Graduate Students
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
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
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
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
Kelley Boland
kcboland@nmsu.edu
MS | Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology (Advisor: Martha Desmond)
Hometown | San Diego, CA
BS | California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
MS Thesis Topic | Effect of light pollution on bird mortality on the White Sands Missile Range
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
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
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
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
jte1@nmsu.edu
MS | MS, Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology (Advisors: Martha Desmond and Fitsum Gebreselassie)
Hometown | Los Angeles, California
BA | Los Angeles, California
MS Thesis Topic | Burrowing Owl Translocation
Website | Ellison Website
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
Ashley Evans
adevans@nmsu.edu
MS | Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Ecology (Advisor: James Cain)
Hometown | Otisco, New York
BS | Paul Smith's College
MS Thesis Topic | Effects of human recreation on desert bighorn sheep in southwest Colorado
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
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
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
Hailey Jacobson
hnj@nmsu.edu
MS | Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology (Advisor: Jennifer Frey)
Hometown | Missoula, Montana
BS | Brown University
MS Thesis Topic | Occupancy analysis on the Organ Mountains Colorado Chipmunk
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
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
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
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
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
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
Julia Olson
jolson5@nmsu.edu
MS | Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology (Advisor: James Cain)
Hometown | Eau Claire, WI
BS | University of Minnesota- Twin Cities
MS Thesis Topic | Influence of Mexican gray wolf recovery on elk behavior and foraging ecology
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
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
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
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
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
Maret Smith-Miller
maretsm@nmsu.edu
MS | Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology (Advisor: Zach Klein)
Hometown | New York, NY
BA | Colorado College
MS Thesis Topic | Population persistence of Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout in high mountain lakes in northern New Mexico
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
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
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
Holly Whited
hwhited@nmsu.edu
MS | Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Ecology (Advisors: Theresa Laverty)
Hometown | Sweetwater, TN
BS | University of Tennessee - Knoxville
MS Thesis Topic | Ecology of nectar-feeding bats in the southwest
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
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