Graduate Students

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Jair Alvarez Jr.

Graduate Student
Daberkow's Lab
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My name is Jj Alvarez and I am in Dr. Daberkow’s lab, we are studying how certain chemicals in a rodent’s brain will impact the rodent’s behavior in response to external stimuli, more specifically stress.

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Seth Barr

Graduate Student
Spruell's Lab
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SCI 190

Hello, I’m Seth Barr, I’m a grad student in Dr. Spruell’s fisheries lab. My graduate research is tentatively based on a diet analysis of walleye in Lake Roosevelt, WA. Determining the impact of predation on native and nonnative species as well as a potential abundance estimate based on species prevalence in found in stomach contents.

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Eric Beaulaurier

Graduate Student
Ashley's Lab
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I am investigating the role of sugar modification on colony stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R). This receptor is present on macrophages and provides survival and proliferation signals to these cells. I am attempting to determine if manipulation of this receptor changes the osteoclastogenic potential of the modified cells as well as whether these effects are differential between the pair of ligands, colony stimulating factor 1 (CSF1) and interleukin 34 (IL-34), that interact with the receptor.

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Katherine Cole

Graduate Student
O'Quinn's Lab
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SCI 273
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Joseph Deckhut

Graduate Student
Case's Lab
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Here at EWU, I am examining the bone morphology, muscle attachment points, and biomechanics of Antarcticavis capelambensis to figure out what lifestyle it would have lived. Was it a foot-propelled diver? Was it flying? Was it mostly on the ground? I will be comparing this bird to both other fossil birds and extant relatives to help figure this out. My past research includes examining a grebe-like tarsometatarsus from the late Cretaceous, examining a juvenile Bottosaurus harlani left dentary from the late Cretaceous, describing an ankylosaur tail club from Montana, and finding the pathology that affected a sea turtle from the late Cretaceous. I have also done field work in Wyoming as an intern for the Wyoming Dinosaur Center, where I was working in the Morrison Formation. I did field work in Montana where I was working in the Hell Creek Formation. Also, I have done extensive field work in New Jersey where I worked in the Hornerstown Formation.

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Garrett Duncan

Graduate Student
Spruell's Lab
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Sarah Flores

Graduate Student
Magori/Spruell's Lab
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SCI 272/190

I am a current graduate student here at Eastern, co-advised by Dr. Spruell and Dr. Magori. My research is focused on the brook stickleback and nematode that has previously been recorded to be within their hearts here at Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge. I will be trying to determine if there are any genetic markers within the fish that indicate susceptibility to infection. 

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Jonah Frago

Graduate Student
Luis Matos' Lab
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SCI 292
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Hammad Gafar

Graduate Student
Ashley's Lab
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ISC 219
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Alex Gee

Graduate Student
Bastow's Lab
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CHN 210
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Emily Hamada

Graduate Student
Joanna Matos/Idsardi's Lab
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CHN 212
“Hi! My name is Emily Hamada (she/her), and I am co-advised under Dr. Johanna Joyner-Matos and Dr. Bo Idsardi. My research with Dr. Matos focuses on fingernail clams’ microbiomes in response to metal concentrations due to mining run off in Idaho. My research with Dr. Idsardi is in collaboration with other universities to look at early career STEM educators and their persistence and retention with regards to the resources they have access to.”
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April Hersey

Graduate Student
O'Quinn/Bastow's Lab
Photo of April Hersey
SCI 203/CHN 209

My research project brings together native plant restoration and regenerative agriculture techniques on the Inland Pacific Northwest Prairie Restoration Project on the EWU campus. Plant communities on prairie restoration sites are typically less diverse than those of prairie remnants, in part because of difficulty establishing forbs (non-grass herbaceous plant species). My research focuses on whether restoring the soil microbial community improves the diversity of forbs that establish. I’ve seeded test plots on the EWU restoration site with a seed mixture composed of 16 native forbs and 3 native grasses. To influence soil community composition, I’m using compost tea: liquid compost extract amended with a microbe food source such as molasses and aerated to multiply the microorganisms from the source compost. I will document not only native plant abundance and biomass after compost tea treatment, but also soil bacteria, fungus, and nematode community composition before and after compost tea application. The results of my study will show the extent to which compost tea changes the soil and plant communities on the restoration site. If this approach successfully increases forb diversity, it may be an inexpensive and scalable option for an integrated community ecology approach to plant community restoration.

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Talon Jost

Graduate Student
Walke's Lab
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ISC 204

The evolutionary and ecological importance of predator/prey interactions has long been of interest within biology, but the unintended benefits of reciprocal coevolution remain understudied. I am investigating the interactions of an endogenously produced amphibian neurotoxin, traditionally used for predator deterrence, and its interactions in potential amphibian disease mitigation and skin microbiome community structure alteration. My project spans several disciplines including microbiology, genetics, and disease ecology. I use statistical, bioinformatic, and laboratory based methodologies to examine these interactions.

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Kyle Keenan

Graduate Student
Spruell's Lab
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Photo of Kiler Kenison

Kiler Kenison

Graduate Student
Black's Lab
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TLES/SCI 150

This study examines the sources and fates of nutrient loading from agriculture and urbanization within the Deep Lake watershed located in Stevens County, WA. We took water and sediment trap samples, discharge data, and YSI water quality metrics from both the tributaries and lake including the outflow. We will use these data to determine how much nutrient loading is being contributed by the tributaries, which are subject to upstream cattle grazing practices in riparian zones, or from houses situated around the lake that suffer from potentially aging and leaky septic systems. In addition, we will also determine the proportion of added nutrients that remain in the lake vs. the proportion that leaves via the outflow. These results will allow for the development of better land use practice policies for both the ranchers and residents of the lakeside community so that water quality is preserved.

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Hannah Kim

Graduate Student
Walke's Lab
Photo of Hannah Kim
ISC 204

I am a multifaceted researcher, educator, and science illustrator communicating the relationship humans have with the environment to the public. My unique experience curating avenues of open science in freshwater, marine, and tropical ecology in the Western United States and Costa Rica, has taught me valuable leadership skills I continue to utilize in my higher education and career at Eastern. My thesis will be investigating host-pathogen-microbiome dynamics in tropical lowlands anuran populations. Lethal panzootic pathogens (e.g. Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) and ranavirus) and bacterial skin microbes have a bidirectional relationship to their richness and diversity. Understanding the implications of co-infection in the tropics will provide insight to disease and microbial ecology to preserve this valuable taxon. When I am not in the lab or field, I am illustrating as HEKpaintings, a small business dedicated to conservation and environmental education.

Photo of Roxanne McPeck

Roxanne McPeck

Graduate Student
Castillo's Lab
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Pronouns: she/her/hers

My interests are in genetics and host-pathogen interactions in bacterial pathogens of humans. I am researching regulatory small RNAs (sRNAs) in the gastric pathogen, Helicobacter pylori. Using molecular and microbiology techniques to develop strains that each overexpress one of two sRNAs found in highly virulent and carcinogenic strains, I will analyze resulting effects on the total transcriptome. By identifying regulatory targets of these sRNAs, I aim to contribute to a better understanding of genetic regulation in H. pylori, with potential implications for host-pathogen interactions.

Besides my research, I am active in the community of my peers and advocate for students from underrepresented groups, with a special focus on meaningful inclusion of disabled students in research and other aspects of higher education. I am applying to doctoral programs for Fall 2024, with plans for a career in microbiology that allows me to produce impactful research, collaborate with other scientists, advance science communication, and foster the development of future students and mentees.

Photo of Devlin Mee

Devlin Mee

Graduate Student
Nezat's Lab
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ISC 309
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Caleb Meyer

Graduate Student
Magori's Lab
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Margo Murphy

Graduate Student
Case's Lab
Photo of Margo Murphy
“My research focuses on the effects of body mass on the diameter of red blood cells and compact bones, along with certain structural elements found within compact bones.  Tissue samples from various adult mammalian species will be prepared and the histomorphology will be recorded and examined to determine correlational relationships.
For many years I have been drawn to the world of anatomy and physiology.  Previously, I have earned a B.S. in Biology, as well as an M.Ed. in Adult Education.   After completing this biology master’s program, I would love to teach A&P and other health science coursework in a post-secondary educational environment.”
Photo of Sawyer Nagle

Sawyer Nagle

Graduate Student
Brown/McNeely Lab
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CHN 210/SCI 275

I have recently joined a multi-year study looking at the before and after effects of Beaver Dam Analogs (BDA) on incised head water streams in the wildfire-prone Okanogan and Methow valleys of central Washington. Many of these streams are no longer connected to their flood plains, causing high flow events to wash sediment, nutrients, and water down stream. This disconnect results in increased stream incision, lowered water tables and down stream water quality problems. Research has shown that beaver dams, and their subsequent impoundments, slow the velocity of the water. Slower water then increases water residence time and storage while allowing nutrient-rich sediment to drop from the water column and settle on the stream bed. Our research compares the hydrological effects of beaver-built dams to human-built analogs. My focus within the study uses the Before-After-Control impact design to assess the success of the BDAs by measuring changes in total phosphorus, water storage, water travel time, water quality measurements, and the organic carbon sequestered in soils and stream bottoms.

Photo of Julianna Paulsen

Julianna Paulsen

Graduate Student
Allen's Lab
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Bailee Romaker

Graduate Student
Idsardi's Lab
Photo of Bailee Romaker
Hi! I am a first-year grad student co-advised by Drs. Bo Idsardi and Jenifer Walke. We are currently developing a thesis that combines both education and amphibian disease ecology. I have a strong desire for teaching outdoor/biological education, and I also really enjoy conducting ecological research. I hope to combine the two and create a split-thesis.”
Photo of Justin Roosma

Justin Roosma

Graduate Student
Ashley's Lab
Photo of Justin Roosma
ISC 219

Multiple myeloma is a blood cancer of terminally differentiated B lymphocytes, also known as plasma cells. Multiple myeloma plasma cells aggregate in the bone marrow where they overstimulate the activity of osteoclasts which are cells responsible for the degradation of mineralized bone. For individuals with multiple myeloma, heightened activity of osteoclasts leads to the increased prevalence of bone pain, fragility fractures and renal dysfunction. Using molecular techniques such as RT-PCR, fluorescent microscopy, and viral modulation of gene expression, my research focuses on the cell signaling pathways that drive bone pathology in the multiple myeloma disease process. Most notably, I have been investigating the role of the Notch signaling pathway.

Photo of Gracie Rosenbaum

Gracie Rosenbaum

Graduate Student
Daberkow's Lab
Photo of Gracie Rosenbaum

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that plays varying roles dependent upon specific brain structures, i.e., motor control in the dorsal striatum or reward learning in the ventral striatum. Recording dopamine signaling in the brain can be done using a technique called Fast-Scan Cyclic Voltammetry (FSCV). This technique involves the application of a voltage at one microelectrode and the recording of a dopamine oxidation/reduction current at another microelectrode. My thesis research focuses on three specific aims, (aim 1) investigating if isoflurane can effectively be used for monitoring dopamine signaling by using FSCV microelectrodes in the rat dorsal striatum; (aim 2) using kinetic analysis to investigate how nicotine affects dopamine neurotransmission; (aim 3) establish a procedure to accurately identify FSCV electrode placement in the striatum of the rat brain.

Photo of Stephen Sharrett

Stephen Sharrett

Graduate Student
Allen's Lab
Photo of Stephen Sharrett

I am a graduate research assistant in the Allen Lichen Lab. My primary research interests are landscape ecology, population genetics, and biodiversity conservation with a focus on lichens and fungi. Operating in the contexts of the landscape and the holobiont, I plan to characterize the life history and population genetic structure of lichen species in the genus Stereocaulon known from the Appalachian Mountains. This research will concentrate on Stereocaulon tennesseense, a rare species known only to occur in the Appalachian Mountains, from Tennessee to Newfoundland, and in Japan. I will be relying heavily on comparative genomics and landscape genetic analyses to complete this research. The ultimate goals of this research are to deepen our understanding of lichen life histories and population genetics in the Appalachian Mountains and to inform regional biodiversity conservation efforts.

Photo of Heather Stewart

Heather Stewart

Graduate Student
Ashley's Lab
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My thesis research project is a molecular analysis of the lichen symbiosis via metagenome and custom amplicon multiplex PCR sequencing, performed on two lichen species within the same genus that deploy different reproductive modes (asexual and sexual), on numerous samples collected from various sites in western Canada. Lichens are no longer considered merely a mutualism between a fungus and a photosynthesizing partner, rather they are an amalgamation of organisms that can also include more than one fungus, yeast, and bacteria. I am investigating which symbionts are imperative to the lichen holobiont and how much genetic diversity occurs across reproductive mode and geographical distribution.

Photo of Michael Trier

Michael Trier

Graduate Student
Brown's Lab
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CHN 210

The response of riparian vegetation to the removal of Elwha and Glines Canyon dams in Olympic National Park.

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Emerson Worrell

Graduate Student
Case's Lab
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My name is Emerson. I am doing research on carbon storage and uptake in riparian areas in Eastern Washington using a combination of field work and GIS. The focus area in Eastern WA is Hangman Creek and its tributaries. My service dog Barkley is always close by unless it is “day off”. His interest include rolling around in grass and snow (sometimes in something stinky) and cuddles.

Photo of Zach Ziegler

Zach Ziegler

Graduate Student
Castillo's Lab
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