Note: I do not currently have funding to support any new graduate students at this time (2021-2022).
Current Lab
Michael Thompson, Research Scientist I
Bio: Mike attended NHTI Concord's Community College obtaining an A.S. in Environmental Science in 2017 before going on to graduate Suma Cum Laude from the University of New Hampshire with a B.S. in Wildlife and Conservation Biology in 2019. He currently works as a Research Scientist studying forest use and function throughout New England. Mike is working towards an M.S. in Wildlife and Conservation Biology with Dr. Rebecca Rowe at the University of New Hampshire. His Masters's Thesis will look at the functional diversity of birds within the context of degraded forests across New England. He hopes that his work will help better understand the relationships between ecosystems and wildlife and how people manage forests.
Molly Yanchuck, M.S. Student
Co-supervised with Dr. Russ Congalton (UNH Basic and Applied Spatial Analysis Lab)
Project: Using remote sensing tools to study Japanese knotweed dispersal and colonization patterns
Bio: Molly attended Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania for her undergrad and graduated in 2017 with a B.S. in GeoEnvironmental Studies, a minor in Women and Gender Studies, and a certificate in GIS. She is currently a Master’s student in the BASAL lab working towards a M.S. in Natural Resources: Environmental Conservation and Sustainability with her advisor, Russel G. Congalton. Her interests are natural resource management, water quality, sustainability, and human-environment geography. She is developing her thesis around the analysis of water quality and riparian zones with unmanned aerial system (UAS) imagery. Molly is looking forward to discovering new ways to use UAS and plans to graduate in the spring of 2021.
Lisa Scott, Ph.D. Student
National Science Foundation INSPIRES Project: Using Big Data and Machine Learning to Predict Future Forest Condition in Response to Silvicultural Activities
Co-supervised with Dr. Marek Petrick (UNH CEPS)
Bio: Lisa has a BS in Environmental Science from Virginia Tech and an MS in Environmental Science and Policy from Plymouth State University. She has a background in natural resource data management after working two years as a GIS/Field Technician for Martin Forestry Consulting and three years as the GIS Analyst for the NH Division of Forests and Lands. Lisa’s research interests intersect natural resource management and forest ecology. She is interested in creating usable, data-driven decision support tools for resource managers to use across New England’s changing forested landscapes.
Past Lab Members
Jessica Charpentier, Ph.D.
New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station Postdoctoral Scientist, January 2020- September 2021
Currently: Lecturer - Forest Technology; Dept. of Natural Resources and the Environment, UNH
Project: Rehabilitating the Northern Forest for Economic and Climate Change Resilience
Bio: Jess holds a BS in Environmental Science from Northern Arizona University, MS in Resource Management and Conservation and PhD in Environmental Studies from Antioch University New England. Her Doctoral work focused on disturbance-recovery dynamics and fuel loading post-wildfire in upland forests of coastal Maine. Protecting the Northern landscape has been the driving force behind Jess’ work. Her land ethic is deeply rooted in protecting the region’s most important landscapes while promoting the wise use of its renewable natural resources. She has a decade of experience working with land trusts, towns, private landowners, and public agencies on important land conservation projects.
Chad Hammer, M.S. Student
Research Topic: Ecosystem service impacts and movement of terrestrial invasive plants in New England riparian forests.
My research focused on non-native, invasive plants in riparian plant communities and their impacts on stream habitat and water quality. I studied the mechanisms that allow invasive plants to establish in new areas and explored how these species are using streams as corridors to invade less disturbed interior forests.
Completed, August 2019
Chad is now pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Montana's W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation
Past and Current Undergraduates and Technicians
2018 Field Crew (above photo, L to R): Nathan Rees, Chad Hammer, Monica Newton
Monica Newton, Wildlife and Conservation Biology Major (graduated May 2018)
January - August 2018
Research Assistant: Forest Structure and Invasive Plants in New Hampshire Old Growth Forest Stands
Nathan Rees, Environmental Conservation and Sustainability Major (graduated December 2018)
June - August 2018
Research Technician: Ecosystem service impacts and movement of terrestrial invasive plants in New England riparian forests.
Collaborators
Professor, Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of New Hampshire
Associate Professor, Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of New Hampshire
Senior Scientist, Spatial Informatics Group (Missoula, Montana)
Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire
Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science, College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of New Hampshire
