News
March 2024
M.S. Student Max Lannom, co-advised by Dr. Aaron Lynne, successfully defended his M.S. thesis. Way to go Max! It has been so wonderful to have Max as an integral part of the lab. We are excited to see what he does next!
M.S. Student Max Lannom, co-advised by Dr. Aaron Lynne, successfully defended his M.S. thesis. Way to go Max! It has been so wonderful to have Max as an integral part of the lab. We are excited to see what he does next!
March 2024
March 2024
Gradute students Hasara Siriwardane and Max Lannom headed to Odessa, TX to present their Master thesis research at the Texas Academy of Sciences.
Gradute students Hasara Siriwardane and Max Lannom headed to Odessa, TX to present their Master thesis research at the Texas Academy of Sciences.
September 2023
September 2023
We had our first lab meeting of the semester! We have a lot of new members of the lab this fall - and I am so excited for their enthusiasm to do some stream ecology research!
We had our first lab meeting of the semester! We have a lot of new members of the lab this fall - and I am so excited for their enthusiasm to do some stream ecology research!
June 2023
Amber headed to Palma de Mallorca, Spain in early June to present & attend the 2023 Association for Limnology and Oceanography Aquatic Sciences Meeting. She had a great time soaking in lots of science and meeting colleagues.
Amber headed to Palma de Mallorca, Spain in early June to present & attend the 2023 Association for Limnology and Oceanography Aquatic Sciences Meeting. She had a great time soaking in lots of science and meeting colleagues.
May 2023
We celebrated the end of the academic year and our spring/summer graduates over home-made pizza!
We celebrated the end of the academic year and our spring/summer graduates over home-made pizza!
Here is the crew - old and new members of the lab (post pizza)!
Here is the crew - old and new members of the lab (post pizza)!
Christian Lewis, Marlyn Hernandez and Danielle Grabert graduated Spring 2023 and Cinthia Lopez will finish in August 2023. We are happy (but a little bit sad) to see them go -- but Congrats! Onwards and Upwards!
Christian Lewis, Marlyn Hernandez and Danielle Grabert graduated Spring 2023 and Cinthia Lopez will finish in August 2023. We are happy (but a little bit sad) to see them go -- but Congrats! Onwards and Upwards!
April 2023
Max Lannom knocked his comprehensive exam out of the water - a major hurdle in his prusuit for a Master's degree. Well done Max!!
Max Lannom knocked his comprehensive exam out of the water - a major hurdle in his prusuit for a Master's degree. Well done Max!!
April 2023
Danielle Grabert and Cinthia Lopez presented at SHSU's Honor's college Undergraduate Research Symposim. Danielle gave a talk on stream structure and Cinthia shared her findings on nutrient limitation across agricultural, urban, and forested streams. Well done to the both of them!
Danielle Grabert and Cinthia Lopez presented at SHSU's Honor's college Undergraduate Research Symposim. Danielle gave a talk on stream structure and Cinthia shared her findings on nutrient limitation across agricultural, urban, and forested streams. Well done to the both of them!
March 2023
March 2023
Danielle Grabert and Marlyn Hernandez presented at the Texas Academy of Sciences in San Angelo, Texas. Both did an awesome job on their presentations! Way to go!
Danielle Grabert and Marlyn Hernandez presented at the Texas Academy of Sciences in San Angelo, Texas. Both did an awesome job on their presentations! Way to go!
December 2022
To celebrate the end of a successful semester, the lab headed to a local pottery studio where we all learned how to hand build bowls out of clay. We are all looking forward to what 2023 has in store!
To celebrate the end of a successful semester, the lab headed to a local pottery studio where we all learned how to hand build bowls out of clay. We are all looking forward to what 2023 has in store!
September 2022
September 2022
Amber headed to San Marcos for a 3-day all-hands meeting with our NSF TERRG project. The goal of the meeting was to discuss data, analyses, and future papers. Overall, the meeting was a success. We met daily at Spring Lake Hall overlooking one of the many springs in San Marcos. We even were inspired by our breakfast waffles as we thought about stream ecosystems across the coastal plain Texas precipitation gradient.
Amber headed to San Marcos for a 3-day all-hands meeting with our NSF TERRG project. The goal of the meeting was to discuss data, analyses, and future papers. Overall, the meeting was a success. We met daily at Spring Lake Hall overlooking one of the many springs in San Marcos. We even were inspired by our breakfast waffles as we thought about stream ecosystems across the coastal plain Texas precipitation gradient.
July 2022
NSF-funded REU student Kaitlyn Blankley from Eastern University (located in Pennsylvania) spent the summer at SHSU working on modeling dissolved oxygen data from Harmon Creek to estimate daily gross primary production and ecosystem respiration. Katie presented her work both as a talk and a poster along with her fellow REU students! Well done Katie!
NSF-funded REU student Kaitlyn Blankley from Eastern University (located in Pennsylvania) spent the summer at SHSU working on modeling dissolved oxygen data from Harmon Creek to estimate daily gross primary production and ecosystem respiration. Katie presented her work both as a talk and a poster along with her fellow REU students! Well done Katie!
May 2022
May 2022
Amber spent a week in Mexico working with Drs Mercedes Castillo (ECOSUR) and Krista Capps (UGA) and colleagues checking out several rivers where we are working on estimating ecosystem metabolism. These are all mid-size tropical rivers where work is done via boat. It was an amazing trip! We saw (and heard) monkeys, crocodiles, and even a Tapir!
Amber spent a week in Mexico working with Drs Mercedes Castillo (ECOSUR) and Krista Capps (UGA) and colleagues checking out several rivers where we are working on estimating ecosystem metabolism. These are all mid-size tropical rivers where work is done via boat. It was an amazing trip! We saw (and heard) monkeys, crocodiles, and even a Tapir!
May 2022
May 2022
Amber attended the 'Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting' (JASM) in Grand Rapids, Michigan and presented work on carbon spiraling in Texas Coastal Streams.
Amber attended the 'Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting' (JASM) in Grand Rapids, Michigan and presented work on carbon spiraling in Texas Coastal Streams.
JASM was a huge success and the first meeting since the start of the COVID pandemic. The meeting consisted of members of the Society for Freshwater Science (SFS), Association for Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO), American Fisheries Society (AFS), and several other aquatic societies!
JASM was a huge success and the first meeting since the start of the COVID pandemic. The meeting consisted of members of the Society for Freshwater Science (SFS), Association for Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO), American Fisheries Society (AFS), and several other aquatic societies!
April 2022
April 2022
Danielle Grabert and Marlyn Hernandez led the efforts to present our lab's research at the SHSU Undergraduate Research Conference. The presented a poster as a team and did a wonderful job!
Danielle Grabert and Marlyn Hernandez led the efforts to present our lab's research at the SHSU Undergraduate Research Conference. The presented a poster as a team and did a wonderful job!
Co-authors included Tyler Clay and former lab members Katrina Stephen and Makayla Mcilhaney.
March 2022
March 2022
MS Student Connor Brown successfully defended his thesis 'Ecosystem metabolism of coastal Texas streams across precipitation regimes and land use gradients'.
MS Student Connor Brown successfully defended his thesis 'Ecosystem metabolism of coastal Texas streams across precipitation regimes and land use gradients'.
Congratulations Connor!
Congratulations Connor!
December 2021
December 2021
Congratulations to our December 2021 graduates!
Congratulations to our December 2021 graduates!
Katrina Stephen
Katrina Stephen
Elizabeth Cruz
Elizabeth Cruz
We are really going to miss them both! Onwards and upwards!
We are really going to miss them both! Onwards and upwards!
December 2021
December 2021
Funding was granted to continue work on our sensor station in located in the Pineywoods Environmental Research Laboratory (PERL)! Danielle Grabert and Marlyn Hernandez will continue studying the metabolic regime of Harmon Creek with funds from SHSU COSET undergraduate research awards!
Funding was granted to continue work on our sensor station in located in the Pineywoods Environmental Research Laboratory (PERL)! Danielle Grabert and Marlyn Hernandez will continue studying the metabolic regime of Harmon Creek with funds from SHSU COSET undergraduate research awards!
May 2021
May 2021
Connor and Amber attended the annual Society for Freshwater Science (SFS) meeting where Connor presented his Master's work on Ecosystem Metabolism across coastal plain TX streams. The meeting was virtual this year and we are looking forward to meeting in person (hopefully!) next year.
Connor and Amber attended the annual Society for Freshwater Science (SFS) meeting where Connor presented his Master's work on Ecosystem Metabolism across coastal plain TX streams. The meeting was virtual this year and we are looking forward to meeting in person (hopefully!) next year.
May 2021
May 2021
Funding was awarded from the National Science Foundation to study the impact of the recent polar vortex on Texas Coastal streams (NSF-DEB-2128280): Collaborative Research: RAPID: Quantifying the response of stream ecosystems to a punctuated cold-stress disturbance across a semi-arid to sub-humid gradient.
Funding was awarded from the National Science Foundation to study the impact of the recent polar vortex on Texas Coastal streams (NSF-DEB-2128280): Collaborative Research: RAPID: Quantifying the response of stream ecosystems to a punctuated cold-stress disturbance across a semi-arid to sub-humid gradient.
Collaborators: J. Derek Hogan (lead, TAMUCC), Chris Patrick, Bradley Strickland (VIMS), Hannah Vander Zanden, Matt Whiles (University of Florida)
Collaborators: J. Derek Hogan (lead, TAMUCC), Chris Patrick, Bradley Strickland (VIMS), Hannah Vander Zanden, Matt Whiles (University of Florida)
April 2021
April 2021
Funding was acquired through a SHSU COSET undergraduate research award for Katrina Stephen and Makayla Mcilhaney to work in the lab and field this summer on our sensor station!
Funding was acquired through a SHSU COSET undergraduate research award for Katrina Stephen and Makayla Mcilhaney to work in the lab and field this summer on our sensor station!
March 2021
March 2021
March has started out great! Makayla and Katrina have been collecting leaf packs for Makayla's leaf decomposition experiment. We also captured a high flow event -- increased dissolved organic carbon and particulate organic matter - baby steps toward developing rating curves for our deployed sensors!
March has started out great! Makayla and Katrina have been collecting leaf packs for Makayla's leaf decomposition experiment. We also captured a high flow event -- increased dissolved organic carbon and particulate organic matter - baby steps toward developing rating curves for our deployed sensors!
February 2021
February 2021
We (and our sensors) survived a week of cold and snow due to the polar vortex. While SHSU was closed and we were all home dealing with power and water issues, our sensors remained in the field collecting data.
We (and our sensors) survived a week of cold and snow due to the polar vortex. While SHSU was closed and we were all home dealing with power and water issues, our sensors remained in the field collecting data.
First data download indicated that Harmon Creek got down to 0 degrees Celsius during the arctic blast!
First data download indicated that Harmon Creek got down to 0 degrees Celsius during the arctic blast!
February 2021
February 2021
We have been busy in the lab and field! Makayla has been working on getting her leaf decomposition study together - along with help from Katrina. Connor has been busy sampling Texas Coastal Streams and crunching metabolism data for our NSF funded TERRG project. And finally, we have deployed sensors out at our local field station to collect high-frequency data on dissolved oxygen, temperature, dissolved organic matter, turbidity, and conductivity. So far, so good! Excited to see what data may come!
We have been busy in the lab and field! Makayla has been working on getting her leaf decomposition study together - along with help from Katrina. Connor has been busy sampling Texas Coastal Streams and crunching metabolism data for our NSF funded TERRG project. And finally, we have deployed sensors out at our local field station to collect high-frequency data on dissolved oxygen, temperature, dissolved organic matter, turbidity, and conductivity. So far, so good! Excited to see what data may come!
January 2021
January 2021
Happy 2021!
Happy 2021!
We kicked off the New Year with Connor & Dani heading to the field to maintain our dissolved oxygen sensors along the Texas Coastal Streams for our NSF TERRG project while Amber headed to the local field station to scout a hidden gem of a stream with colleagues from the SHSU Environmental and Geosciences Department - Drs. Ross Guida and Pat Harris!
We kicked off the New Year with Connor & Dani heading to the field to maintain our dissolved oxygen sensors along the Texas Coastal Streams for our NSF TERRG project while Amber headed to the local field station to scout a hidden gem of a stream with colleagues from the SHSU Environmental and Geosciences Department - Drs. Ross Guida and Pat Harris!
October 2020
October 2020
Connor (MS student) successfully passed his comprehensive exams. To celebrate, we headed to the local stream for some socially-distanced sampling (Connor is in the yellow shirt). Congratulations Connor!
Connor (MS student) successfully passed his comprehensive exams. To celebrate, we headed to the local stream for some socially-distanced sampling (Connor is in the yellow shirt). Congratulations Connor!
Pandemic 2020
Pandemic 2020
Despite COVID we have been able to (safely) continue with our field work across our Texas Coastal Stream sites as Connor along with help from his friends and fellow graduate students at SHSU have been able to get out and keep up with our monthly sampling for our NSF funded TERRG project. Thank you Chelsea & Brittney!
Despite COVID we have been able to (safely) continue with our field work across our Texas Coastal Stream sites as Connor along with help from his friends and fellow graduate students at SHSU have been able to get out and keep up with our monthly sampling for our NSF funded TERRG project. Thank you Chelsea & Brittney!
March 2020
March 2020
Since January - Connor, along with our colleagues in Corpus Christi, TX, have been heading to the field monthly to collect data from dissolved organic carbon, oxygen, and nutrients to fish and bugs along 9 Texas Coastal streams as part of our NSF funded TERRG project.
Since January - Connor, along with our colleagues in Corpus Christi, TX, have been heading to the field monthly to collect data from dissolved organic carbon, oxygen, and nutrients to fish and bugs along 9 Texas Coastal streams as part of our NSF funded TERRG project.
February 2020
February 2020
Amber attended the 5th symposium on urbanization and stream ecology (SUSE) in Austin, TX. She worked with fellow scientists from across the U.S., Europe, and Australia, engineers, and community members of Austin to tackle some of the issues the city of Austin is facing with its streams.
Amber attended the 5th symposium on urbanization and stream ecology (SUSE) in Austin, TX. She worked with fellow scientists from across the U.S., Europe, and Australia, engineers, and community members of Austin to tackle some of the issues the city of Austin is facing with its streams.
October 2019
October 2019
Bob Hall (Flathead Biological Station, University of Montana) and Amber published a review article on gas exchange in streams and rivers in WIREs Water.
Bob Hall (Flathead Biological Station, University of Montana) and Amber published a review article on gas exchange in streams and rivers in WIREs Water.
October 2019
October 2019
Amber and Connor headed to Corpus Christi for the NSF funded TERRG kick-off meeting where the crews from SHSU, TAMU-Corpus Christi, and University of Florida could meet, discuss science, and check out our stream sites along the coastal precipitation gradient. It was a great productive, fun weekend! Field work officially starts in January.
Amber and Connor headed to Corpus Christi for the NSF funded TERRG kick-off meeting where the crews from SHSU, TAMU-Corpus Christi, and University of Florida could meet, discuss science, and check out our stream sites along the coastal precipitation gradient. It was a great productive, fun weekend! Field work officially starts in January.
Here are the other 3 of the PIs on the project - Drs. Matt Whiles, Derek Hogan, and Chris Patrick checking out one of our driest sites.
July 2019
July 2019
Amber, along with colleagues Drs. Chris Patrick, J Derek Hogan (Texas A&M University Corpus Christi), and Matt Whiles (University of Florida) were awarded funding from the National Science Foundation to study the linkages between stream metabolism and higher trophic levels across the climate gradient of Texas coastal streams. The project, TERRG: Thresholds in ecosystem responses to rainfall gradients, will kick off this fall!
Amber, along with colleagues Drs. Chris Patrick, J Derek Hogan (Texas A&M University Corpus Christi), and Matt Whiles (University of Florida) were awarded funding from the National Science Foundation to study the linkages between stream metabolism and higher trophic levels across the climate gradient of Texas coastal streams. The project, TERRG: Thresholds in ecosystem responses to rainfall gradients, will kick off this fall!
June 2019
June 2019
Dr. Carmen Montaña's summer class got out into the field to collect everything from nutrients to fish from Harmon Creek. The students later learned a bit about running water samples for nutrient analyses in the Ulseth laboratory
Dr. Carmen Montaña's summer class got out into the field to collect everything from nutrients to fish from Harmon Creek. The students later learned a bit about running water samples for nutrient analyses in the Ulseth laboratory
Sabine taking gas samples in the field, Switzerland
May 2019
May 2019
New co-author publication for Amber (with lead Sabine Flury) on methane sources in fluxes in Alpine streams published in Geophysical Research Letters
New co-author publication for Amber (with lead Sabine Flury) on methane sources in fluxes in Alpine streams published in Geophysical Research Letters
May 2019:
May 2019:
Amber attended the 2019 annual Society for Freshwater Science meeting in Salt Lake City
Amber attended the 2019 annual Society for Freshwater Science meeting in Salt Lake City
March 2019
March 2019
March 2019: Amber and co-authors published in Nature Geoscience on scaling gas exchange from flat to mountain streams
March 2019: Amber and co-authors published in Nature Geoscience on scaling gas exchange from flat to mountain streams