Graduate Students

Image of Samantha Aguilar

Samantha Aguilar

Samantha Aguilar
sam1604@nmsu.edu
MS | Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology (Advisor: Martha Desmond, Co-Advisor: Aaron Young)
Hometown | Gatesville, Texas
BS | Tarleton State University
MS Thesis Topic | Post-fledging ecology of Western bluebirds and Ash-throated flycatchers at Los Alamos National Lab


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Will Bass

Will Bass
wbass@nmsu.edu
MS | Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology (Advisor: Zach Klein)
Hometown | Atlanta, Georgia
BS | Auburn University
MS Thesis Topic | Stocking strategies and species interactions of Hybrid Striped Bass in Caballo Reservoir, New Mexico


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Lucas Begeman

Lucas Begeman
lbegeman@nmsu.edu
MS | Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Ecology (Advisor: James Cain)
Hometown | Chaseburg, Wisconsin
BS | University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point
MS Thesis Topic | Pronghorn habitat selection and movement in southwestern New Mexico


Picture of Aaron Blount

Aaron Blount

Aaron Blount
aaronblo@nmsu.edu
MS | Plant and Environmental Science Department (Advisor: Wiebke Boeing)
Hometown | Las Cruces, New Mexico
BS | New Mexico State University
MS Thesis Topic | Monoculture vs Polyculture Systems in Aquaponics, focusing on the following: Plant growth, fish growth, water quality and bacteria load in the media/substrate


Scott Boyle

Scott Boyle

Scott Boyle
sboyle@nmsu.edu
PhD | Biology (Advisors: Dr. James Cain & Dr. Fitsum Gebreselassie)
Hometown | Littleton, Colorado
BS | Colorado State University
PhD Dissertation Topic | Cause-specific Mortality and Survival of Elk (Cervus canadensis) in the Mexican Wolf Recovery Area in New Mexico and Arizona


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Charles Britt

Charles Britt
crbritt@nmsu.edu
PhD | Plant and Environmental Science (Advisor: Dr. Fitsum Gebreselassie)
Hometown | Mesquite, Texas
BS | University of Texas – Austin
PhD Dissertation Topic | Application of advanced quantitative techniques to examine long-term raptor datasets in the southwest


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Elizabeth Brock

Elizabeth Brock
lizbrock@nmsu.edu
MS | Water Science and Management Program (Advisor: Wiebke Boeing)
Hometown | Isleta Pueblo, New Mexico
BS | Haskell Indian Nations University
MS Thesis Topic | Species Composition of the Rio Grande River Macro-invertebrates


Jessica Buskirk

Jessica Buskirk

Jessica Buskirk
jbuskirk@nmsu.edu
MS | Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology (Advisors: Matthew Gompper)
Hometown | Seattle Washington
BS | Washington State University
MS Thesis Topic | Ecology of the desert kit fox (Vulpes macrotis) on the White Sands National Park



Jordan Ellison

Juliemar Cuevas-Hernandez

Juliemar Cuevas-Hernandez
jcuevas2@nmsu.edu
MS | Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology (Advisor’s: Dr. Martha Desmond, Dr. Aaron Young, Dr. Timothy Wright)
Hometown | Orlando, FL
BS | University of Florida
MS Thesis Topic | Shrub encroachment impacts on wintering sparrows at the Jornada Experimental Range


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Joanna Raye Ennis

Joanna Raye Ennis
jennis@nmsu.edu
MS | Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Ecology (Advisor: James Cain)
Hometown | Gulf Breeze, Florida
BS | University of Florida
MS Thesis Topic | Identification and characterization of migration routes for mule deer, elk and pronghorn in northern New Mexico


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Paul Fedorowicz

Paul Fedorowicz
pfedora@nmsu.edu
MS | Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Ecology (Advisor: Kasey Pregler)
Hometown | Okemos, MI
BS | University of Michigan
MS Thesis Topic | Conservation genomics of Pecos pupfish


Image of Breanna Graves

Breanna Graves

Breanna Graves
bre94@nmsu.edu
MS | Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology (Advisor: Dr. Zach Klein)
Hometown: Nine Mile Falls, Washington
BS | University of Idaho
MS Thesis Topic | Reproductive success of My Brook Trout


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Nathan Green

Nathan Green
nsgreen@nmsu.edu
MS | Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology (Advisor: Obed Hernández-Gómez)
Hometown: Larkspur, California
BA | University of California, Irvine
MS Thesis Topic | The effects of environmental differences on pathogen load and richness, disease presence and severity, home range, and body condition of Northwestern Pond Turtles


Image of William Grooms

William Grooms

William Grooms
wgrooms@nmsu.edu
MS | Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology (Advisor: Dr. Jennifer Frey)
Hometown: Las Cruces, New Mexico
BS | New Mexico State University
MS Thesis Topic | Critically Rare Peñasco Least Chipmunk in a Post-Wildfire Disclimax Community in the Sacramento Mountains to Inform Sound Management


Image of Jebosh Guzman-Hernandez

Jebosh Guzman-Hernandez

Jebosh Guzman-Hernandez
MS | Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology (Advisor: Obed Hernandez-Gomez )
Hometown: Ciudad Juarez
BS | Universidad Autonoma de Ciudad Juarez
MS Thesis Topic | Population ecology and BD disease resistance in Chiricahua Leopard Frogs along New Mexico and Arizona


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Daniel Horton

Daniel Horton
djhorton@nmsu.ed
MS | Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Ecology (Advisors: Martha Desmond and Fitsum Gebreselassie)
Hometown: Jacksonville, FL
BS | Colorado State University
MS Thesis Topic | Pinyon Jay Movement Ecology


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Matt Keeling

Matt Keeling
mkeeling@nmsu.edu
MS | Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Ecology (Advisor: James Cain)
Hometown | Baltimore, Maryland
BS | Frostburg State University
MS Thesis Topic | Black bear resource selection: responses to wildfires and forest restoration


James Lee

James Lee

James Lee
jlee97@nmsu.edu
MS | Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology (Advisor: Abby Lawson)
Hometown | Wading River, New York
BS | State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry
MS Thesis Topic | White-tailed Ptarmigan Reintroduction


Megan Lemmo

Megan Lemmo

Megan Lemmo
MS | Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology (Advisor: Martha Desmond, Co-Advisors: Fitsum Gebreselassie and Brian Millsap)
Hometown | Mogadore, OH
BS | Juniata College
MS Thesis Topic | Post-fledging ecology of American Kestrels


Sam Martinez

Sam Martinez

Sam Martinez
smarti12@nmsu.edu
MS | Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology (Advisor: James Cain)
Hometown | Albuquerque, New Mexico
BS | New Mexico State University
MS Thesis Topic | Kill Rates and Prey Composition of Mountain Lions and Mexican Wolves


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Coral Matos-Sepulveda

Coral Matos-Sepulveda
coralm@nmsu.edu
MS | Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology (Advisors: Abby Lawson and Timothy Wright)
Hometown | Miami Beach, FL
BS | College of the Atlantic
MS Thesis Topic | Mexican duck and other dabbling duck use of stocks tanks (diked wetlands) in southeastern Arizona


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Alex Merchanlisky

Alex Merchanlisky
amerch@nmsu.edu
MS | Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Ecology (Advisor: Martha Desmond & Fitsum Gebreselassie)
Hometown | Germantown, MD
BS | Auburn University
MS Thesis Topic | Breeding and movement ecology of Bendire's thrasher


Picture of Alyssa Mineau

Alyssa Mineau

Alyssa Mineau
PhD | Plant & Environmental Science (Advisor: Dr. Kelly Jones)
Hometown | Susanville, CA
BS | Wildlife Ecology and Conservation; University of Nevada, Reno
MS | Forest Resources; University of Arkansas at Monticello
PhD Dissertation Topic | Social and Economic Dimensions of Forest Restoration in the American Southwest


Picture of Bunali-Miunika-Jagodage

Bunali Miunika Jagodage

Bunali Miunika Jagodage
MS | Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology (Advisor: Wiebke Boeing)
Hometown | Colombo, Sri Lanka
BS | The Open University of Sri Lanka
MS Thesis Topic | Riparian Restoration


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Julia Nelson

Julia Nelson
jnels@nmsu.edu
MS | Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology (Advisor: Kelly Jones)
Hometown | Cincinnati, Ohio
BS | University of North Carolina at Charlotte
MS Thesis Topic | Participation and governance in forest management initiatives: examining wood banks in New Mexico


Dylan Osterhaus

Dylan Osterhaus

Dylan Osterhaus
dylano@nmsu.edu
PhD | Biology (Advisors: Martha Desmond and Tim Wright)
Hometown | Topeka, Kansas
BS | Emporia State University
MS | Iowa State University
PhD Dissertation Topic | Light pollution and bird migration in the desert southwest


ruth passernig

Ruth Passernig

Ruth Passernig
rpass@nmsu.edu
MS | Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Ecology (Advisor: James Cain)
Hometown | Austin, Texas
BS | University of Portland
MS Thesis Topic Mountain lion ecology


Image of Mark Peyton

Mark Peyton

Mark Peyton
nmcatmap@nmsu.edu
PhD | Biology (Advisor: James Cain)
Hometown | Vernon, Arizona
BS | Northern Arizona University
MS | Texas Tech University
PhD Dissertation Topic | Mountain lion resource selection and behavior in the Jemez Mountains of northern New Mexico


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Taylor Pichler

Taylor Pichler
tpichler@nmsu.edu
MS | Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology (Advisor: Theresa Laverty)
Hometown | West Bend, Wisconsin
BS | Northland College
MS Thesis Topic | The interactive effects of bats and arthropods on shrub encroachment dynamics in the Chihuahuan Desert


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Ryan Rimple

Ryan Rimple
rjrimple@nmsu.edu
PhD | Biology (Advisors: Kasey Pregler and Karen Mabry)
Hometown | Saylorsburg, PA
BS | Juniata College
MS | University of Georgia
PhD Dissertation topic | Evaluating genetic rescue outcomes in a Gila trout outcrossing experiment


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Iona Rohan

Iona Rohan
irohan@nmsu.edu
MS | Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology (Advisors: Jennifer Frey and Theresa Laverty)
Hometown | Clinton, WA
BS | University of Washington
MS Thesis Topic | Effects of Wind Energy Development on Terrestrial Mammals


Carleen Silva

Carleen Silva

Carleen Silva
cnsilva@nmsu.edu
PhD | Biology (Advisor: Matthew Gompper and Kathryn Hanley)
Hometown | San Antonio, TX
BS | Iowa State University
PhD Dissertation Topic | Effects of an emerging infectious disease, RHDV2, on lagomorphs at the individual, population and community level


Picture of Brandi Stevenson

Brandi Stevenson

Brandi Stevenson
sbrandi@nmsu.edu
MS | Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology (Advisor: Theresa Laverty)
Hometown | Houston, Texas
BS | University of Houston – Clear Lake
MS Thesis Topic | Ecology of nectar-feeding bats in the southwest


Picture of Maggy

Maggy Walrath

Maggy Walrath
maggyw@nmsu.edu
MS | Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology (Advisors: Wiebke Boeing & Kelly Jones)
Hometown | Mystic, Connecticut
BA | University of Connecticut
MS Thesis Topic | Human dimensions of water resources management


Picture of Whitney Watson

Whitney Watson

Whitney Watson
wwatson@nmsu.edu
PhD | Biology (Advisors: Abby Lawson & Tim Wright)
Hometown | Minneapolis, Minnesota
BA | Macalester College
MS | University of Wisconsin – Madison
PhD Dissertation Topic | Ecology of rosy-finches in northern New Mexico


Leah White

Leah White

Leah White
leahw42@nmsu.edu
MS | Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Ecology (Advisors: James Cain and Fitsum Gebreselassie)
Hometown | Fayetteville, North Carolina
BS | Appalachian State University
MS Thesis Topic | Impacts of forest restoration treatments, prescribed burns, and wildfire on occupancy of large mammals in the Jemez Mountains


Image of Holly Whited

Holly Whited

Holly Whited
hwhited@nmsu.edu
MS | Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Ecology (Advisor: Theresa Laverty)
Hometown | Sweetwater, TN
BS | University of Tennessee - Knoxville
MS Thesis Topic | Ecology of nectar-feeding bats in the southwest


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Joe Youtz

Joe Youtz
joeyoutz@nmsu.edu

PhD | Geography (Advisor: Dr. Jennifer Frey)
MS | Arkansas State University
Hometown | Edgewood, New Mexico
BS | New Mexico State University
PhD Dissertation Topic | Wildlife-Habitat-Thermal Relations in Pinyon Woodlands


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Heather Zimba

Heather Zimba
hzimba@nmsu.edu
MS | Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology (Advisor: Abby Lawson)
Hometown | Cooperstown, New York
BS | Suny College of Environmental Science and Forestry
MS Thesis Topic | Bolson Tortoise Reintroduction Ecology