2006 Graduate Student Photo Gallery
IGERT Fellows
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Becky Blanchard - Anthropology
- B.A., Anthropological Sciences, Stanford University, 2002
- M.A., Anthropology, University of Florida, 2008
Becky is an environmental anthropologist interested in the influence of the social landscape on beliefs about the environment and environmental change. Her current research examines conflict over water allocation in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint basin, specifically fishers' and scientists' beliefs about how changes in freshwater flow regimes are affecting Apalachicola Bay and the potential risks of environmental change to the estuarine ecosystem and fishing livelihoods. She has also conducted fieldwork in Mexico, Peru, and the US Pacific Northwest. Past projects have explored community-based natural resource management, parks and protected areas, ecotourism, and the impacts of socionatural disaster on rural livelihoods.
Becky's website: http://plaza.ufl.edu/bblanch
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Andrea Gaughan - Geography
- B.A., English, Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina, 2003
- M.S., Geography, University of Florida, 2006
Andrea specializes in the study of human-environment interactions. Specifically, her interests are in multi-scalar implications of land-use land-cover change and the use of modeling for land-use management and conservation. Her research uses spatial techniques of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing. Her master’s research examined landscape patterns and change in the Angkor basin of Siem Reap, Cambodia from 1989–2005 with the use of remote sensing and GIS.
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William "Bill" Kanapaux - School Of Natural Resources and Environment
- B.A., English, College of Charleston, South Carolina
- M.F.A., Creative Writing, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Bill’s research involves natural resource management in southern Africa. Prior to enrolling at UF, Kanapaux worked as a reporter and editor for the daily newspaper The Providence (R.I.) Journal-Bulletin, national trade publications covering health care policy, an international online news service covering the pharmaceutical industry and an urban alternative newsweekly.
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Melissa Martin - Soil and Water Sciences
- B.S., Environmental Science, University of Notre Dame, 2002
- M.S., Soil and Water Science, University of Florida, 2004
Melissa is investigating ecosystem-level effects of the invasion of exotic plants in order to develop more effective management and restoration techniques. In 2002, Melissa accepted an internship through the Student Conservation Association at the USDA-ARS Invasive Plant Research Laboratory in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Through this internship, she was introduced to research on the management and control of invasive exotic plants. Her M.S. thesis was on the invasion of Melaleuca quinquenervia in southern Florida in the spring semester of 2006.
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Julie Padowski - Soil and Water Sciences
- B.S., Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Rochester, 2003
- M.S., Soil and Water Science, University of Florida, 2005
Julie’s research interests include water quality and solute transport in surface water systems, ecological impact assessments within wetland systems, and wetland remediation. Emerging interests include ground/surface water modeling as well as environmental policy.
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Rachel Pawlitz - School Of Natural Resources and Environment / Interdisciplinary Ecology
- B.A., Biology, Truman State University, 1997
- M.A., International Communication, Macquarie University, Australia, 2002
Rachel is interested in developing methods of communicating wetland ecosystem function and status to the public and stakeholders. Her professional experience includes working as a technical writer and translation project manager. She has worked, studied, and researched ecology and communication on six continents.
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IGERT Associates
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Mike Murray Hudson - Environmental Engineering Sciences
- B.S., Zoology and Geology, University of Cape Town, Africa, 1981
- M.S. Environmental Engineering, University of Florida, 2002
Mike’s research is aimed at developing a hydrology-driven model of floodplain vegetation communities for the Okavango Delta. This work involves primary survey work to develop a community-based classification system for floodplains, analysis of a time series of satellite imagery to determine flooding characteristics and an attempt to correlate these two which will allow spatial modelling. Mike spent 20 years as an environmental consultant in southern Africa. He is currently working as a Research Fellow at the University of Botswana’s Okavango Research Centre, but is on study leave to complete his PhD at UF.
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Narcisa Pricope - Geography
- B.A., Geography and English, Babes-Bolyai University, Romania, 2004
- M.S., Geosciences, Western Kentucky University, 2006
Narcisa’s interests are directed towards water resource management issues in southern Africa and the economic implications of physical and socio-political change in the area. Her undergraduate thesis used GIS to model past landslides in the Central Transylvanian Plateau in order to assess landslide reactivation risks associated with current land use practices. Her graduate thesis used soil erosion modeling at the landscape scale and estimates of sediment delivery to streams as means of identifying non-point pollution sources from suspended sediments.
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Noorie Rajvanshi - Mechanical Engineering
- B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Maharashtra Institute Of Technology, Pune University, India, 2004
Noorie’s area of interest is renewable energy, evaluation and optimization of energy usage for different systems using thermodynamic principles and emergy and exergy analysis. Her focus is on thermal and fluid sciences. After earning her undergraduate degree, she worked in Cummins India Ltd as an Operations Management Program (OMP) trainee engineer for one year before coming to the University of Florida. She will be graduating in August 2007.
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O Tsompi Thakadu - Agricultural Education and Communication
- B.S., Biological & Environmental Sciences, University of Botswana, 1993
- M.S., Environment and Development, University of Natal, South Africa, 1997
O.T.’s interests are in the field of environmental/science communication, outreach, extensions and CBNRM. He joined the Public Service sector through the Department of Wildlife and National Parks in 1993 where he pioneered Community Based Natural Resources Management (CBNRM) Programmes initiatives in Ngamiland, Botswana. In December 2003, he joined the University of Botswana as a Research Fellow (Information, Communication & Outreach) and worked to bridge the communication gap between scientific research findings generated by researchers at UB’s Harry Oppenheimer Okavango Research Centre (HOORC) and the stakeholders.
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Adaptive Management: Wise Use of Water, Wetlands & Watersheds
is an NSF-funded IGERT program at the University of Florida
Updated: Sepetember 20, 2007
