PEOPLE
Faculty:
Stephen Schoenholtz, Professor
Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation Director, Virginia Water Resources Research Center (VWRRC)
Sheila Christopher, Research Scientist
Virginia Water Resources Research Center
Research Interests: examining linkages between terrestrial soil solute cycling and hydrologic solute transport through watersheds and how these processes are affected by increased anthropogenic emissions, global climate change, and other disturbances.
Current Reseach: At the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, Dr. Christopher is working on a predictive hydrologic model that can be used to assess water quality and quantity effects of integrating swtichgrass into pine plantations.
Current Graduate Students:
Tony Timpano
Expected Graduation Date: May 2011
Research interests: Forest stream benthic macroinvertebrate ecology; development and application of biomonitoring tools for stream assessment; landuse impacts to forest stream ecosystems; water quality impacts and modeling, science-based policy development.
Thesis Topic: Effects of Total Dissolved Solids on Benthic Macroinvertebrate Community Structure in Headwater Streams of Virginia's Central Appalachian Coalfields
Robert (Trip) Krenz
Expected Graduation Date: May 2013
Research Interests: I am interested in structural and functional responses of aquatic ecosystems to disturbance. My efforts are currently focused on investigation of stream metabolism and nitrogen spiraling in restored headwater streams of Appalachian coalfields. In addition, I am interested in how biotic assemblage structure is affected by associated stressors, and the implications of shifts in assemblage structure on downstream ecosystems. I believe synthesis of functional and structural assessments of newly restored and created ecosystems can provide valuable information necessary to guide regulatory agencies and industry regarding mitigation efforts.
Preliminary dissertation title: Functional and structural assessment of headwater stream ecosystems impacted by coal mining in the Central Appalachian Mountains.
Recent Graduate Students:
Charlene Kelly
Graduation Date: May 2010
Research Interests: Watershed biogeochemistry, plant-soil relations and feedbacks, soil carbon and nitrogen cycling, hydrologic controls on forest soil nutrient retention Dissertation Title: The role of vegetation in determining watershed nitrate retention: Spruce and native hardwoods in the Fernow Experimental Forest, West Virginia
Update: currently a post-doctoral research associate, Virginia Water Resources Research Center
Erin Moore Lincoln
Graduation Date: June 2008
Thesis title: An analysis of solute transport on a harvested hillslope in the southern Appalachian Mountains.
Update: Erin is a water resources scientist at Tetra Tech in Atlanta
Rob Slesak
Graduation Date: June 2008
Research Interests: Effects of timber harvesting methods on nitrogen and carbon dynamics Dissertation title: Soil Respiration, Carbon and Nitrogen Leaching, and Nitrogen Availability in Response to Harvest Intensity and Competing Vegetation Control in Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) Forests of the Pacific Northwest
Update: Rob is currently the program manager of the Minnesota Forest Research Council
Alicia Buergler Kiyvyra
Graduation Date: June 2008 Research Interests: Exploring forest soil quality indicators across a climatic gradient in New Zealand.
Dissertation title: Assessing the Sustainability of Management Practices for Planted Forests Across an Environmental Gradient in New Zealand.
Dan Evans
Graduation Date: June 2007
Thesis title: Dissolved Nitrogen in Surface Waters and Nitrogen Mineralization in Riparian Soils within a Multi-Land Use Basin.
Update: Dan is a Research Associate in Forest Hydrology and Soils in the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation at Virginia Tech.
Cody Hale
Graduation Date: June 2007
Research: Alsea Watershed Revisited: This project was a continuation of a paired watershed study, which began in 1958 on three small headwater streams in the Alsea Watershed. The primary focus of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Oregon's Forest Practice's Rules as they pertain to preserving water quality.
Thesis title: A Physical and Chemical Characterization of Stream Water Draining Three Oregon Coast Range Catchments. Update: Cody is currently pursuing a PhD at Oregon State University.
Karis McFarlane
Graduation Date: June 2007
Research Interests: Restoration and management of terrestrial ecosystems; forest soils; plant-soil relationships; forest biogeochemistry; soil carbon dynamics. Dissertation title: Belowground Carbon Storage and Organic Matter Quality Following Fertilizer and Herbicide Applications in Ponderosa Pine Plantations along a Site-Quality Gradient in Northern California
Update: Karis is currently a research scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
Jennifer Fleuret
Graduation Date: June 2006
Thesis title: Examining Effectiveness of Oregon's Forest Practice Rules for Maintaining Warm-Season Stream Temperature Patterns in the Oregon Coast Range
Update: After spending two years as a Peace Corp volunteer in the Gambia, Jennifer is now a hydrologist with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in Wyoming.
Lance George
Graduation Date: June 2006
Thesis Title : Baseline Stream Chemistry and Soil Resources for the Hinkle Creek Research and Demonstration Project. Update: Lance is a zone hydrologist, Tongass National Forest in Alaska.
Nathan Meehan
Graduation Date: June 2006
Thesis Title : Response of Needle-Litter Decomposition and Soil Nitrogen Mineralization to Logging-Debris Manipulation and Competing Vegetation Control in Western Oregon and Washington.
Update: Nate is currently a research forester with Weyerhaeuser Corporation in Oregon.
Bill Floyd
Graduation Date: June 2005
Thesis Title: Seasonal Relationships between Dissolved Nitrogen and Landuse/Landcover and Soil Drainage at Multiple Spatial Scales in the Calapooia Watershed, Oregon.
Update: Bill is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of British Columbia, Department of Forest Resources Management - Watershed Hydrology Laboratory. He is studying the effects of forest harvesting on peak flows in rain on snow dominated watersheds on Northern Vancouver Island, British Columbia.
Kevin Spelts (Environmental Sciences Graduate Program) Graduation Date: June 2005
Thesis Title: Hydrological Response Ratios as an Indicator of Wilfire-Induced Changes in Runoff.
Update: Kevin is a groundwater modeler for the Twin Platte Natural Resources District, Nebraska Department of Agriculture.
Terry Luecker
Graduation Date: August 2004
Thesis title: Aquatic Invertebrate-Habitat Relationships and Stream Channel Cross Section Area Change in Response to Streamside Management Zones in North Central Mississippi. Update: Terry is currently a project manager for the Umpqua Basin Watershed Council in Roseburg, Oregon.
Danielle Smith Vick
Graduation Date: June 2004
Thesis title: Contributions of Riparian Vegetation and Stream Morphology to Headwater Stream Temperature Patterns in the Oregon Coast Range. Update: Danielle is currently working as a Water Education Specialist, City of Santa Fe, NM.
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Sheila Christopher
