Angela L. Strecker, Ph.D.
Director, Institute for Watershed Studies
Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences
College of the Environment
Western Washington University, 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 98225
tel. 360-650-3507, fax. 360-650-7284, email: [email protected]
office: ES 604A
website
Please note that I will no longer be accepting graduate students at Portland State University.
Director, Institute for Watershed Studies
Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences
College of the Environment
Western Washington University, 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 98225
tel. 360-650-3507, fax. 360-650-7284, email: [email protected]
office: ES 604A
website
Please note that I will no longer be accepting graduate students at Portland State University.
Post-Doctoral Fellow
Graduate Students
Ali Bailey - MS student, Western Washington University
email: baileya5 at wwu.edu office: ES 321 |
Crysta Gantz - PhD student, Portland State University
phone: 503.725.9075
email: cgantz at pdx.edu
office: SB1 314
phone: 503.725.9075
email: cgantz at pdx.edu
office: SB1 314
Ty Stephenson - MS student, Western Washington University
email: stephe40 at wwu.edu office: ES 321 |
Undergraduate Students
Brigid Wills - Environmental Sciences Major, summer REU student
Madeline Sweet - Environmental Sciences Major Lillie Tomlinson - Environmental Sciences Major, Honors |
Lab Alumni
Post-Doctoral Fellows
Dr. Meredith Holgerson
David H. Smith Conservation Research Fellow (2016-2018) Portland State University Current position: Professor, Cornell University |
Graduate Students
Jeff Brittain
MS Environmental Science and Management (2015) Portland State University Current position: Water Quality Specialist, US Environmental Protection Agency |
Sam Cimino
MS Environmental Science and Management (2016) Portland State University Current position: Biologist, Pacific Northwest Aquatic Monitoring Program |
Ariana Chiapella
PhD Earth, Environment, and Society (2019) Portland State University Current position: Lecturer, University of Vermont |
Tim Elder
PhD Environmental Sciences and Resources (2018) Portland State University Current position: Southwest Oregon Program Manager, Wild Salmon Center |
Katie Ewen
MS Environmental Sciences (2023) Western Washington University Current position: Research Assistant, National Parks Service |
Lara Jansen
PhD Earth, Environment, and Society (2023) Portland State University Current position: ORISE Fellow, US Environmental Protection Agency |
Amelia Johnson
MS Environmental Science and Management (2016) Portland State University Current position: Salmon Recovery Specialist, Lower Columbia Fish Recovery Board |
Meredith Jordan
MS Environmental Science and Management (2016) Portland State University Current position: City Planner II, City of Portland |
Brian McGann
MS Environmental Science and Management (2017) Portland State University Current position: Staff Ecologist, Environmental Planning Specialists |
Undergraduate Students
Western Washington University
Brigid Wills, BS Environmental Science, summer REU student
Kaila Righi, BS Environmental Science
Hunter Adelson, BS Environmental Science
Nathalie Wagler, BS Environmental Science
Emily Deardorff, BS Environmental Science
Laura Thompson, BS Environmental Science
Portland State University
Samantha Layne, BS Environmental Science
Angela Arrington, Majoring in Environmental Science, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) student
Elizabeth Zamudio, Majoring in Biology, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) student
Kat Maloney, Majoring in Environmental Science
Alonso Delgado, Majoring in Biology, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) student and McNair Scholar
Georgia Schmitt, NSF Research Experience for Undergraduate student, Carleton College
Alec Trusty, Majoring in Environmental Science
Oliviah Franke, Majoring in Environmental Science
Jenna Walczak, NSF Research Experience for Undergraduate student, Colgate University
Mia Jauregui, Majoring in Environmental Science, Honors
Jesse Klinger, BS Environmental Science, currently MS student at Western Washington University
Jared Anderson, BS Environmental Science
Brigid Wills, BS Environmental Science, summer REU student
Kaila Righi, BS Environmental Science
Hunter Adelson, BS Environmental Science
Nathalie Wagler, BS Environmental Science
Emily Deardorff, BS Environmental Science
Laura Thompson, BS Environmental Science
Portland State University
Samantha Layne, BS Environmental Science
Angela Arrington, Majoring in Environmental Science, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) student
Elizabeth Zamudio, Majoring in Biology, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) student
Kat Maloney, Majoring in Environmental Science
Alonso Delgado, Majoring in Biology, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) student and McNair Scholar
Georgia Schmitt, NSF Research Experience for Undergraduate student, Carleton College
Alec Trusty, Majoring in Environmental Science
Oliviah Franke, Majoring in Environmental Science
Jenna Walczak, NSF Research Experience for Undergraduate student, Colgate University
Mia Jauregui, Majoring in Environmental Science, Honors
Jesse Klinger, BS Environmental Science, currently MS student at Western Washington University
Jared Anderson, BS Environmental Science
High School Students
Nkemdilim Aduka - Camas High School
Megan Chow - Camas High School
Brenton Riddle - Camas High School
Megan Chow - Camas High School
Brenton Riddle - Camas High School
Current Students and Post-Docs
Ali Bailey
Education The Evergreen State College, BS/BA in Ecology and Conservation Biography I grew up in a tiny town just outside of Mount Rainier National Park, which inspired my lifelong passion for learning about the natural world at a very young age. Prior to completing my bachelor’s degree, I worked at more restaurants than I can count, as well as working for several years as a litigation paralegal at a small law firm in Seattle that primarily focused on construction defect and personal injury defense. Motivated by my fascination with rivers, the climate crisis, and an interest in the scientific process, I enrolled at Evergreen State College. During my time at Evergreen, I participated in several research projects focusing on aquatic macroinvertebrate communities, co-founded an educational community garden plot on campus, worked in the campus library, and interned with Joint Base Lewis-McChord Fish & Wildlife, WSU Puyallup Ornamental Plant Pathology, Thurston Conservation District, and the City of Olympia Climate Program. Following my graduation in 2022, I enjoyed working with the City of Olympia Climate Program so much that I stayed there for another year as a CivicSpark AmeriCorps Fellow. My service projects were strategy research for decarbonizing/electrifying existing buildings, and acting as outreach & education coordinator for the pilot program Energize Olympia (a citywide ductless heat pump group purchase campaign). When I’m not working or studying, I enjoy baking, playing piano and drums, live music, hanging out with my two adorable goofy cats, and herping (especially finding salamanders!). Research interests Aquatic ecology; environmental data science; climate change impacts on lakes and rivers; urban watersheds; the intersection of science and policy |
Crysta Gantz
Education University of Washington, B.S., Botany University of Edinburgh/Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (Scotland), MSc. Biodiversity and Taxonomy of Plants Biography I am originally from Renton, Washington, and growing up was lucky enough to have access to much of the great beauty of the Pacific Northwest. After earning an MSc at the University of Edinburgh, I returned to the US and worked as a biologist and research technician for several years in both Florida (University of Florida) and Indiana (University of Notre Dame). I gained experience in both ecological risk assessment and eDNA detection of aquatic plants and animals. The goal for the projects that I worked on was prevention and early detection of species invasions. I hope to carry this experience through to other projects in my PhD and career in ecology. Research interests Aquatic ecology; aquatic invasive species; population genetics and genomics; landscape genetics, environmental DNA (eDNA) Current research I am studying landscape genetics of Daphnia and paleolimnology in Eastern Washington lakes, both within and outside of the Columbia Basin Project. My research questions are focused on how environmental factors and connectivity affect or have affected gene flow and population structure in space and over time. I am particularly interested in the impacts of human-caused change (including large hydrologic projects) on biotic communities. Publications Please look for me on ResearchGate or Google Scholar. Other interests When I am not doing research, I enjoy hanging out with my family and taking nature walks at the forest or the beach. |
Katey Queen
Education University of Washington Bothell (2020) B.S. Biology Biography Originally from Kirkland, Washington, Katey has always taken advantage of the diverse recreation opportunities and nature the PNW has to offer. Prior to her undergraduate education she was a licensed veterinary nurse at an emergency and surgical hospital, specializing in cardiology. Motivated by the climate crisis, love for the outdoors, and a strong interest in scientific process, a career change was on the horizon. During her undergraduate, she worked on plant ecology research in the Mount St. Helens volcanic blast zone, testing plant successional theories. Additionally, she contributed to kokanee research in the Lake Sammamish watershed and restoration efforts leading to a recent internship with Trout Unlimited. Katey’s interests in science are not just limited to life science and natural resources, she recently completed a certificate in R statistical programming. Katey is passionate about citizen science and community education, seeing the need for science to be shared with the people who live and recreate in the areas so they can contribute to the conservation and restoration. Outside of her research, she is an avid hiker and skier, and critter mom to a big fluffy goldendoodle and a spooky black cat. Current Research As climate change alters communities in complex ways, alpine lake environments are projected to experience a profound negative effect on all trophic levels. Warmer temperatures decrease the amount of snow cover resulting in increased heat absorption in these cold-water lakes altering the habitat of zooplankton communities and fracturing the food web. The slow reestablishment of deciduous and coniferous vegetation in the Mount St. Helen’s National Monument provides a resource-limited environment to study how the reintroduction of terrestrial vegetation influences aquatic communities. By assessing the effects of certain organic matter and zooplankton community change as a result of warming could provide valuable understanding into alpine lake response to climate change, and protection for the fragile habitat. |
Alicia McGrew
Education Ph.D., University of Florida, School of Natural Resources & Environment (2020) M.S., Central Michigan University, Department of Biology (2015) B.S., Central Michigan University, Department of Biology (2011) Broad Research Interests Community ecology, aquatic ecology, aquatic invasive species, biodiversity-ecosystem function Background I grew up surrounded by the Great Lakes but hands-on aquatics-focused coursework during my undergraduate program truly got me excited about aquatic ecosystems. Prior to starting my graduate degrees, I worked as a technician in the aquatic ecology lab at Central Michigan University (CMU) identifying zooplankton in nursery habitats in the St. Clair River Delta and assisted in a project identifying habitat use in Thunder Bay, MI by the invasive bloody red shrimp (Hemimysis anomala). For my M.S. thesis at CMU, I explored the age-structured herbivorous and omnivorous feeding behaviors of this invasive species. I transitioned to working with smaller aquatic systems for my Ph.D. research, where I explored taxonomic, phylogenetic, and size-based approaches to characterizing aquatic communities in the model food web found in the leaves of the carnivorous pitcher plant Sarracenia purpurea. During my M.S., I also discovered a passion for teaching, and continued to expand my interest in the scholarship of teaching and learning throughout my Ph.D. program. Current Research I am working in the Strecker Lab as a post-doctoral research fellow and will serve as a Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center (NW CASC) fellow beginning in the Fall of 2023. My current research includes an NSF-Macrosystems funded project focused on understanding how intraspecific trait variation (ITV) in fish body size varies in response to differences in climate, disturbance, historical and contemporary land use, and biodiversity from local to continental spatial scales and through time. As a NW CASC fellow, I will explore historical climate- water quality- biological community relationships in Lake Whatcom (Bellingham, WA), and use these relationships to forecast lake water quality conditions and suitability for native, established invasive species, and prospective invaders under different regional climate scenarios. In addition to my data-science focused research in the Strecker Lab, I am currently collaborating on several exciting projects including:
Other Interests When I’m not doing cool data science, I enjoy spending time with my husband, son, and two doggies, finding new houseplants to collect, hiking and kayaking, reading, and traveling (especially finding delicious new restaurants to try!) |
Ty Stephenson
Education Virginia Tech, B.S. Fish and Wildlife Conservation Biography I grew up in Blacksburg, Virginia and quickly took interest in the aquatic communities inhabiting the Appalachian streams around me. I have been fortunate to have been involved in a wide variety of aquatic ecology research projects. During my time at Virginia Tech I worked on projects studying the effects of coal mining contaminants on freshwater mussels, the distribution of the threatened bog turtle, community and behavioral ecology of bluehead chubs and their nesting associates, and the long term changes in the fish community in Blacksburg’s local streams. I was also the Vice President of Virginia Tech’s student chapter of the American Fisheries Society. I have worked for trout unlimited studying how native trout populations respond to habitat enhancement projects, and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s Aquatic Assessment Crew studying fish, toad, and snake populations across Wyoming. Most recently I spent time working for the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s Watershed Assessment Branch. There I helped monitor the state's streams and rivers, conducting stream assessments, collecting and processing macroinvertebrate samples, and collecting water quality data. I am motivated by learning about how environmental changes, anthropogenic or otherwise affect aquatic environments and their biotic communities. I hope to continue to utilize my skills to study our aquatic ecosystems so that we may better understand and manage our freshwater resources. Research Interests Aquatic ecology, community ecology, water quality Current Research I am currently a graduate research assistant in the Strecker lab examining spatial and temporal trends in macroinvertebrate communities and water quality in aquatic ecosystems in the North Coast and Cascades Network, including mountain lakes and streams in North Cascades, Mount Rainier, and Olympic National Park. |