RECENT GRADUATES
Adam Yaney-Keller is a first year Masters student interested in conservation ecology and human-wildlife interactions in changing landscapes. Originally from Los Angeles, California, Adam received a B.S. in Biological Sciences at California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo with a minor in Geography & Anthropology. Before coming to IPFW Adam worked on tropical field biology projects around the world, including raptor migration monitoring in Belize, sea turtle nesting ecology in Costa Rica, lemur behavioral ecology in Madagascar, and primate and sea turtle ecology on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea. His work in different countries and cultures combined with his interest in ecology and animal behavior has combined to create a passion for conservation and desire to make a meaningful impact in the field. His interests outside the lab include hiking, surfing, playing music, and travelling.
Adam Yaney-Keller
PALADINO LAB
Alex Silowsky
Alex Silowsky did his undergrad at Indiana University - Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW), with a concentration in ecology and evolution. He conducted an undergrad research project with Dr. Gillespie involving the effects of agricultural runoff. He is interested in marine community ecology and conservation efforts, particularly in anthropogenic pressures placed on marine species by coastal urban development. He worked at the Little River Wetlands Project and served as a peer tutor here IPFW, and now is a TA for Bio 117. He is currently undecided on whether he wants to pursue a degree beyond my MS.
Ph.D.
M.S.
Chelsea Clyde-Brockway
Chelsea is a PhD student co-advised through Purdue University, who is studying diet and ecology of sea turtles and snakes. She was born in northern California and has been in love with the ocean as long as she can remember. After graudating with my BS in marine biology from Sonoma State, she was lucky enough to volunteer on the Costa Rica sea turtle project at PNMB. From there she moved to IPFW and got her MS studying spatial ecology of East Pacific green turtles. Chelsea spends her free time riding horses and playing with my dogs.
CURRENT GRADUATE STUDENTS
Alysa Hopkins
Alysa graduated from Carmel High School in 2009. She went to Franklin College and got a B.A. in Biology, with an emphasis in ecology and conservation, in 2013. From 2013-2015 she worked at Fort Harrison State Park as an interpretive naturalist from March to November, where she gave interpretive hikes, talks, and demonstrations to park visitors. Although working with the public is fulfilling work, she is more interested in research and am now going to IPFW in pursuit of my masters degree. She has an interest in mammals, particularly small mammals, for research.
My thesis research focused on characterizing the gut and cloacal microbiome of juvenile green turtles in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. I used high-throughput sequencing to assess differences in the microbial communities of these turtles as they made an ontogenetic shift from offshore surface-pelagic habitat towards inshore developmental foraging areas.
Jamie Price
Lauren Cruz
As a master's student in the Paladino lab, Lauren Cruz (2016) studied the effects of artificial light on offshore orientation of Olive Ridley sea turtle hatchlings. She obtained her B.S in Wildlife Conservation and Natural Resources with a minor in Entomology at the University of Delaware (2013). Lauren has worked as a biologist for three seasons with The Leatherback Trust in Playa Grande, Costa Rica as well as a biotech for multiple organizations in the U.S. including the National Park Service and the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife. With an interest in anthropogenic effects on coastal wildlife, Lauren has worked on various projects monitoring sea turtle and endangered shorebird populations.
Shannon Kuznar
Shannon cannot remember a time when I have not been fascinated by sharks. Even pre-dating shark week (which, until 2010, was actually educational), She would spend all my library purchases on shark books, wanting to learn more about these animals. As demonstrated by her chosen profession, she has clearly not waned in her enthusiasm for sharks and animals in general. When Shannon is not pursuing research in these categories, she enjoys horseback riding, hiking with my dog, and dancing.
Jenell Black
Jenell is a budding herpetologist, who has spent the last two summers running a fresh water turtle project in southern Pennsylvania and fall/winters in Costa Rica working on a nest monitoring project for the leatherback sea turtle, where she will be field manager for the 2016-2017 field season. She is also a Master’s student under Dr. Frank Paladino, with a focus on studying the American crocodile. Her research focuses on using a drone to survey crocodilians in their natural habitat, as well as understanding the seasonal effects of the estuary on their spatial behavior.
Callie is a second-year master's student at Indiana University - Purdue University Fort Wayne studying the effects of nest-site selection and sea level rise on sea turtle reproductive success on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea. Her interests lie broadly with endangered species conservation, and she has worked in Costa Rica as a sea turtle biologist as well as on other wildlife projects in Bermuda and Panama before starting with the Bioko Marine Turtle Program. She has a passion for working with local communities to find conservation solutions and hopes to work in this capacity in the future to make a difference wherever she finds herself.
Callie Veelenturf
Lisa Sinclair is manager of the Bioko Marine Turtle Program research camps and on-island activities during the sea turtle nesting season (Sept - Mar) on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea. She has been working on Bioko since 2012 with Dr. Shaya Honarvar and the Drill Project. She is also currently a second year graduate student at Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne University. Lisa has worked with a wide variety of wildlife from marine mammals in Virginia, sea turtles in Costa Rica, more recently, sea turtles and primates on Bioko Island. Her current research focuses on how new development and forest access is affecting endangered wildlife in Bioko's protected areas.
Lisa Sinclair
Lindsay McKenna
Lindsay McKenna was destined to join the lab of Dr. Frank V. Paladino after a Marine Biology trip to Costa Rica during her senior year of high school. She fell in love with the sea turtles, Costa Rica, and the research going on there. During her undergraduate years, she returned to help out with the sea turtle research a number of times. She graduated in May 2016 with her Master’s degree. Her thesis focused on the vocalization of sea turtle embryos and hatchlings.
