Past WEEL Members

Over the years WEEL has been home to a number of post-doctoral appointments, graduate and undergraduate students, high-school interns, and volunteers. See the entries below to learn more about all of the great people who have worked with WEEL in the past.

Xiaofang Hu
Ph.D.

I am a visiting student from Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. My current research focuses on urban ecology and extreme heat events. I'm working on the phenomena, causes, and impacts of extreme heat events in different cities in China, which is my major research theme as a Ph.D. candidate. I also do other studies related to urban mapping and urban green infrastructure. I'm interested in doing more perspective- or policy-related analyses in urban studies, and would like to learn more about urban theories.

Bill Clem
B.S.

I am currently a junior at ASU majoring in Biological Sciences, while also minoring in Sustainability. My interests include wetland ecology and molecular science. After I complete my B.S. I hope to go to graduate school and pursue one of these fields. I joined WEEL in 2016, and it has been mind opening in the world of ecology for me. I currently am looking into soil characteristics of the Tres Rios Constructed Treatment Wetland.

Sierra Kubicki
B.S.

I am an ASU graduate with a Bachelor's in Biological Sciences from the School of Life Sciences. Although my degree has a broad range of subjects, I have a special interest in all things environment and hydrology related, which is what led me to the Wetland Ecosystem Ecology Lab. I started out by doing some aboveground primary productivity measurements for the lab and then became the head of aquatic primary productivity shortly after. By using the light and dark bottle method, we are able to collect and analyze data for the first time at both inflow and outflow sites at Tres Rios Constructed Treatment Wetlands. I plan to continue working for WEEL and eventually go on to get a Masters in environmental studies or hydrology.

Yanying Yang
Ph.D. Candidate, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Yanying is a Ph. D. student in Urban Ecology at the Research Center for Eco-environmental Sciences (RCEES), Chinese Academy of Sciences. Her research interests include ecosystem services evaluation and management, urban ecosystem, eco-city planning and management.

Brick Cummins
B.S.

I am a junior at ASU studying Biological Sciences. I am also minoring in Anthropology and am interested
in the areas of ecology and animal physiology. After college, I hope to pursue a career in one of these
fields.

Jorge Ramos
Ph.D. Candidate

I joined the WEEL lab here at ASU in 2011. I was born in El Paso, Texas and raised in México. My background education includes a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science with a focus in Biology from the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and a Master of Science from the School of Forest Resources from the University of Washington, Seattle. Throughout my career, I took advantage of summer opportunities that exposed me to different ecosystems, such as the Gulf of Maine and the Arctic tundra, in which I mostly focused my research on the effects of human disturbances in several wildlife populations. Before starting graduate school, I worked at the Ecological Society of America headquarters in Washington, DC as their SEEDS student coordinator. This experience inspired me to start thinking about the role that ecologists have in solving some of the global challenges that we as a society face. My research interests include wetland ecosystem ecology, water-atmosphere interactions, and the nitrogen and carbon cycles. I enjoy swimming, hiking, and road trips to cool-er places in the southwest.

Fore more information about Jorge Ramos, please visit his personal website.

Yufen Ren
Ph.D., Chinese Academy of Sciences

I studied urban ecology and got my Ph.D. in the Research Center for Eco-environmental Sciences (RCEES), Chinese Academy of Sciences. I'm currently working for Beijing Urban Ecosystem Research Station, Chinese Ecosystem Research Network. My research focuses on urban river and stormwater pollution, urban and regional ecosystem assessment, urban water resource usage, and urban ecosystem monitoring technology. I've been visiting ASU and working with the WEEL group since 2016. During my stay I joined the CAP LTER program and participated in lots of the long term monitoring and experiments, such as herpetofauna surveys, birds surveys, creosote stems measurement, arthropod pitfall trapping, and the atmospheric deposition project. I also assisted with field work related to the flux tower, stormwater collection and the Tres Rios wetlands. Long term studies and experiments carried out in Phoenix bring me a whole new perspective, and those experiences give me some new thoughts for Beijing urban ecosystem survey in all kinds of surveys and research as well.

Amanda Suchy
Ph.D. Candidate

I began the Biology PhD program at ASU in 2010 after receiving a BS in Biology from the University of Utah. My research interests lie at the intersection of urban ecology, plant ecology, and biogeochemistry with specific focus on freshwater ecosystems. My PhD research is inspired by a set of urban wetlands in Phoenix that form in response to urban water discharges (i.e., stormwater); thus, they provide a unique opportunity to study what processes shape wetland structure and function within urban ecosystems. Growing up on Lake Michigan, I developed an early appreciation for human-water relationships. I hope to conduct research that will not only contribute to the understanding of urban freshwater ecosystems, but can also benefit individuals who face difficult decisions about managing freshwater habitats in urban landscapes.

Heston Allred
B.S.

I am a senior at ASU majoring in biological sciences (Genetics, Cell and Developmental Biology). I am interested in biology and ecology related research.

Jared Stoltzfus
Ph.D. Candidate

I went to Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, VA where I graduated with a Biology degree in 2005. After working on stream restoration in Harrisonburg for two years, I moved to Guatemala where I worked with a grassroots community development program on projects of water filtration, wood stoves, microenterprise and nutrition. My research interests relate to diversion of organic wastes from landfills, specifically looking at the impact of this diversion on nutrient cycling, and market mechanisms such as waste to energy that could facilitate this process. I am currently employed in the Center for Sustainable Health, part of the Biodesign Institute at ASU, developing curriculum for a class called Sustainability Science for Teachers, under the leadership of Dr. Leland Hartwell.

Ben MacNeille
M.S.

I'm an M.S. student in the School of Sustainability focusing on microbial communities that inhabit the phyllosphere (the interface between plant and atmosphere) of city trees in Phoenix. I am interested in the ecosystem services provided by microbial communities that inhabit roadside trees and grow in the presence of pollutants from motor vehicle transportation.

Eric Chapman
Ph.D.

As a broadly trained ecosystem ecologist, I am interested quantifying energy flows and material cycles across varied ecosystem types undergoing change. During my Ph.D. work, I investigated northern wetland ecosystem development along a gradient of developing wetlands following permafrost thaw from impacts of climate change. I used the unifying framework of the Second Law of Thermodynamics and an interdisciplinary toolkit—including next generation sequencing and analytical chemistry techniques—to better understand how ecosystems structure and function during ecosystem development. I am currently using my ecosystem ecology lens and interest in energy flows in ecosystems undergoing change as an NSF postdoc and Research Ecologist at University of New England (UNE). At UNE, I am developing an integrated and collaborative ecosystem-economic model to quantify trophic level energy and monetary flows in a coastal marine social-ecological systems context.

Patricia Susanto
B.S.

My name is Patricia and I am an Arizonian of 11 years! I was born in Chicago, Illinois and lived in Leawood, KS for a few years, but the Sonoran Desert has been my home for most of my life. Some of my hobbies include rock climbing, biking, and cooking! I will be graduating in May 2016 with a BS in Conservation Biology and Ecology and a minor in Sustainability. In lab, I spent most of my time working with Jorge Ramos and his gas chambers project in Tres Rios. I worked on field day prep, data collection, and data entry.
Currently, I have a strong interest for the sustainability side of things and hope to obtain more professional experience working on sustainable-development based projects. I have a strong passion for community development and an even stronger understanding for environmental conservation. My ultimate goal will be to one day be an consultant who helps people understand and prioritize the tie between sustainability, the environment, and community happiness.

Melissa Davidson
M.S.

Melissa is a recent graduate from the Masters in Sustainable Solutions program in the School of Sustainability at Arizona State University, and has been working for over a year with CAP-LTER on its sustainable future scenarios project. Before coming to ASU, Melissa received her BA in Human Ecology from Whittier College, where she studied urban watersheds and in the Los Angeles area. She is now the program coordinator for the CAP-LTER scenarios project and is also involved in the UREx Sustainability Research Network

Meredith Gartin
Ph.D.

Meredith Gartin earned her Ph.D. in Global Health from Arizona State University in 2012. Meredith’s dissertation research in Paraguay focused on how local residents cope with the many tradeoffs associated with urban food deserts and insecurity - price vs food; price vs quality; quality vs food. Also, Meredith has over ten years of research in medical anthropology and human ecology. Starting early, as an undergraduate in 2001, she worked as an assistant in the human ecology laboratory at the University of Georgia (UGA). In 2004, Meredith began training for a Master of Arts from Auburn University (AU) where she examined how rural residents, in a rapidly urbanizing environment, participate in planning and zoning debates to protect their sense of place. In 2006, she began working with ASU’s Decision Center for a Desert City (DCDC) to study the impacts of urbanization on water management decisions and policy using WaterSim – an interactive decision support tool designed for both community partners and the general public. In 2007, Meredith began research in the Culture, Environment, Health Laboratory at the School of Human Evolution and Social Change on many global projects including the Global Ethnohydrology Study and Meredith’s own nutritional research in urban Paraguay. See her CV for more information: Gartin_Web_CV_2012.pdf.

Currently involved in the Urban Sustainability RCN project.

Dakota Tallman
B.S.

Dakota worked with WEEL for several years as an undergraduate. During his time with WEEL, he served as the lab's undergraduate part-time manager and assisted with running the Tres Rios Wetlands field operations.

Ben Warner
Ph.D.

My background includes a degree from Purdue University in Civil and Environmental Engineering with a focus on sustainable and ecological engineering techniques. I have a diverse work experience ranging from employment with the Denali National Park Engineering Department to environmental engineering consulting. I have also led teams in the design of wetland restoration plans, water reuse systems and “green” water treatment facilities. I am a third year Ph.D. student in the WEEL lab. My research goal is to devise methods to integrate the livelihoods of local inhabitants, both current and future, into sustainable watershed management plans. I grew up in Indiana and enjoy rock climbing in my free time. For more info on Ben, check out his SoS webpage.

Laura Turnbull
Ph.D. - Junior Research Fellow in the Department of Geography in Durham University, UK

Laura was a postdoctoral research associate in the WEEL lab and the Global Institute of Sustainability, Arizona State University from 2010 to 2012. She received her Ph.D. in Environmental Science in 2008, from the University of Sheffield, UK. Her primary research interests are addressing feedbacks between geomorphological and ecological processes, and how they vary over different spatial scales.

Austin J. Evert
Landscape Architecture Graduate Student at the College of Design, University of Minnesota.

Born in Wisconsin I applied to ASU in order to see new horizons, and thaw out of course. I began my freshman year as an architecture student and eventually transitioned into a major in sustainability. I am currently a senior in the School of Sustainability studying Sustainable Urban Dynamics. My passion is landscape architecture and urban design, but in order to gain a better understanding of how urban and natural systems can function together, I have recently begun spending time with the CAP LTER program assisting in wetland ecology research at Tres Rios. The WEEL team is an inspiring group of ecologists, and I couldn't be happier to share the experience with them.

Lea Wilson
M.S.

I’m an Oregon girl, born and raised, but I've done a fair bit of globe trekking in the interim. I earned an Honors BS in Environmental Science/Terrestrial Ecosystems from Oregon State University, where I had the great privilege of working on the Detritus Input and Removal Treatment (DIRT) plots at the HJ Andrews LTER. Since graduating, I've worked for the state, the feds, and big business, chasing animals, counting plants, and taking samples. I am now an MS student with the School of Sustainability at ASU, and excited to join the WEEL team. My research interest is how urban green space design mediates or hinders ecological functioning and thus ecosystem services in the urban ecosystem. The goal of my research is to contribute to an understanding of nature as a partner in urban areas and the use of green infrastructure to build and retrofit sustainable cities.

Olga Ephstein
B.S.

I am interested in numerical modeling of biosphere-hydrosphere-atmosphere interactions and the cycling of momentum and matter through earth systems. I aim to focus on the feedbacks between anthropogenic landscape modifications and water resource management decisions, and regional-scale changes in water, carbon, and energy cycling – and the implications of these for ecosystem and human health. In 2011, I had the opportunity to join the WEEL and CAP LTER teams through an NSF-sponsored REU in urban ecohydrology. Since then, I’ve continued working on developing fine-scale spatially articulate models of urban ecohydrology in the Indian Bend Wash watershed. This summer, I will begin developing a spatially-articulate wetland hydrodynamic model of the Tres Rios flow regulating wetlands. For a summary of other research projects, please my CV: OlgaEpshtein_CV.pdf.

Eric Sanchez
High School Intern

I am a high-school student that worked with WEEL over the summer to advance my understanding of and interests in environmental engineering. I assisted with water sampling, plant counts, gas flux measurements, and water quality monitoring at the Tres Rios Wetlands in July 2016. I hope to eventually pursue a career in environmental engineering.

Daniel Loza
RAHSS High School Intern

2012 Research Assistantship for High School Students experience at ASU.
Check out the video and an article to learn more about their experience in the lab:

http://vimeo.com/51116404
https://asunews.asu.edu/20120911_urbanwetland