Jump to Footer

Graduate Student Profiles

Meet students in our natural resources and ecology master’s degree program.

Alex Amann

Class of ’26

“My goal is to quantify nutrient exports from several forested watersheds in the headwaters of the Lake Champlain basin, with a focus on high-flow events. Long-term water quality monitoring is essential for assessing the lake and its tributaries; however, rapid changes to water quality and nutrient loading during heavy rain and snowmelt events on the scale of hours to a few days are not well studied.

Recent event-based water quality sampling studies in other regions suggest that a large portion of a watershed’s annual nutrient loading can occur in just key days or weeks of the year when streams and rivers run high. Of particular interest to my research are the key forms of nitrogen and phosphorus that are exported during these events. As essential limiting factors in freshwater ecosystems, these nutrients play an important role in regulating autotrophic abundance and can have implications for the occurrence of harmful algae blooms and deterioration of water quality in Lake Champlain.”

Annie Arnold

Class of ’25

“Within the natural resources and ecology master’s program I am focused on forest ecology and entomology. I’m currently researching insect biodiversity within boreal peatlands, specifically determining community structures within the forested to open bog gradients at Shingle Shanty Preserve and Research Station in Long Lake, N.Y. I spent the past summer collecting and preserving insects within three different bogs and am starting to identify species this fall. My thesis is centered around contributing to the body of knowledge published on boreal peatland biodiversity, specifically along the boreal-temperate ecotone, and in light of shifting environmental conditions due to climate change. When I’m not pursuing my dream, I enjoy my role as an energy consultant at Adirondack North Country Association, helping small businesses find funding opportunities to implement clean energy upgrades. I also take every opportunity to be outside camping, exploring, biking and skiing with my family and pup.”

Marshall Arnwine

Class of ’24

“Working at the SUNY Plattsburgh Lake Champlain Research Institute, I am investigating the vertical distribution of zooplankton and other lower trophic organisms in Lake Champlain. Observed shifts in zooplankton abundance and biodiversity have occurred in the lake over the past few decades. Climate change and invasive species introductions have altered food availability, water temperature, and predation risks associated with Lake Champlain biota. These factors can influence the vertical distribution of lower trophic organisms, affecting the structure of the lake food web.”

Samantha Beck

Class of ’25

  • M.S. in Natural Resources and Ecology
  • B.S. in Environmental Science, SUNY Plattsburgh, Class of ′22
  • Advisor: Dr. Timothy Mihuc

Samantha is a graduate assistant with the Lake Champlain Research Institute and Lake Champlain Sea Grant’s Watershed Alliance program. In this position, she will be assisting with leading education programs and outreach events for K–12 audiences. She is especially interested in environmental communications and enhancing existing DEI efforts within these programs. While in this role, Samantha is pursuing a master’s degree in natural resources and ecology.

Prior to this assistantship, Samantha served an AmeriCorps term at Audubon Vermont as the community science and engagement specialist. At Audubon, she worked on community building and outreach, as well as outdoor education programs. Samantha has also spent several summers working on organic vegetable farms in Pennsylvania and upstate New York. In her free time, she loves cycling, foraging and swimming in the Ausable River.

Shannon Cooper

Class of ’24

“My focus is urban wetland restoration and biogeochemistry. I spend part of my summer in Manhattan at our Sherman Creek restoration site studying denitrification capabilities of existing and restored spartina alternilfora in an intertidal zone of the Harlem River. I have completed independent studies during my undergrad focusing on tree encroachment into boreal peatlands at their southern range limits, and groundwater chemistry within the Lake Champlain basin. Growing up in a large city and having a love for wetland ecology drives my passion for perusing a career in coastal and urban wetland restoration. When I’m not on campus I’m working at the local coffee shop, reading or hiking in the High Peaks with my dog.”

Kevin Dernier

Class of ’25

“I am on the internship track within the natural resources and ecology master′s program, and will be interning with the Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE) in White River Junction, Vermont. My research with them will be looking to validate a novel method for quantifying avian breeding bird behavior with VHF radio transmitters and investigating their use in studying how summer environmental conditions carry over into migratory and winter success. For this, I will be banding and tagging birds on Mount Mansfield in Vt. and will help VCE with their other research on avian food availability and demographic changes in the high-alpine environment. When not working, I help raise sheep on the family farm or am out birding, hiking and camping.”

Tori DesRocher

Class of ’28

“For seven years, I've had the pleasure of being an environmental educator, with enthusiasm for building a community around science and nature. One of the amazing things about outdoor education is that you’re never finished learning. I came to Plattsburgh to grow as an educator, enhance my knowledge of the ecosystems of upstate New York, and advance my technique in science communication. I currently work as the Watershed Education Coordinator for Lake Champlain Sea Grant and the Lake Champlain Research Institute based out of SUNY Plattsburgh.”

Caley Doell

Class of ’24

  • M.S. in Natural Resources and Ecology
  • B.S. in Ecology, SUNY Plattsburgh, Class of ′23
  • Advisor: Dr. Mark Lesser

“I grew up playing outside in the Adirondack mountains, which has given me an infinite love for the outdoors. As a SUNY Plattsburgh graduate and now graduate student, the ecology program has provided me with the opportunity to dive into the environmental systems around us. My research as an undergraduate combined ornithology and forest ecology to understand how bird communities use differently aged burn sites at the Altona Flat Rock, which has contributed to an overall understanding of the area. As a graduate student, I am now shifting my focus to eastern whip-poor-wills, with a desire to understand how they use the Flat Rock ecosystem. In my free time, I enjoy backpacking, running, skiing and ultimate frisbee.”

Christien Gilman

Class of ’24

“When I graduated in 2014 from SUNY Plattsburgh I was on the path to a career in medicine. It wasn’t until after working as an EMT and getting accepted into a physician assistant program that I realized that I had been pursuing a goal I didn’t even want. After hearing about the natural resources and ecology program from a friend, I felt foolish for not recognizing such an opportunity sooner. After just a single semester in the program, I feel like I’ve had more hands-on experiences in a variety of environments than I would have thought possible. Our proximity to the Adirondack Park gives ample opportunity to actually see what we’re taught in class being put into practice in the field.”

Lucas Kemmerling

Class of ’24

Lucas is a graduate student in the natural resources and ecology master’s program whose research focuses on using caloric availability for waterfowl as a metric for evaluating wetland restoration success. He is passionate about restoring and preserving quality habitats for wildlife and enjoys public outreach. Outside of his research, Lucas enjoys playing the banjo, cooking, and all things outdoors.

Allison Morrow

Class of ’26

“I am a graduate assistant with the Lake Champlain Research Institute where my research focus is on microplastics in Lake Champlain. I spent part of the summer collecting sand samples from six beaches along the lake and collecting water samples from five tributaries to quantify and identify plastics that flow into the lake, a project that is in collaboration with the University of Vermont. I also helped other graduate students in LCRI on the lake collecting phytoplankton and zooplankton samples, and assisted with the department's long term lake monitoring program. My research will utilize many of those lake samples to spatially map microplastics found throughout the lake, determine possible input methods using stream and storm water sampling, and assess what kind of plastic is ending up in local fish communities. This program has put me in touch with many helpful and knowledgeable mentors, and I am interested in using this research to help educate the public on microplastics. In my free time, I enjoy swimming, mountain biking, skiing, running, and competing in triathlons as well as spending time with family and friends.”

Back to top