RU alums wrapping up Master's degrees

Four alums of RU-Biology continue to advance in their careers. These students who conducted undergraduare research at RU are now wrapping up master's degrees in field biology-related topics. We couldn't be prouder!

NewtoffK

Kiersten Newtoff successfully defended her thesis, "Spatial variability in mercury exposure and diet in brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidenatalis) in North Carolina." She will be graduating from the University of North Carolina-Wilmington. She has secured an internship with NASA, using GIS techniques to study the effects of forest changes in New England to long-term bird survey data. As an undergraduate of RU, Kiersten was very active in the Honors Academy, and worked in the labs of Drs. Small and Powers.





FaidleyC

Clayton Faidley will be defending his thesis later this year at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. His thesis is entitled, "Aquatic herpetofauna of a bottomland hardwood forest on Boeuf Wildlife Management Area in northeastern Louisiana." He'll spend this summer chasing bats in Wyoming as he writes his thesis. During his undergraduate years, Clayton gained research experience with Dr. Powers. He is a co-author (with Powers) on a published manuscript on the salamanders of RU's Selu Conservancy.





BowerJ

Justin Bower successfully defended his Master's thesis at Frostburg State in Maryland. His thesis is entitled, "Health status of butternut (Juglans cinerea) in Maryland." This summer, he will be studying the effects of forest fragmentation on bird communities. As an undergraduate, he assisted with research in the labs of Drs. Guinan, Davis, Small, and Powers. 



BlandC

Craig Bland is wrapping up his Master's degree at the University of Georgia. He is researching the rare northern yellow bat (Lasiurus intermedius) on the coastal islands of Georgia. He will be defending his thesis this summer or early fall, and will begin working as a full-time biologist for EcoTech, an environmental consulting firm in Atlanta. During his undergraduate years at RU, Craig worked on several projects in the lab of Dr. Powers, and was a co-author with Powers on a published bat manuscript.

Apr 26, 2014
Karen Powers
540.831.6537
biology@radford.edu