People

Masters student Olivia Hurley is investigating  variation in flood and salinity tolerance of different haplotypes of the common reed Phragmites australis. Specifically, she is testing how the leaf chemistry of the different lineages respond to flooding and salinity, in order to test how these plants respond to stressors associated with sea level rise.

    Masters student Kevin Stoner's research is focused on evaluating soil, elevation, and vegetation characteristics of created marshes with and without confinement compared to natural mashes to help inform decisions about creating or restoring wetlands.

Masters student Natalie Matherne is testing the hypothesis that Spartina patens marshes exhibiting a hummock hollow topography are more susceptible to erosion than Spartina patens marshes with more homogeneous topography and marshes dominated by other species (i.e., Sagittaria lancifolia). We hypothesize that the integrity of the sediment in the lower elevation hollows is weaker than in the higher elevation hummock. We will also examine some of the potential mechanisms that contribute to the hummock-hollow topography including flooding and salinity regime. 

     Austin Lynn (PhD, University of Missouri) is a plant ecologist interested in ecosystem services, exotic species, and plant-insect interactions. He is studying abiotic stressors implicated in Phragmites australis dieback, and how these change with different flooding levels and across haplotypes. He is also researching ecosystem services of alternative wetland plants for consideration in marsh restoration.

    Mike Rabalais (PWS; M.S. University of Arkansas) is a Research Associate with a background in wetland ecology and is examining mangrove expansion into temperate salt marshes along the northern Gulf of Mexico and their role in marsh edge erosion and soil building dynamics.  Mike is also managing the Wetland Plant Ecology lab and assisting graduate students with their own research projects.

Donnie Day
M.S in Oceanography and Coastal Science, 2021

Current status: PhD student, University of Toledo

Gina Groseclose
M.S in Oceanography and Coastal Science, 2020 

Current status: Environmental Scientist, US Geological Survey

Megan Kelsall
Degree: M.S in Oceanography and Coastal Science

Current status: Environmental Scientist, Prime AE, Baltimore, MD

Derek Jacobs
Degree: M.S. in Oceanography and Coastal Science
Current Status: Environmental Consultant with Brown, MItchell, and Alexander, a Civil Engineering form in Gulfport, MS.