulation management strategies, specifically identifying and evaluating techniques such as reintroduction and forest corridors to increase movement of animals between isolated populations. I am currently focusing on the golden lion tamarin (Leontopithecus rosalia), an endangered primate endemic to the Atlantic Coastal Rainforest in Brazil.
Moser, Kurt
E-mail: kmoser2@gmu.edu
Program: MS Environmental Science and Policy
Research Interest: Ecosystem development and function in created wetlands; in particular, the relationship between microtopography and soil nutrient distribution, hydrology, and plant species richness/diversity.
Paull, Steve
E-mail: stevepaull@yahoo.com
Program: MS Environmental Science and Policy
Research Interest: Primary interests are plant population ecology and systematics. Research focuses on forest gap dynamics and succession at Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge, and the apparent shifts in eastern forest species composition during recent decades. I am also interested in the impact of introduced species on plant biodiversity.
Richardson, Trent
E-mail: trichar2@gmu.edu
Program: PhD Science track
Research Interest:
The aquatic sciences, and in particular, mapping coastal environments of the mid-Atlantic region. His dissertation is a geospatial analysis of the environmental and geomorphic changes of Parramore Island, Virginia. The study includes quantifying shoreline movement, detecting vegetative change, and discussing the effects of major storms. Dissertation Committee Chair: Randy McBride.
Robinson, Kristi
E-mail: krobinso@gmu.edu
Program: PhD Policy track
Research Interest: My research, which began in 2001, has looked at comparative dietary trends and space use for three sympatric canids in a Mid-Atlantic ecosystem: coyote, gray fox, and red fox. Techniques have been designed to be non-invasive, and have included scat analysis, studying tracks, and DNA work. The study area comprises 60,000 acres.
Robinson, Marci
E-mail: mrobins3@gmu.edu
Program: PhD Science track
Research Interest: My research focuses on coastal and deep-sea microfossils (foraminifera) and their utility in reconstructing past environments. By supplying environmental parameters, such as temperature and salinity, microfossils yield information on global temperatures, oceanic circulation and local coastal processes on many different timescales.
Ruach, Paige Rothenberger
E-mail: prothenb@gmu.edu
Program: PhD Science track
Research Interest: coral reef ecology and health, coral disease, marine protected area management, marine resource management.
Ruck, Chris
E-mail: cruck@gmu.edu
Program: MS Environmental Science and Policy
Research Interest: I’m currently researching fish communities, particularly clupeids, in the tidal freshwater Potomac River and its tributaries. Other interests include estuarine and watershed ecology, stormwater and nutrient management, and the restoration and mitigation of streams and wetlands.
Sanchez, Rafael
E-mail: rsanche3@gmu.edu
Program: PhD Science track
Research Interest: Compliance assistance and its effectiveness in reducing pollution.
Schappelle, Seema
E-mail: sschappe@gmu.edu
Program: PhD Policy track
Research Interest: My research interests are the overall impacts of Information and Communications Technology on the implementation of environmental policies across the United States.
Siaway, George Fulley
E-mail: fulleyz@concast.net
Program: PhD Policy track
Research Interest: My research interests include the relationship between geology, aeroradioactivity and indoor radon, and the role of voluntary instruments in achieving regulatory compliance.
Sides, Steve
E-mail: ssides@paint.org
Program: PhD Policy track
Research Interest: Voluntary environmental programs and environmental management systems.
Siriaroonrat, Boripat
E-mail: boripat@si.edu
Program: PhD Science track
Research Interest: My research focuses on fertilization biology of Eld’s deer sperm and egg in vitro. We are trying to develop the successful in vitro fertilization system for this species which has never been done before. Oocyte maturation, fertilization and embryo development are being investigated.
Smith, Jo
E-mail: jsmitt@gmu.edu
Program: PhD Science track
Research Interest: ecology of wintering songbirds, focusing on roosting behavior and how seasonal habitat variability affects spacing behavior and body condition.
Stone, Christopher
E-mail: cstone@gmu.edu
Program: MS Environmental Science and Policy
Research Interest: Freshwater estuary sedimentation.
Stoyanova, Irina
E-mail: istoyano@gmu.edu
Program: PhD Science track
Research Interest: Interested in the social aspects of international environmental policymaking, specifically issues of cultural ecology and preservation of indigenous knowledge systems and traditions. Aspire to contribute to development of social and educational policies and projects on the protection of the environment and natural habitat of endangered linguistic communities.
Troast, Richard
E-mail: rtroast@gmu.edu
Program: PhD Science track
Research Interest: I am researching a novel use of the nematode C. elegans to provide a biomarker for environmental lead based upon the bioavailability of the lead compound. Lead is found at more than half of the nation’s hazardous waste sites thus understanding the bioavailability is key to predicting the toxicity of the material to exposed populations.
Tupper, Todd
E-mail: ttupper@gmu.edu
Program: PhD Science track
Research Interest: My research interests are in amphibian and reptile conservation. My dissertation work has two major components: (1) multiscale (within-pond and landscape-level) factors that affect breeding effort in the Fowler’s toad, Bufo fowleri, and (2) the use of call surveys to improve long-term monitoring of this species at Cape Cod National Seashore.
E-mail: valdezr@si.edu
Program: PhD Policy track
Research Interest: Parks and protected areas are truly the last bastions for conservation of biodiversity. My research will focus on comparing effectiveness of park management aimed at biodiversity and conservation practices. Study sites will include selected national parks and protected areas throughout the Amazon and
Williams, Shireen
E-mail: sakrawi@gmu.edu
Program: MS Environmental Science and Policy
Research Interest: Detecting and quantifying pharmaceuticals in wastewater discharge and mapping their distribution using Geographic Information Systems.