Fellows
Steve Braun
E-mail: stevenmatthewbraun@yahoo.com
School Partner: Evergreen Middle School, Hillsboro
Teacher Partner: Jessica Bader
Research: Restoration Ecology and Urban Ecology
Advisor: Dr. Marion Dresner, Environmental Science and Management
Degree: Phd in Environmental Science and Management
Bio
Prior to becoming National Science Foundation GK-12 Fellow, I worked as a Graduate Research Assistant with Portland/Vancouver Urban Long Term Research Area Exploratory team. My current research involves restoration ecology in urban settings. Past research endeavors have involved water quality and plant communities within a Superfund site, land management techniques in a rare sandplain grassland community in New England and invasive species management techiques across multiple ecoregions.
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Ted Hart
E-mail: hartt@pdx.edu
School Partner: Mt. Tabor Middle School, Portland
Teacher Partner: Kirk Ordway
Research: Green street taxanomy and ecosystem services.
Advisor: Dr. Joe Maser, Environmental Science and Management
Degree: Phd in Environmental Science and Management
Bio
Ted is interested in how various stormwater green street characteristics (ex. different vegetation types) affect ecosystem services (ex. infiltration, cooling). Over 1000 stormwater green streets (ex. bioswales) are being surveying in Portland where the highest number of such urban low impact developments exist. Metrics include: location, size, vegetation types, identification, and aesthetics (ex. number of flower days). Also, specific species root distribution will be correlated to infiltration rates in 30 representative facilities. Thus, two ecosystem services (aesthetics and infiltration) will be determined for the most common Portland stormwater green street plant species (ex. Juncus patens).
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Amanda Kelley
E-mail: amandak@pdx.edu
School Partner: Liberty High School, Hillsboro
Teacher Partner: Paul Hanson
Research: Investigating the effects of ocean acidification on sea urchin development.
Advisor: Dr. Catherine de Rivera, Environmental Science
Degree: Phd in Biology
Bio
I am currently a graduate student at Portland State University in Portland, OR. My graduate research focuses on the thermal physiology of the invasive European green crab, Carcinus maenas, on the west coast of North America. I have also been fortunate to work with Dr. Gretchen Hofmann, a professor at UC Santa Barbara, and this fall, 2012, her research team (me included!).
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Jacinda Mainord
E-mail: jacinda.mainord@gmail.com
School Partner: Gresham High School, Gresham
Teacher Partner: Stephen Scannell
Research: Atmospheric exchange of gases and particles in urban forests and ecosystems
Advisor: Dr. Linda George, Environmental Science
Degree: Phd in Environmental Science
Bio
Jacinda Mainord is an Environmental Science and Management PhD student specializing in air quality in Dr. Linda George’s lab. Her research interests include understanding the different atmospheric processes that play a role in ecosystem services. She has been involved in researching urban forest ecosystem services provided to communities alongside mobile sources of pollutants using both modeling techniques and field studies. Jacinda received her BS in Chemistry from George Fox University and enjoys using her chemistry background to investigate the interactions between ecosystems and the atmosphere.
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Hannah Prather
E-mail: pratherh@pdx.edu
School Partner: Gresham High School, Gresham
Teacher Partner: Kathy Childress
Research: Anthropogenic influences on epiphytic biodiversity across an urban to rural airshed.
Advisor: Dr. Todd Rosentiel, Biology
Bio
Hannah is a third year PhD student in the Biology Department at Portland State University in Dr. Todd Rosenstiel’s lab. Her research focuses on regional air quality impacts on epiphytic canopy biodiversity and function. She is interested in the use of biotic communities as ecosystem indicators and in understanding the role of epiphytic canopy communities in Pacific Northwest forest function. Hannah received her BS in Natural Resources/Forestry from Oregon State University and worked as a consulting Arborist before pursuing graduate school.
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Sally Rogers
E-mail: srrogers@pdx.edu
School Partner: Gresham High School, Gresham
Teacher Partner: Doug Goodwin
Research: Sex-specific competitive effects in Distichlis spicata and the relationship with Mycorrhizal fungi.
Advisor: Dr. Sarah Eppley, Biology
Degree: Phd in Biology
Bio
I am a third year PhD students in the Department of Biology at Portland State University. I work in Dr. Sarah Eppley’s lab, which focuses on plant ecology and evolution. My research focus is on ecological and physiological differences between males and females in populations of Distichlis spicata, a perennial saltgrass that exhibits extreme sexual segregation. I am interested in how these sex-specific differences affect the mating system of this flowering plant and pollen dispersal within natural populations. I received my BS in Biology from Portland State University in 2009, during which time I investigated invasive plant species distributions and sex-specific differences in plant populations.
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Erin Shortlidge
E-mail: eshort@pdx.edu
School Partner: da Vinci middle school
Teacher Partner: Jim Hashimoto
Research: Bryophyte mating systems: biotic and abiotic influences on complex mating systems in mosses.
Advisor: Dr. Sarah Eppley, Biology
Degree: Phd in Biology
Bio
Erin is beginning her third year as a PhD student in the Biology Department at Portland State University in Dr. Sarah Eppley's Plant Ecology Lab. She is interested in investigating ecology from a reductionist perspective that begins in the bryosphere. Her focus is on the ecological and physiological factors that influence sexual reproduction in mosses. Erin received her BFA with Distinction in Dance from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She continued to dance professionally, choreograph and teach for many years. Chicago is where her transition from dancer to scientist began, and it has since solidified in Portland over the last four years.
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Arron Steiner
E-mail: arron@pdx.edu
School Partner: Sam Barlow HS
Teacher Partner: Bill Martin
Research: The Strawberry Volcanics: Generation of ‘orogenic’ andesites from a tholeiite within an intra-continental volcanic suite centered on the Columbia River flood basalt province, USA.
Advisor: Dr. Martin Streck, Geology
Degree: Phd in Geology
Bio
I am a huge science and sports fan. Likely if I’m not talking about one I'm talking about the other. I played several sports in high school and college and continue to compete presently in Olympic weightlifting. My science background is in Geology with an influence in volcanology, geochemistry, and petrology. I graduated with a B.S. from Washington State University and an M.S. from California State University Fullerton. Currently I am a PhD candidate at Portland State University.
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Brian Turner
E-mail:bcturner@pdx.edu
School Partner: Lent Middle School, Portland
Teacher Partner: Laurie McDowell
Research: Factors influencing the recruitment of native and non-native crabs along the Pacific Coast; predator-prey dynamics among marine organisms.
Advisor: Dr. Catherine de Rivera, Environmental Science
Degree: Phd in Environmental Science
Bio
Brian Turner is a PhD student in the Department of Environmental Sciences and Management at Portland State University. He graduated from the University of California at Davis in 2007, double majoring in Ecology and Dramatic Art. His research focuses on factors affecting the recruitment of native and non-native crab species, in particular the non-native European green crab, to bays and estuaries. Brian previously worked at the Bohart Museum of Entomology, where he grew to care about the creepy, crawling critters that make many people cringe. He also enjoys alliteration.
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Christa von Behren
E-mail: christav@pdx.edu
School Partner: Glencoe High School, Hillsboro
Teacher Partner: Linda Wolf
Research: Seed dispersal and vegetation community structure in urban riparian forest fragments
Advisor: Dr. Alan Yeakley, Environmental Science and Management
Degree: Phd in Environmental Science and Management
Bio
Christa is a third year PhD student in Environmental Science and Resources at Portland State University. Her research focus is on vegetation community structure in urban riparian forest fragments. She is interested in how fragmentation affects patterns of seed rain in these forest patches. Christa received a BA in Biology from Macalester College in 2007. She then worked as a seed collector and research assistant at the Berry Botanic Garden in Portland before beginning graduate school.
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Jill Van Winkle
E-mail: vanwinje@pdx.edu
School Partner: Cleveland High School, Portland
Teacher Partner: Kimberly Crowell
Research: Effects to plant communities and soils from road and trail corridors
Advisor: Dr. Marion Dresner, Environmental Science and Management
Degree: MS in Environmental Science and Management
Bio
Jill’s research focuses on study of changes to urban natural areas (Forest Park) as a result of recreational activities, using measures of invasive plant species and soil compaction and erosion. She is also involved in establishing long term ecological research plots in Forest Park, and is interested in how these plots might contribute to an understanding of effects from historical and current park uses. She received her BA with Distinction in Biology and Environmental Studies from Whitman College, where her thesis looked at the impacts from cattle grazing on Mimulus washingtonensis. Prior to entering the graduate program at PSU, Jill enhanced her background in plant biology and natural resource study, including research in plant stress tolerance using model systems, water quality monitoring, and, most recently, the evaluation of environmental impacts of trail systems for agencies throughout the US and internationally.
updated 9/13/12