Dawn Newman: In addition to her job as a full-time Instructional Support Technician in the Department of Biology at SUNY Brockport, Dawn also is pursuing a MSc in the Department of Environmental Science and Ecology. Her thesis research is investigating the relationship between wetland water quality, the skin microbiotaof northern leopard frogs, and the rates at which the frogs are infected by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (chytrid fungus).
Josh Cronlund: Josh is working on a project investigating the status of hoary bats in New York State; his thesis research includes modeling habitat selection at the local (vegetation) and landscape scales.
Some Former Graduate Students
Greg Lawrence (MSc 2018): Greg spent two summers studying the ecology of obligate grassland breeding birds at island and mainland sites in the St. Lawrence River Corridor. In the last 50 years, grassland breeding birds have declined more than any other suite of birds in New York State and the Northeast, and they are a priority for regional conservation efforts. Greg collected data on habitat characteristics, grassland bird abundance, nest productivity, and arthropod diversity and biomass, and placed trail cameras to identify mammalian predators of grassland bird nests. He used his results to identify "good" grassland bird habitat in the study area, and recommend best management practices for island and mainland grasslands in the region. During the summer of 2018, Greg completed his thesis and began working as a wetland research scientist for the Research Foundation at the College at Brockport, where he coordinates work on the Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands Monitoring Program, which monitors birds, amphibians, fish, vegetation, aquatic macroinvertebrates, and water quality in coastal Lake Ontario wetlands.
Jessica Detoy: Jessica received her BSc in Environmental Science in 2018 and finished her MSc program in Environmenal Science and Ecology at SUNY Brockport in 2021. Jessica's thesis research examined the effects of an aggressive exotic invader, pale swallowwort, on terrestrial salamander populations in deciduous forest habitat in western New York State. She now works for an environmental consulting firm in Rochester, NY.
Michelle Gianvecchio: Michelle carried out her thesis research project on the function of nocturnal flight calls in migratory American Redstarts and Magnolia Warblers at Braddock Bay Bird Observatory, in collaboration with Dr. Mark Deutschlander at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. She finished her MSc. in 2021 and now is working as a technician for the Biology Department at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. Part of Michelle's thesis was recently published in the Wilson Journal of Ornithology 133: 22-33: "Flight call response is lower at dusk than during daytime in two parulid species."
Jon Podoliak (MSc, 2018): Jon's research involved surveying birds and frogs in Lake Ontario coastal wetlands, as part of the Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Monitoring Program. He used these data to determine how human activities are affecting calling amphibian and bird communities in Lake Ontario coastal wetlands. He also evaluated methods used by the Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Monitoring Program, to determine if these methods adequately describe calling amphibian and bird communities present in these wetlands. After working as a wetland scientist for LaBella Associates in Rochester, in 2019 he entered a PhD program in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Missouri. A chapter of Jon's thesis was recently published in Wetlands Ecology and Management: "Increasing number of point counts influences estimates of bird and anuran species richness at the wetland scale." (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11273-021-09837-1).
Christina Hoh (MSc, 2016): Christina is biologist working for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, based in the Region 8 office in Avon. Results of Chrsitina's thesis research were published in The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 130: 891-901: "Spatial variation in White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) refueling rate near a migratory barrier." Christina also has contributed to the DEC's magazine, the Conservationist, and hopes to do more non-technical writing and outreach once she is done working on scientific manuscripts.
Jennalee Holzschuh (MSc, 2014): Currently Jennalee is working as an assistant manager at Van Putte Gardens in Greece and is volunteer passerine bird bander at Braddock Bay Bird Observatory. Results of Jennalee's thesis research were published in Auk 133:459-469: "Do migrating warblers carry excess fuel reserves during migration for insurance or for breeding purposes?" Jennalee's LinkedIn web page is at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennalee-holzschuh-1ab4baa8
John Bateman (MSc 2014) currently is a full-time instructor of Environmental Conservation at Finger Lakes Community College, where he teaches Environmental Science, Wildlife Field Techniques, Fish and Wildlife, Seminar in Environmental Conservation, and Conservation Field Camp. John also coordinates volunteer efforts to reduce highway mortality for salamanders migrating to Honeoye Lake.
Brad Mudrzynski (MSc, 2010): Between 2010 and 2017, Brad worked as a wetland research associate for The Research Foundation at The College at Brockport. Currently he is District Manager at Genesee County Soil and Water Conservation District. He also has been involved in the Braddock Bay Ecosystem Restoration, assisting the US Army Corps of Engineers in a project to improve habitat diversity, reduce cattail dominance, and reduce erosion in Braddock Bay. Brad also served as an adjunct instructor of Ecology and Wildlife Ecology in the Department of Environmental Science and Biology. Results of his thesis research were published in the Wilson Journal of Ornithology 125:744-754: "Influence of habitat structure and fruit availability on use of a northeastern stopover site by fall songbirds."