Cohort 6

Sam Troast

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Sam Troast

Advisor: Brittany Mosher
Hobbies: In my free time, I enjoy hiking, skiing, reading, and doing crossword puzzles.

Areas of Expertise and/or Research

My areas of interest include herpetology, population and disease ecology, conservation biology, land use change, and climate change biology. My research will focus on temperature sensitive disease dynamics within amphibian populations.

Contact

Email: samantha.troast@uvm.edu

Website(s): Wildlife Ecology Research Lab

Isaac Buabeng

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Isaac Buabeng

Advisor: Jane Molofsky

Areas of Expertise and/or Research

I am interested in the functional traits of invasive plant species, conservation biology, and data science.

Contact

Email: ibuabeng@uvm.edu

Sandi Dincki

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Sandi Dincki

Advisor: Eric Bishop von Wettberg

Areas of Expertise and/or Research

My focus is on legume crops, particularly faba beans. I am interested in how they can be leveraged to prevent food insecurity and improve soil health in the context of climate change.

Contact

Email: sdincki@uvm.edu
Website(s): Crop Genetic Heritage Laboratory

Rei Jia

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Rei Jia

Advisor: Stephen Keller

Areas of Expertise and/or Research

Botany, microbiology, climate change, and ecological genomics

Contact

Email: rei.jia@uvm.edu
Website(s): Keller Lab

Masoumeh Khodaverdi

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Masoumeh Khodaverdi

Advisor: Jill Preston

Areas of Expertise and/or Research

I am interested in understanding how plants respond to their environmental temperature, and more specifically, investigating the role of climate variation in shaping sensitivity to vernalization and thermal performance in two grass genera, Melica and Brachypodium.

Contact

Email: masoumeh.khodaverdi@uvm.edu
Website(s): Jillpreston

Jacob Lacy

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Jacob Lacy

Advisor: David Bernstein
Hobbies: Fishing, hiking

Areas of Expertise and/or Research

Metabolic modeling, human gut microbiome, ulcerative colitis

Contact

Email: jacob.lacy@uvm.edu

Sydney Miller

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Sydney Miller

Advisor: Yolanda Chen

Areas of Expertise and/or Research

My areas of expertise relate to honey bees, beekeeping, and the importance of insect pollination to crop production. I am most interested in mitigating threats to the pollination services provided by honey bees and other native pollinators through connecting agricultural sectors and studying the effects of pesticide exposure, infectious disease, and improved cultural practices on honey bees as a model organism.

Contact

Email: mmille20@uvm.edu
Website(s): Yfanslow

Oyebamiji Yusuf Opeyemi

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Oyebamiji Yusuf Opeyemi

Advisor: Jane Molofsky
Hobbies: My hobbies include playing football and hiking.

Areas of Expertise and/or Research

I am interested in the evolution of invasive species traits under changing environmental conditions.

Contact

Email: yusuf.oyebamiji@uvm.edu

Leslie Paredes

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Leslie Paredes

Advisor: Laura May Collado

Areas of Expertise and/or Research

I'm interested in marine mammal communication, behavior, and conservation.

Contact

Email: lparedes@uvm.edu
Website(s): Lauramay Collado
 

Alexander Steiner

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Alexander Steiner

Advisor: Eric Bishop von Wettberg
Hobbies: My hobbies include hiking, kayaking/canoeing, gardening, and finding new hobbies.

Areas of Expertise and/or Research

I am investigating the impacts of Management Intensive Rotational Grazing on the plants and soil of Vermont pastures. I am more broadly interested in sustainable agriculture, and increasing the amount of perennials on the landscape.

Contact

Email: aksteine@uvm.edu
Website(s): ebishopv

Sarah Stover

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Sarah Stover

Advisor: Melissa Pespeni
Hobbies: When I am not doing science, I can be found hiking, drawing, or playing the fiddle out of tune

Areas of Expertise and/or Research

Evolution and ecology in marine invertebrates, climate change biology, how organisms mitigate environmental stressors through genetic and epigenetic changes.

Contact

Email: sarah.stover@uvm.edu
Website(s): Pespeni Lab

Amane Takahashi

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Amane Takahashi

Advisor: Jason Stockwell

Areas of Expertise and/or Research

Ecological modeling/Diel vertical migration (DVM)/Mysis in Lake Champlain

Contact

Email: amane.takahashi@uvm.edu
Website(s): Stockwell Laboratory

Vincent Tamakloe

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Vincent Tamakloe

Advisor: Yolanda Chen

Areas of Expertise and/or Research

My interest broadly focuses on understanding the interactions between insects, plants, and the environment to develop sustainable, ecosystem-based pest management and conservation solutions.

Contact

Email: vincent.tamakloe@uvm.edu