Interested in Joining the lab?
PROSPECTIVE GRADUATE STUDENTS
I will be on sabbatical during the 2023/24 Academic Year, so I am not taking on any graduate students to begin in Fall 2023.
PROSPECTIVE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
Undergraduate research is an important part of the lab. If you are interested in pursuing an undergraduate research project with me; please email me to set up a time to chat.
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH TECHNICIANS
See lab news section for current open positions!
I will be on sabbatical during the 2023/24 Academic Year, so I am not taking on any graduate students to begin in Fall 2023.
PROSPECTIVE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
Undergraduate research is an important part of the lab. If you are interested in pursuing an undergraduate research project with me; please email me to set up a time to chat.
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH TECHNICIANS
See lab news section for current open positions!
Trekking near Bariloche, Patagonia
Kerry Byrne (PI)
When Kerry isn't teaching and helping students with research projects, she enjoys being outdoors with her husband, daughters, and border collie, Zea mays. She loves backpacking, trail running, and cooking tasty new dishes in her spare time. Two recent adventures were hiking the John Muir trail (solo) in 2014 and backpacking the Walker's Haute Route in France and Switzerland in 2016. Since then, her adventure has mostly been working full time while raising two young children during the pandemic.
Current Graduate Students
Julia Bartley joined the lab in June 2021, and is interested in forest ecology and the compound effects of climate change and altered disturbance regimes on forest management in fire-prone ecosystems. Prior to graduate school they spent several years working for the National Park Service, US Forest Service, and Nature Conservancy across the PNW and Eastern US. During that time, they gained experience in various types of ecological monitoring, prescribed burning, and adaptive management of many diverse ecosystems.
As a graduate student, they are studying large, old sugar and Jeffrey pines in a drought-affected Sierra Nevada mixed-conifer forest. Their research involves quantifying the bulk density and fine root biomass within the duff mounds of a sample of large pine trees at Teakettle Experimental Forest. This should provide valuable information on the distribution of fine roots as they relate to postfire tree mortality. During their free time they enjoy spending time outdoors, exploring new places, and eating delicious, fresh food.
As a graduate student, they are studying large, old sugar and Jeffrey pines in a drought-affected Sierra Nevada mixed-conifer forest. Their research involves quantifying the bulk density and fine root biomass within the duff mounds of a sample of large pine trees at Teakettle Experimental Forest. This should provide valuable information on the distribution of fine roots as they relate to postfire tree mortality. During their free time they enjoy spending time outdoors, exploring new places, and eating delicious, fresh food.
Francisco Chavez joined the lab in June 2021, after graduating from HSU with a B.S. in Environmental Science and Management with an emphasis in Ecological Restoration and a minor in Botany. He managed to complete his 4-year degree right after high school in 3 years!
As a graduate student, he is monitoring the recovery of sagebrush steppe plant communities after a 4-year experimental drought and determining if a legacy effect is evident within the communities. This project requires that he looks at different components of the plant communities, such as aboveground and belowground biomass, seed bank composition, and species composition. His research will help contribute to areas of sciences that do not receive a lot of research attention.
During his free time, Francisco enjoys baking with his roommates, playing video games with his friends, and zoning out on long runs while listening to his favorite songs.
As a graduate student, he is monitoring the recovery of sagebrush steppe plant communities after a 4-year experimental drought and determining if a legacy effect is evident within the communities. This project requires that he looks at different components of the plant communities, such as aboveground and belowground biomass, seed bank composition, and species composition. His research will help contribute to areas of sciences that do not receive a lot of research attention.
During his free time, Francisco enjoys baking with his roommates, playing video games with his friends, and zoning out on long runs while listening to his favorite songs.
Sean Stewart joined the lab in summer 2020 after working in the lab as an undergraduate on his capstone research project. Previously, Sean worked as a drafter and designer for almost 20 years at various engineering and architectural firms which gave him experience in project management, landscape design, and mathematical analyses. He also has experience as a drafting instructor for College of the Redwoods. As a graduate student, he is creating population models for the endangered, endemic plant species Astragalus applegatei to assess extinction risk and the success of a transplant population compared to extant populations. Outside of work and school, Sean and his wife love to travel, eat food, hike, and play with their pets: two dogs, a cat, two goats, and a flock of chickens.
Graduate Student Alumni
Allison Nunes, M.S. '21
Allison successfully defended her thesis "Seed bank composition within two sagebrush steppe communities: a comparison of drought and microsite effects" in summer 2021 and currently works as an Associate Ecologist for Jodi McGraw Consulting.
Allison successfully defended her thesis "Seed bank composition within two sagebrush steppe communities: a comparison of drought and microsite effects" in summer 2021 and currently works as an Associate Ecologist for Jodi McGraw Consulting.
Undergraduate Researchers
Current
- Scott Estepa and Dellaina Morse - herbicide impacts on soil seed bank (2022 - 2023)
- Kloe Walter and Scott Estepa - paid internships with the BLM Arcata office (2022 - 2023)
- AJ Murphy and Owen Bardsley - drought recovery of sagebrush (2022)
- Theron Taylor and Kayla Thompson - fine root biomass in mineral soil beneath duff mounds in old growth pines (2022)
- Cristina Winters - fine root biomass in duff mounds and mineral soil of old growth pines (2021 - 2022)
- Jade Dodley and Shannon Rocha - fine root biomass in duff mounts of old growth pines (2022)
- Sarah Aguiar - phenology of California poppies (2021)
- Sam Kelly and Cessair McKinney - estimating sagebrush seeds using a photography app (2020 - 2021) read their open access publication in March 2022 Ecological Restoration!
- Ethan Reibsome and Beth Rouse - drought impacts on sagebrush (2019)
- Sean Stewart and Erik Ramos - seed bank germination study along a restoration gradient at Lanphere Dunes (2019 - 2020)
- Corina Godoy and Jonathan Vellanoweth - germination trials of Astragalus applegatei (2018 - 2019)
- Roxana Mostafavi and Stephanie Bowler - drought impacts on sagebrush (2017 - 2018)
- Nathan Connell and Allison Young (OIT students) - germination trials of Astragalus applegatei (2016 -2017)
- Chloe Smith, Aaron Miller, and Morgaine Riggins (OIT students) - population monitoring of Astragalus applegatei (2016)
- Taylor Mays (OIT student) - population monitoring of Limnanthes floccosa ssp. bellingeriana (2016)
- Rizka Ongge (OIT student) - pollination study of Astragalus applegatei (2014 - 2015)