Past Students
Carley Capon
Carley received her bachelor's degree in biology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2019. Since then, she was working as an aquatic field technician on the Illinois River with the Illinois Natural History Survey.
Ethan Scott
Ethan is originally from central Illinois, and obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Fisheries Biology and Aquatic Sciences from the University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point in 2022. Before coming to EIU he worked as an fisheries research technician at the Kaskaskia Biological station with the Illinois Natural History Survey. His research focuses on Smallmouth Bass population demographics in the Kaskaskia River.
Braden Whisler
Braden grew up in East Berlin, Pennsylvania and obtained his B.S. in environmental science at Juniata College in 2023 where he also played on the men's soccer team for four years. His research focuses on the larval stages of invasive carps in the Wabash and Illinois Rivers. His hobbies include fly-fishing, hunting, soccer, and music. His favorite fish are the bowfin and brook trout.
Olivia Wertman
Olivia is from Troy, IL and received her undergraduate degree in biology from EIU in 2020. She then worked at Pluton Biosciences for four years as a research associate doing micro and molecular biology. She has now returned to EIU to earn her graduate degree. In her free time, she enjoys reading, drawing, and playing video games with friends.
Danielle Shubat
Danielle is from Connecticut and received her bachelor’s degree in marine biology from the University of New Haven in 2019. Since graduating, she worked seasonally with the State of Connecticut in the Department of Energy and Environmental protection (DEEP). There she worked for the Marine Fisheries Division, the Water Planning and Management Division, and then found the Inland Fisheries Division and where she worked with them for 3 seasons. While working in the Inland Fisheries Division, she enjoyed the various kinds of projects and field work she worked on and switched her career interests from marine fisheries to freshwater fisheries. Her research at EIU will focus on monitoring Channel Catfish populations in surrounding lakes.
Lexi Gerber
Lexi grew up in Cottage Grove, Minnesota and graduated from South Dakota State University in 2023 with a B.S. degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Management. Her research is focused on larval invasive carp in the Wabash River. She enjoys fishing, hiking, and going on adventures with friends.
Shaley Klumker
Shaley grew up just north of Austin, TX and went on to attend Texas A&M University at Galveston where she earned her bachelor's degrees in Marine Biology and Marine Fisheries. She is broadly interested in community ecology of aquatic systems, especially those influenced by anthropogenic activities. Her thesis work involves evaluating the recovery of a stream impacted by a large fertilizer spill. Additionally, Shaley manages the invasive carp telemetry project.
Josh Bruegge
Josh is originally from Iowa and received a B.S. from Iowa State University. His current research focuses on shifts in fish communities in response to restoration efforts in the rivers of Illinois.
Tyler Pasley
Tyler is from Shelbyville, Illinois, and he graduated from the University of Illinois Springfield with a BA in environmental studies in 2021. Before coming to EIU, he worked as a research technician for the Illinois Natural History Survey. His thesis research focuses on invasive carp reproduction and zooplankton community composition in tributaries of the Illinois and Wabash rivers.
mitchell Rosandich
Mitch is originally from the suburbs of Chicago but chose to study fisheries at Colorado State University for his bachelors. He then spent a few years working in the field before coming to EIU to complete his masters. His research focuses on establishing a sampling protocol for Channel Catfish in smaller impoundments.
Valerie Thompson
Valerie is originally from Milford, OH, and obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Biology from EIU while playing on the softball team there. She is currently a graduate research assistant in the EIU Center for Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences and is studying Channel Catfish population demographics in the Wabash River. Her hobbies include hunting, fishing, reading books, and drawing (especially pictures of fish), and her favorite fish is the Shovelnose Sturgeon.
Alexis Vandenberg
Alexis is originally from Channahon, IL and graduated from EIU with her B.S. in environmental biology. She continued at EIU to get her Master’s degree where studies fish and macroinvertebrate community response to stream restoration.
Coy Blair
Coy was born and raised in Iowa and grew up with an interest in conservation and the outdoors. His research focuses on understanding silver carp habitat use and selection in the Wabash River. Coy is broadly interested in invasive species, fish management and river ecosystems.
Jay Kelly
Jay is originally from Stratford, NJ and graduated from Stockton University with a B.S. in Marine Science in 2023. He is interested in aquatic/ behavioral ecology, and his research will involve tracking Silver Carp movement on the Wabash River. In his free time he enjoys hiking, skimboarding, and kayaking with his friends.
Sydney Mcandrews
Sydney's research investigates the role of physical habitat restoration in an urban stream in Champaign-Urbana. She is interested in the community assemblages of fish and macroinvertebrates, as well as understanding food web linkages in urban environments. She is from Denver, Colorado and enjoys swimming, rock climbing, and fishing with the lab!
Ryan skowronski
Ryan Skowronski is from Shelbyville Illinois just 45 minutes from EIU. He completed his undergrad at EIU, with a degree in environmental biology. His favorite fish is the northern hog sucker, but also enjoys many darter species in Central Illinois streams and rivers.
Devlon Sutton
Devlon is a lifelong resident of Illinois from the banks of the Kankakee River in Momence. After high school, he thirsted for adventure and served actively in the Army as a combat infantryman. After five years of service, Devlon returned to a familiar area to attend Eastern Illinois University. In 2019 he graduated obtaining a bachelor’s degree in environmental biology. He spent the next stage of life at the Illinois River Biological Station in Havana Illinois working primarily on the Illinois River. He is currently back at Eastern Illinois University as a graduate student looking into research pertaining to river ecosystems.