All of my research projects center on the theme of understanding the connections between people and water in order to address pressing environmental issues. Complex environmental issues require inter-trans-multi-disciplinary approaches... meaning that all of my research is collaborative!
Ongoing Research
CNH-Lakes Project
The Coupled Natural Human system (CNH) - Lakes project brings together over 20 researchers from 6 disciplines to explore the feedbacks between people and the lake catchments they live in.
LSPA partnership
My role on the project is to run the lake ecosystem model, GLM-AED (the General Lake Model coupled with Aquatic EcoDynamics). We then integrate the model simulations with other disciplinary models to explore the two-way connection between human decision-making and water quality.
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This work is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Dynamics of Coupled Natural-Human Systems award number 1517823.
GLEON (Global Lakes Ecological Observatory Network)
I attended my first GLEON meeting in December 2017. GLEON is a grassroots organization of scientists, engineers, computer scientists, and practitioners from around the globe.
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I am developing partnerships in GLEON currently and am excited to attend the December 2018 GLEON conference to further those collaborations.
During summer 2018, fellow GLEON member Jennie Brentrup (post-doc, Dartmouth) and I conducted a study on the spatial variability of lake metabolism. Jennie focused on vertical variability in the lake water column, and I focused on horizontal variability. We are linking the in-lake measurements with inflow stream measurements to assess the relative contribution of each inflow stream to overall lake water quality.
PRAGMA Lake Expedition
While attending the 2017 PRAGMA (Pacific Rim Applications and Grid Middleware Assembly) conference in Gainesville, FL, I developed a deeper appreciation for the potential of computer science - ecology collaborations. A major part of my research includes the use of ecological simulation models, so there is a lot to learn from computer scientists! The goal of this collaboration is to further both the disciplines of ecology and computer science.
Past Research
Agricultural land management,
hillslope hydrology, farm policy
Site-Specific Climate Friendly Farming
During my M.S. degree from the University of Idaho in Water Resources Science and Management, I was a part of the interdisciplinary multi-institutional project Site-Specific Climate Friendly Farming. Funding by USDA-NIFA award number 2011-67003-30341.
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My thesis research, focused on hydrology, examined practical fertilizer management and policy in the Palouse region, demonstrated the potential for lateral redistribution of nitrogen to contribute to downslope yields, and applied economic metrics to biophysical outcomes.This required working closely with economists, soil scientists, and agronomists.
After completing my M.S. degree, I continued working on the grant as a research associate, to help synthesize results.
River Ecology & State Resource Management
(2006 - 2013)
Aquatic Ecology - Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
I worked at the MN Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for 3 summers as an intern during undergrad, then worked full-time for 3 years after graduation. In my full-time position, I developed and implemented field and laboratory research, supervised nine student interns. I also worked with hydrologists, geomorphologists, fisheries scientists, outreach specialists, and agency decision makers to improve the management of freshwaters and native mussels in Minnesota.
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I enjoyed spending most of my summers at the DNR underwater, SCUBA diving and snorkeling. After a few years of learning about the complexities around natural resource management, I grew increasingly interested in landscape-stream connections and social-environmental systems.
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My experience at the DNR formed the foundation for my research: all of my subsequent work has included collaborations with non-academic groups.
What Collaboration means to me
Collaborations are mutually beneficial, result in outcomes that would not be possible alone, and foster innovative and novel ideas. Collaborations require patience, open-mindedness, respect, and light-heartedness.
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I am open to collaborate across disciplines, sectors, and ways of knowing.