I received my Bachelors of Science in Fisheries and Wildlife from the University of Missouri in 2008. I started fisheries work during my first summer of my undergraduate degree working for the Missouri Department of Conservations Resource Science Center. I was primarily involved in monitoring several species of endangered fish in Missouri including the Niangua Darter, Topeka Shiner, Neosho Madtom, and Ozark Cavefish. Although I have been an avid fisherman for most of my life, I gained a deep appreciation for non-game fish species and the people who protect them while working for MDC. After two years at MDC I decided that I needed to work other fisheries jobs, get out of my comfort zone, and make more contacts in the fisheries world. I decided to apply for a creel clerk and academic hourly position with the Illinois Natural History Survey at Lake Michigan Biological Station in Zion, Illinois. This job allowed me to gain valuable lab experience and get out and work with the public. It was very rewarding to listen to the anglers who support the work that fisheries biologist put in day in and day out to protect our aquatic resources. My interest in stream research stem from the countless excellent fishing streams that are present where I grew up in the Missouri Ozarks. I was also influenced by my first fisheries job working on endangered stream fish in Missouri. In December 2008, I began looking at graduate schools that would allow me to research stream fish. I found and announcement on the AFS website for a graduate position at the University of Illinois and began making contact with Dr. Wahl immediately. I was accepted into the University of Illinois soon after my interview with Dr. Suski and Dr. Wahl and am pleased to be conducting research on the effects of land use practices on stream fish in Illinois.

I began volunteering for the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) at the age of 15.  As a junior in high school I was one of 50 students nationwide to receive the American Fisheries Society “Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program” scholarship.  Through this award and the opportunities provided by my advisors, Dr. John Epifanio and Dr. David Philipp at the INHS, I chose an academic career path that will hopefully lead me to a professional career in fisheries biology.  I am currently a senior and in the process of completing my B.Sc in Integrative Biology with a minor in the Environmental Fellows Program.  I plan to pursue a Masters degree in fisheries biology or a related field.

Nearly all of my free-time is spent fishing, particularly pursuing the ever-elusive muskie.  I am a field editor for MUSKIE magazine, published by Muskies Inc.  Nevertheless, if there is an activity outdoors, you can count me in!

While my interests within the field of fisheries biology stretch from management schemes to basic science, the effects of catch-and-release angling on populations and recruitment processes are of particular interest to me.  Presently, I am in the process of completing a manuscript investigating the effects of stochastic temperature change on the hatching success and survival of largemouth and smallmouth bass eggs and fry.  With this data, it is my hope that fisheries biologists and managers can develop a more thorough understanding of the recruitment mechanisms that influence a given population so that more refined adaptive management practices can be applied.