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Students
Genya Dana
dana0010@umn.edu
Grad program: Conservation Biology
Advisor: Anne
Kapuscinski
Research interest: Stakeholder involvement in environmental
risk assessment
My PhD research aims to test whether stakeholder involvement improves
the quality of environmental risk analysis. I will study the design
and implementation of methodologies for involving stakeholders in
the creation of a monitoring program in South Africa. The program's
goal is to determine any impacts that genetically modified (GM)
crops may have on South African biodiversity. The design of a monitoring
program requires a systematic approach to identifying and prioritizing
hazards in a cropping system. By involving stakeholders in each
step of the process, social and biological concerns will be integrated
to determine the most biologically and socially relevant monitoring
endpoints.
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Karrie Koch
kochx141@umn.edu
Grad program: Entomology
Advisor: David
Ragsdale
Research interest:
My research focuses on the biological control of invasive soybean
aphid, Aphis glycines, an insect pest of cultivated soybean. I am
interested in how the fungal pathogens of soybean aphid impact the
population dynamics of the aphid both on its primary host, common
buckthorn, and secondary host, cultivated soybean. My M.S. research
focused on determining the effects of soybean rust fungicides on
these beneficial fungi and I plan to expand this work as I move
into my dissertation research. Understanding the role of fungal
natural enemies in the natural population regulation of soybean
aphid will help in the development of the most environmentally and
economically sound management practices for this pest.
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Adam Kokotovich
koko0013@umn.edu
Grad program: Natural Resources Science and Management
Advisor: Kristen
Nelson
Research interest: Public participation in science
& technology policy and risk analysis, transgenic crops, ecological
risk, Science and Technology Studies
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Gina Quiram
quira012@umn.edu
Grad program: Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior
Advisor: Jeannine Cavender-Bares and Ruth
Shaw
Research:
I am interested in the evolutionary consequences of invasive species
management. I am currently developing a project to understand how
the introduction of biological control agents has affected the evolutionary
trajectory of purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) specifically
herbivore defense traits. I believe that characterizing the long-term
consequences of invasive species control is critical when considering
the risks and sustainability of management programs.
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Leah Sharpe
sharp092@umn.edu
Grad program: Conservation Biology
Advisor: Anne
Kapuscinski
Research:
The goal of my dissertation work is to build a decision support
tool to aid in management and control decisions for aquatic invasive
species. By integrating economic, social, political and ecological
considerations and collaborating with the managers that will ultimately
use it, the tool will help managers make their decisions more quickly,
confidently, and cost-effectively. Although the tool is being built
with a focus on the Upper Mississippi River Basin, it will ultimately
be applicable to different cases, with users able to manipulate
its components to suit a variety of management situations.
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Adam Zeilinger
zeil0006@umn.edu
Grad program: Conservation Biology
Advisor: David
Andow
Research:
In my dissertation research, I am evaluating potential
ecological causes driving non-target pest outbreaks in genetically
modified insect-resistant Bt cotton. An assemblage of stink bug
species in the southeast US have become a greater pest problem in
Bt cotton compared to conventional cotton. By studying ecological
interactions- between stink bugs and the GM plant and stink bugs
and competitors- my research will contribute to models needed for
predicting non-target pest outbreaks in future releases of GM crops.
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