News of Our Graduates

2010
Mr. Alvaro Cure Dominguez, M.S. Habitat restoration assessment for an endangered bog turtle 

Ms. Jennifer Epstein, M.S. Supply and processing of dissolved organic matter in urban streams in Westchester County, NY
- Ms. Epstein is currently working at an ecological design and consulting firm in New York City, where she is continuing to build her knowledge of urban ecology, with a focus on aquatic environments.

Ms. Anne McDonough, M.S.  The relationship between fatty acid composition, torpor, and the evolution of seed hoarding in mammals
- Ms. McDonough is currently attending veterinary school at Kansas State University and expects to finish with her DVM in May 2013

2009

Mr. Kevin Dougherty, M.S. Transposable elements and the evolution of intracellular bacteria 
-Mr. Dougherty is currently working as a research techinician in the Plague lab at Fordham Univeristy.

Mr. Kurt Gabel, M.S. Analysis of agricultural Best Management Practice effectiveness through water chemistry and macroinvertebrate bioassessment 
- Mr. Gabel is currently the field director of the East of Hudson district Watershed Water Quality Operations division with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYDEP).  His group is responsible for monitoring drinking water quality of reservoirs and controlled lakes and their tributaries.  In addition, the group monitors wastewater treatment facilities and reservoir outlets for the presence of pathogens. 

2008
Dr. Christina Castellano, Ph.D. Ecology and conservation of the wood turtle, Glyptemys insculpta, at Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.

Ms. Pamela Greengarten, M.S. Occurrence of soil and tick-borne fungi and related virulence tests for pathogenicity to Ixodes scapularis.
- Ms. Greengarten is traveling around the world, and is planning to pursue her Ph.D. when she returns to the United States.

Ms. Shannon Morath, M.S. The effect of alternative floral resources on the pollination of cucumbers (Cucumis sativus) in New York City community gardens.
- Ms. Morath will begin a Ph.D. program at  Rutgers University in 2010.


2007
Ms. Gretchen Gary, M.S. Changes in plant growth, reproduction, and offspring vigor with increasing distance from and urban center.
- Ms. Gary is currently working in Anchorage, AK as a Global Warming Policy Intern with the National Wildlife Federation.

Dr. Kevin C. Matteson, Ph.D. Diversity and conservation of insects in urban gardens: Theoretical and applied implications.
- Dr. Matteson was a Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow at Fordham University and was working on compiling historical records of bees in NYC, some dating back to the 1890s. He also helped to coordinate NYC Bee Watchers, a citizen science program run by the American Museum of Natural History and the New York City Parks Department.

Listen to an interview with Dr. Matteson on WFUV's Fordham Conversations program. (Click on the "May 31, 2008" link to hear the interview.)

Dr. Matteson recently accepted a position as Postdoctoral Associate in the lab of Emily Minor at University of Illinois at Chicago.  In addition, a paper of Kevin's, based on his dissertation research, has been published in Urban Ecosystems and was featured on the Conservation Maven blog.

Dr. Monica Torres-Ruiz, Ph.D. Trophic relationships in northeastern stream ecosystems: Importance of the quality of food sources for macroinvertebrates.


2006
Ms. Megan Avolio, M.S. The effects of organic and inorganic nitrogen and host tree species on ectomycorrhizal fungi.
- Ms. Avolio is currently attending Yale University.

Ms. Blair Madden, M.S. Biotic and abiotic factors affecting the abundance, distribution, and community structure of Plethodontids at multiple scales.

Dr. Jonathan Mates-Muchin, Ph.D. Changes in forest productivity and nitrogen cycling association with decline of eastern hemlock.
- Dr. Mates-Muchin is an Environmental Review Planner at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.


2005
Mr. Steve DiLonardo, M.S. Effects of different forms of organic carbon and UV radiation of freshwater plankton communities.
- Mr. DiLonardo  was a Water Ecologist in the Watershed Water Quality Science and Research Division of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection. He recently  began employment with NYC Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene - Division of Health Care Access and Improvement - Principle Care Information Project (PCIP) as a Research Scientist.  His work involves infectious disease surveillance (Influenza at the moment) and the establishment of informatics for automated retrieval of data. 

Dr. John Tirpak, Ph.D. Modeling ruffed grouse populations in the central and southern Appalachians.
- Dr. Tirpak is Science Coordinator at the Lower Mississippi Valley Joint Venture.


2003
Mr. Jeremy Kamen, M.S. Presence of Archaea in freshwater aquatic systems in New York State.
- Mr. Kamen has been hired as an Analyst at an environmental laboratory in New York City, New York.

Dr. Guy Robinson, Ph.D. The paleoecology of southeastern New York State.
- Dr. Robinson has authored and been cited in multiple publications, including a news article in the journal Science [Science, 300:885] and "Sporomiella and the late Holocene extinctions in Madagascgar," published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science [PNAS, 100:19].

Dr. Greg Turner, Ph.D. Host composition, light, and nitrogen effects on ectomycorrhizal communities from Quercus seedlings grown in soils from regional hardwood-hemlock forests.
- Dr. Turner is an Assistant Professor of Biology at West Chester University.


2002
Ms. Linda McCauley, M.S. Phylogenetic relationships of freshwater brown algae (Phaeophyceae) based on RuBisCO large subunit and ribosomal DNA sequences.
- Ms. McCauley is a Research Assistant at the Marine Resources Center, Marine Biological Laboratories, in Woods Hole, MA.


2001
Mr.Patrick O’Brien, M.S. Effects of urbanization on benthic algal communities in streams of southeastern New York State.
- Mr. O’Brien is a Research Scientist at the New York Department of Environmental Protection (NYC DEP) in their watershed group.


1999
Dr. Joan Petersen, Ph.D. Phylogenetic affiliations and physiological traits of freshwater bacteria.
- Dr. Peterson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences & Geology at Queensborough Community College, Queens, New York.


1998
Dr. Linde E.T. Ostro, Ph.D. The spatial ecology of translocated Black Howler monkeys (Alouatta pigra) in Belize.
- Dr. Ostro is a Research Associate in the Science Resource Center at the Wildlife Conservation Society.

Mrs. Alissa Perrone (Huss), M.S. Roles of aquatic macrophytes in bacterial metabolism within a mesotrophic lake.
- Mrs. Perrone is a Research Associate at Fordham's Louis Calder Center. Alissa manages the Calder Center long-term lake monitoring program, and collaborates on several research projects, including effects of autochthonous and allochthonous DOM on bacterioplankton production, and macrophytes as biological monitors of metal pollution the in the Hudson River.


1997
Dr. Laurence Fernberg, Ph.D. Causes and consequences of purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) invasions on native wetlands.
- Dr. Fernberg is a Project Scientist in the Environmental Assessment and Planning group at Malcolm Pirnie, an environmental consulting firm in Mahwah, NJ. He specializes in plant and animal community analysis, environmental impact studies on wetlands and other systems, andmitigation and reclamation plans to replace or enhance wetlands and wildlife habitats.

Dr. Bernadette K. Gorham, Ph.D. Snail-macrophyte interactions in a shallow mesoeutrophic lake in southern New York State.
- Dr. Gorham teaches Introductory Biology at Westchester Community Colege (SUNY) in Valhalla, New York.

Dr. Scott C. Silver, Ph.D. The feeding ecology of translocated Black Howler monkeys (Alouatta pigra) in Belize.
- Dr. Silver is Associate Curator of the Queens Wildlife Center in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens, New York. He also directs the WCS Jaguar Conservation Program as and acts as the WCS Mesoamerican Projects Coordinator.


1996
Dr. Jianhua Le, Ph.D. Interactions between phytoplankton and heterotrophic bacteria in freshwater.
- Dr. Le is a Research Scientist in Department of Microbiology and Immunology, New York Medical College. He is currently working on influenza virus re-assortments and antiviral peptides, and is the Scientific Manager of In Viro Dynamics, a new biotech firm.

Dr. Patrick R. Thomas, Ph.D. Behavioral and physiological responses of captive Gaur (Bos gaurus) to stress.
- Dr. Thomas is Curator of Mammals at the Bronx Zoo, part of the Wildlife Conservation Society. He is involved in many projects regarding the management and conservation of endangered mammals through captive breeding programs and is also involved in a variety of field projects conducted by the WCS.


1995
Dr. Faith Kostel-Hughes, Ph.D. The role of soil seed banks and leaf litter in the regeneration of native and exotic trees in urban forests.
- Dr. Kostel-Hughes was hired as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Rutgers University in the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources (http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~pjmorin/). She is now an Assistant Professor of Biology at the College of New Rochelle.  She specializes on the effects of vegetation patch sizes on plant recruitment, seed dispersal, nutrient dynamics and herbivory in environmental restoration projects


1994
Ms. Amy Haddow, M.S.
- Ms. Haddow is Education Director of the Alaska Sea Life Center, in Seward, AK, a non-profit marine science facility dedicated to understanding and maintaining the integrity of the marine ecosystem of Alaska.

 
1993
Dr. Norman Reyes, Ph.D. The modern diatom spectra of Madagascar and diatom-inferred late Quaternary climatic changes.
- Dr. Reyes is Assistant Professor of Biology at Dominican College, Orangeburg, New York. He teaches courses in General Biology, Botany, and Ecology.


1990
Dr. Tara Toolan, M.S. (Ph.D., Harvard). Experimental evidence for orthophosphate limitation of bacterioplankton production in a meso-eutrophic lake.
- Dr. Toolan is a Research Scientist working with Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, Southboro, MA. She is involved in developing water quality models for the drinking water supply in the Metropolitan Boston area. She is quantifying the role of nitrifying bacteria in water supplies and their influence on water quality.

Dr. Kenneth Mattes, Ph.D. The ecology of the American Eel, Anguilla rostrata (Lesueur) in the Hudson River.
- Dr. Mattes is the Director of the Belize Marine Tropical Research and Education Center, in San Pedro, Belize. He is a marine biologist who manages a non-profit research and educational field station dedicated to conservation of tropical ecosystems, particularly tropical rainforests and coral reefs communities.