Research Staff and Students
Current Staff
Josh Ha
Josh is a graudate of the UCA Environmental Science Program and is currently working as a field technician on a project with the Division of Environmental Quality.
Brady Bowers
Brady is a graduate of the UCA Environmental Science Program. He joined the UCA Aquatic Connectivity Team in March 2024.
Whitney Hensley
Whitney graduated from ATU with her bachelors in Fisheries and Wildlife Science in 2021. She worked for AGFC as a Fisheries Technician before joining the UCA Aquatics Connectivity Team in March 2024.
Christian Tamura
Christian graduated with a degree in Environmental Science at UCA and is a GIS graduate student at UCA. He is working as part of the Aquatic Connectivity Team, collecting data on aquatic organism passage across the state.
Current M.S. Students
Jackson Pav
Jackson joined the lab in Summer 2021 after completing his Bachelor’s Degree in Aquatic Biology from Texas State University in Dr. Tim Bonner’s Lab. For his thesis, Jackson is examining land use and forestry practices on fish assemblages in the Ozark National Forest.
Jessica Rath
Jessica joined the lab in Spring 2022. She graduated from UCA with a degree in Environmental Science and worked for Georgia DNR as a Stream Survey Team Fisheries Technician. Jessica will be working on the status and distribution of the Peppered Shiner in Arkansas for her thesis.
Jarrett Tallent
Jarrett joined the lab in Spring 2023 from Tennessee Tech University worked in Dr. Kit Wheeler's lab and completed his B.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Science. He will be sampling sites in the Arkansas River Valley on a project with the Arkansas Division of Environmental Quality.
Claire Binfield
Claire joined the lab in Summer 2023 from Mitchell College where she earned a degree in Marine Biology. She will be studying how fish communities change in response to barrier removals in War Eagle Creek in northwest Arkansas.
David Nichols
David joined the lab in spring 2024. He is a graduate of Hendrix College and has been working with Arkansas Game and Fish Commission studying mussels under the direction of Kendall Moles. His research will be a a collaborative project between UCA and Arkansas Game and Fish.
Mack Calvert
Mack joined the lab in May 2024 from Roanoke College where worked in Dr. Steve Powers' lab and completed his B.S. in Biology. Mack will be studying the critical habitat and reproductive ecology of the Peppered Shiner.
Current Undergraduate Students
Cade Richesin
Cade is a Biology major at UCA interested in thermal tolerances of fishes. He will be studying variation in critical thermal maxima between the endemic Peppered Shiner and more widespread taxa in the Saline River.
Krista Yari
Krista is an undergraduate Environmental Science major at UCA and will be studying the thermal tolerances of Species of Greatest Conservation Need in the Caddo River compared to more widespread taxa.
Peyton Manry
Peyton is an undergraduate Environmental Science major at UCA and is studying the thermal tolerances of fishes in an urban stream.
Mia Christian
Mia is an undergraduate Biology major at UCA and will be studying the diet of Etheostoma caeruleum in the Black River system.
Tavis Taylor
Tavis is an undergraduate Environmental Science major at UCA and is studying the decline of the Striped Shiner (Luxilus chrysocephalus) in the Arkansas Ozarks by examining habitat use and change in abundance and distribution over time.
Alivia Mayes
Alivia is an undergraduate Environmental Science major at UCA and is studying the current status, habitat use, and diet of Paranotropis ozarcanus in the Arkansas Ozarks. This species is currently being considered for listing.
Becca Chamoun
Becca is an undergraduate Environmental Science major at UCA. She is starting her research in Spring 2024.
