Background, Research Interests, and Current Projects:
After receiving her B.S. in Biology from Appalachian State University, Susan assisted with an array of ecological research projects on topics ranging from the avian diversity of Sequoia National Park to the effects of increased carbon dioxide on plant communities. An enduring interest in restoration ecology led her to focus on the main obstacle to restoration, plant invasions.
Susan completed her Masters research at Washington State University where she studied many aspects of invasion biology under the direction of Dr. Richard N. Mack. More specifically, Susan's thesis focused on the paradoxical failure of non-native conifers to naturalize in North America when contrasted with the multitude of conifer invasions in the Southern Hemisphere.
Susan is currently pursuing her Ph.D. at the University of Nevada, Reno and is working on a thrilling dissertation project - a dendroecological investigation of Tamarix ramosissima recruitment in the Grand Canyon National Park with Dr. Peter Weisberg. This project is designed to elucidate how the regulated flow regime and geomorphology of the Grand Canyon influence Tamarix recruitment. Susan will compare current establishment and past recruitment patterns of Tamarix in the Grand Canyon and on an unregulated reach of the Colorado River. The results of this research will be applicable to the control of invasive, riparian plants such as Tamarix along the Colorado River corridor. |
