Current Lab Members
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Dr. Joanna R. Blaszczak
Assistant Professor Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Science University of Nevada, Reno CV Google Scholar profile |
Postdoctoral Researchers:
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Dr. Laurel Genzoli - Postdoctoral Researcher (Summer 2024 - present)
Email: lgenzoli (at) unr.edu, Google Scholar Laurel joined the lab in summer 2024 as part of the NSF-funded Modelscape consortium. She completed her PhD at the University of Montana and Flathead Lake Biological Station, where she studied algal bloom dynamics in the Klamath River prior to dam removal. Laurel is interested in combining field observations and high-frequency sensor data to improve tools for monitoring and researching river algal dynamics. She is at home in the water, snorkeling and kayaking her way through field data collection and is inspired by working with community groups to support the data and outreach needs of local communities. At UNR, Laurel will be working with a long-term data set of river metabolism in the Truckee River and will continue working with Tribes on the Klamath River to improve understanding of nuisance and harmful algal blooms following dam removal. |
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Dr. Janette Davidson - Postdoctoral Researcher (Fall 2024 - present)
Email: janettedavidson (at) unr.edu Janette joined the lab in September 2024 as a postdoc in quantitative ecology and is jointly part of the Shriver Lab. She completed her PhD in ecology with a minor in statistics at the University of Wyoming in 2024, where she studied the dynamics of community synchrony using models, microcosms, and long-term grassland data. More broadly, she is interested in linking patterns in global change and community assembly, and the application of both theoretical and empirical approaches to better understand the mechanisms that drive these patterns. As a part of the NSF Rules of Life project, Janette will focus on forecasting harmful algae blooms using Bayesian methods. She is also interested in science communication, particularly through art, and has collaborated with research labs and outreach institutions to design conceptual figures and graphics on conservation. |
Graduate students:
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Kelly Loria - Ph.D. Student (Fall 2020 - present)
Email: kloria (at) unr.edu Kelly is a PhD student in the Natural Resources and Environmental Science Program at the University of Nevada, Reno. She graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder with a degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and post-graduation lead the Niwot Ridge Long Term Ecological Research Program’s monitoring of alpine lakes. She is broadly interested in aquatic ecology, especially in headwater catchments. Kelly is excited to be investigating patterns of stream metabolism in the Lake Tahoe Basin for land use gradients and event based signals. |
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Jordan Zabrecky - Ph.D. Student (Summer 2022 - present)
Email: jzabrecky (at) unr.edu Jordan is a PhD student in the Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences program. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a BS in the Geological Sciences. During undergrad, she realized her interest in water quality and freshwater science while researching anthropogenic gadolinium in local streams. For her PhD, Jordan is psyched to tackle water quality issues through a biogeochemical perspective by studying controls on cyanobacteria and anatoxin production in streams of northern California. Outside of academia, you can find her bouldering at Lake Tahoe or Bishop. |
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Dre Garcia Jimenez - Ph.D. Student (Fall 2023 - Present)
Email: agarciajimenez (at) unr.edu Dre is a PhD student in the Natural Resources and Environmental Science program. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a BS in Environmental Science-Geology where she first became interested in cyanotoxins. She is broadly interested in the interactions between hydrological processes, water quality, and how they influence aquatic ecology. Outside of the lab, you can find Dre climbing, knitting, or hanging out with her dog Posey (who is named after the grass Poa secunda). |
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Deandre Presswood - Ph.D. Student (Fall 2024 - present)
Email: dpresswood (at) unr.edu Deandre is a PhD student in the Hydrologic Sciences program at the University of Nevada, Reno. He holds a Master's in Geoscience from Georgia State University and a Bachelor's in Environmental Science from the University of Northern Iowa. Deandre has worked on hydrologic projects across various climatic zones, including the Midwest, Southeast, and the Rocky Mountains, focusing on how anthropogenic influences like agriculture and urbanization affect water quality. His PhD research examines how watershed expansion and contraction impact water quality in a changing climate. Outside of research, you can find him creating science videos, floating down rivers, skiing, or stargazing in remote wilderness. |
Research Technicians:
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Colette Berkenfield (Summer 2024 - Present)
Email: cberkenfield (at) unr.edu Colette (UNR '24) is a full time research technician assisting with the Rules of Life project investigating cyanotoxin production in rivers. |
Wundergrads:
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Robert Padan (Summer 2024 - Present)
Robert is an undergraduate student pursuing a degree in Forest Ecology and Management. He plans on applying to law school after graduation with the hope of focusing on environmental law. In his free time, Robert likes to go hiking and paddle-boarding with his cat Bartholomeow. |
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Valerie Valdivia (Fall 2024 - Present)
Valerie is an undergraduate student pursuing her degree in Environmental Science with a focus in conservation and restoration. She is passionate about everything water science and loves field work! Valerie is stoked to be apart of the lab and work as a team with likeminded environmentalists. |
Lab group photos by semester:
Lab Alumni
Graduate Student, Postdoctoral Research Associate, and Visiting Scholar Alumni
Dr. Wubneh Belete Abebe (Fall 2022 - Fall 2024): Visiting scholar from Bahir Dar University in Ethiopia with a focus on using InVEST modeling to predict nutrient export from the Gumara River Watershed
Dr. Heili Lowman (Spring 2021 - Spring 2024): Postdoctoral Research Associate with the NSF-funded Modelscape consortium (currently postdoctoral researcher with Duke University)
Dr. Leon Katona (Summer 2022 - Summer 2023): Postdoctoral Research Associate with the NSF-funded Modelscape consortium (currently with the USGS Midwest Science Center)
Keenan Seto (Fall 2020 - Summer 2022): NRES M.S., UNR, Thesis Title: "Urbanization and freshwater salinity: Impacts on water quality, sediment, and microbial communities in semi-arid streams" (currently with Dudek Environmental Consulting)
Meredith Brehob (Spring 2020 - Spring 2022): NRES M.S., UNR, co-advised by Sudeep Chandra, Thesis Title: "Aquatic Macrophytes in Irrigation Canals: Environmental Controls and Impacts on Metabolic Processes" (currently with the U.S. EPA National Nutrient Inventory)
Dr. Wubneh Belete Abebe (Fall 2022 - Fall 2024): Visiting scholar from Bahir Dar University in Ethiopia with a focus on using InVEST modeling to predict nutrient export from the Gumara River Watershed
Dr. Heili Lowman (Spring 2021 - Spring 2024): Postdoctoral Research Associate with the NSF-funded Modelscape consortium (currently postdoctoral researcher with Duke University)
Dr. Leon Katona (Summer 2022 - Summer 2023): Postdoctoral Research Associate with the NSF-funded Modelscape consortium (currently with the USGS Midwest Science Center)
Keenan Seto (Fall 2020 - Summer 2022): NRES M.S., UNR, Thesis Title: "Urbanization and freshwater salinity: Impacts on water quality, sediment, and microbial communities in semi-arid streams" (currently with Dudek Environmental Consulting)
Meredith Brehob (Spring 2020 - Spring 2022): NRES M.S., UNR, co-advised by Sudeep Chandra, Thesis Title: "Aquatic Macrophytes in Irrigation Canals: Environmental Controls and Impacts on Metabolic Processes" (currently with the U.S. EPA National Nutrient Inventory)
Research Technician Alumni
Taryn Elliott (Spring 2023 - Spring 2024): Taryn was a research technician in the lab who worked on collecting field samples and data for a project studying cyanobacteria and anatoxin production in rivers in northern California working closely with PhD student Jordan Zabrecky. Taryn became highly skilled at microscopy identifying our samples of benthic algal and cyanobacterial communities for two years across three rivers. Following her time in the lab, Taryn is now a digitization technician with the California Botanical Garden
Jasmine Krause (Summer 2022 - Summer 2023): Jasmine was a research technician in the lab who worked on field and laboratory research for a project studying the influence of watershed-to-lake connections on nearshore productivity dynamics in Lake Tahoe. Jasmine was a pro at running the AQ400 discrete analyzer and led a series of incubation experiments investigating N uptake rates. Following her time in the lab, Jasmine is now a PhD student at Oregon State University with Adam Ward.
Meaghan Hickey (Summer - Winter 2022): Meaghan was a research technician in the lab who worked on collecting field samples and data for a project studying cyanobacteria and anatoxin production in rivers in northern California. Meaghan started her own side project investigating macroinvertebrate diversity and abundance within toxin-producing cyanobacterial benthic mats in the South Fork of the Eel River and has a publication forthcoming. Following her time in the lab, Meaghan returned to Vermont to start a position with the Vermont Watershed Management Division.
Lauren Bolotin (Fall 2019 - Spring 2021): Lauren was the first member to join the lab as a technician. In her time as a lab member, she adeptly picked up a broad range of coding, data analysis, lab, and field skills. Lauren eventually took on a project of her own classifying river salinity regimes in the western U.S. and has a publication in Limnology & Oceanography Letters. Lauren joined Dr. Hillary McMillan's lab in the fall of 2021 at San Diego State University to do a M.S. in Geography and was awarded an Honorable Mention from the 2021 NSF GRFP.
Taryn Elliott (Spring 2023 - Spring 2024): Taryn was a research technician in the lab who worked on collecting field samples and data for a project studying cyanobacteria and anatoxin production in rivers in northern California working closely with PhD student Jordan Zabrecky. Taryn became highly skilled at microscopy identifying our samples of benthic algal and cyanobacterial communities for two years across three rivers. Following her time in the lab, Taryn is now a digitization technician with the California Botanical Garden
Jasmine Krause (Summer 2022 - Summer 2023): Jasmine was a research technician in the lab who worked on field and laboratory research for a project studying the influence of watershed-to-lake connections on nearshore productivity dynamics in Lake Tahoe. Jasmine was a pro at running the AQ400 discrete analyzer and led a series of incubation experiments investigating N uptake rates. Following her time in the lab, Jasmine is now a PhD student at Oregon State University with Adam Ward.
Meaghan Hickey (Summer - Winter 2022): Meaghan was a research technician in the lab who worked on collecting field samples and data for a project studying cyanobacteria and anatoxin production in rivers in northern California. Meaghan started her own side project investigating macroinvertebrate diversity and abundance within toxin-producing cyanobacterial benthic mats in the South Fork of the Eel River and has a publication forthcoming. Following her time in the lab, Meaghan returned to Vermont to start a position with the Vermont Watershed Management Division.
Lauren Bolotin (Fall 2019 - Spring 2021): Lauren was the first member to join the lab as a technician. In her time as a lab member, she adeptly picked up a broad range of coding, data analysis, lab, and field skills. Lauren eventually took on a project of her own classifying river salinity regimes in the western U.S. and has a publication in Limnology & Oceanography Letters. Lauren joined Dr. Hillary McMillan's lab in the fall of 2021 at San Diego State University to do a M.S. in Geography and was awarded an Honorable Mention from the 2021 NSF GRFP.
Wundergraduate Alumni
Helen Lei (Spring 2022 - Summer 2024): Helen was an undergraduate student in the Integrated Elementary Teaching program pursuing a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education with a specialization in Special Education and minoring in Environmental Science. Helen was a research assistant in the lab for two years and helped with everything from chl-a analyses, running samples on the AQ400 (no small task!), field work, and general lab management. In her final summer, she was awarded a NURA to work on a project in collaboration with Monica Arienzo at DRI on microplastics in snow cores from the Sierras.
Ian Halterman (Summer 2023 - Summer 2024): Ian was a Biology undergraduate student who continued on as a laboratory technician. He started by helping on the Tahoe nearshore greening project and then played an instrumental role in getting the QuEST project up off the ground. He is now research staff at the University of Washington.
Paola Miramontes Gonzalez (Spring 2022 - Spring 2024): Paola was an undergraduate student in the Natural Resources and Environmental Science program and a McNair Scholar at UNR. With a NURA and a UROP award, Paola conducted a project investigating longitudinal variation in stream chemistry and water stable isotopes. She is now a MS student with Adam Wymore at UNH.
Rob Miller (Fall 2021 - Spring 2023): Rob joined the lab as an undergraduate research technician while majoring in the Natural Resources and Environmental Science program at the University of Nevada, Reno. He focused on helping with field and lab work related to nearshore greening in Lake Tahoe.
Michelle Fung (Spring 2023): Michelle joined the lab as an undergraduate research technician while majoring in the Biology program at the University of Nevada, Reno. Michelle helped with acid washing and tasks in the lab.
Alyda Dickens (Fall 2021 - Spring 2022): Alyda joined the lab as an undergraduate research technician while majoring in the Natural Resources and Environmental Science program at the University of Nevada, Reno. She designed lab logos and helped with acid washing and organization in the lab.
Laura Arbutina (Fall 2021 - Spring 2022): Laura joined the lab as an undergraduate research technician while majoring in the Natural Resources and Environmental Science program and well as the Biology program at UNR. Laura downloaded data from and maintained sensors in urban streams around Reno. She completed a bachelor of science degree in Environmental Science and Biology with an interest in genetics.
Anna Zoeters (Spring 2021 - Fall 2022): Anna joined the lab as a senior after taking an Environmental Toxicology course taught by Joanna. During spring 2021, Anna worked with Madison Glenwinkel to investigate stream responses to drying in streams monitored by the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON). Anna graduated in spring 2021 and was awarded Outstanding Senior in the NRES department. During the fall of 2021, Anna rejoined the lab as a remote research technician.
Chloe Dodge (Spring 2020 - Summer 2021): Chloe graduated from the Environmental Science and Ecohydrology programs at UNR in spring 2021 and continued on as a research technician until the beginning of Fall 2021. Chloe was awarded Outstanding Senior from the NRES department. Chloe is now a masters student at Erasmus University in Rotterdam in their Urban Environment, Sustainability and Climate Change program.
Molly Farro & Helena Garrett-Paullada (Summer 2021): Molly & Helena joined the lab for the summer of 2021 and learned a variety of field and laboratory skills helping Meredith, Keenan, and Kelly with their projects.
Madison Glenwinkel (Spring 2021): Madison joined the lab as a freshman interested in environmental microbiology. Madison worked with Anna Zoeters to investigate stream responses to drying in streams monitored by the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON). She was awarded a NV EPSCoR Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program summer fellowship (declined).
Albert Lopez-Martinez (Spring 2020 - Spring 2021): Albert joined the lab as a junior undergraduate student pursuing a Chemical Engineering degree and a McNair Scholar. Albert successfully applied for both the UNR Nevada Undergraduate Research Award (NURA - declined) and the NV EPSCoR Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP - accepted). Albert's research was investigating greenhouse gas emissions from canals in northeastern NV, and will be joining Frank (Yu) Yang's lab at UNR in the fall of 2021.
Ian Halterman (Summer 2023 - Summer 2024): Ian was a Biology undergraduate student who continued on as a laboratory technician. He started by helping on the Tahoe nearshore greening project and then played an instrumental role in getting the QuEST project up off the ground. He is now research staff at the University of Washington.
Paola Miramontes Gonzalez (Spring 2022 - Spring 2024): Paola was an undergraduate student in the Natural Resources and Environmental Science program and a McNair Scholar at UNR. With a NURA and a UROP award, Paola conducted a project investigating longitudinal variation in stream chemistry and water stable isotopes. She is now a MS student with Adam Wymore at UNH.
Rob Miller (Fall 2021 - Spring 2023): Rob joined the lab as an undergraduate research technician while majoring in the Natural Resources and Environmental Science program at the University of Nevada, Reno. He focused on helping with field and lab work related to nearshore greening in Lake Tahoe.
Michelle Fung (Spring 2023): Michelle joined the lab as an undergraduate research technician while majoring in the Biology program at the University of Nevada, Reno. Michelle helped with acid washing and tasks in the lab.
Alyda Dickens (Fall 2021 - Spring 2022): Alyda joined the lab as an undergraduate research technician while majoring in the Natural Resources and Environmental Science program at the University of Nevada, Reno. She designed lab logos and helped with acid washing and organization in the lab.
Laura Arbutina (Fall 2021 - Spring 2022): Laura joined the lab as an undergraduate research technician while majoring in the Natural Resources and Environmental Science program and well as the Biology program at UNR. Laura downloaded data from and maintained sensors in urban streams around Reno. She completed a bachelor of science degree in Environmental Science and Biology with an interest in genetics.
Anna Zoeters (Spring 2021 - Fall 2022): Anna joined the lab as a senior after taking an Environmental Toxicology course taught by Joanna. During spring 2021, Anna worked with Madison Glenwinkel to investigate stream responses to drying in streams monitored by the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON). Anna graduated in spring 2021 and was awarded Outstanding Senior in the NRES department. During the fall of 2021, Anna rejoined the lab as a remote research technician.
Chloe Dodge (Spring 2020 - Summer 2021): Chloe graduated from the Environmental Science and Ecohydrology programs at UNR in spring 2021 and continued on as a research technician until the beginning of Fall 2021. Chloe was awarded Outstanding Senior from the NRES department. Chloe is now a masters student at Erasmus University in Rotterdam in their Urban Environment, Sustainability and Climate Change program.
Molly Farro & Helena Garrett-Paullada (Summer 2021): Molly & Helena joined the lab for the summer of 2021 and learned a variety of field and laboratory skills helping Meredith, Keenan, and Kelly with their projects.
Madison Glenwinkel (Spring 2021): Madison joined the lab as a freshman interested in environmental microbiology. Madison worked with Anna Zoeters to investigate stream responses to drying in streams monitored by the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON). She was awarded a NV EPSCoR Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program summer fellowship (declined).
Albert Lopez-Martinez (Spring 2020 - Spring 2021): Albert joined the lab as a junior undergraduate student pursuing a Chemical Engineering degree and a McNair Scholar. Albert successfully applied for both the UNR Nevada Undergraduate Research Award (NURA - declined) and the NV EPSCoR Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP - accepted). Albert's research was investigating greenhouse gas emissions from canals in northeastern NV, and will be joining Frank (Yu) Yang's lab at UNR in the fall of 2021.
