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Students

We provide a scholarly and social environment for the students of the FCE LTER conducting research in the Florida Everglades and adjacent ecosystems.

We support collaborative student research projects both within the FCE site as well as collaborations with all other LTER network sites. We will continue to pursue new technologies, sampling methods and ecological theories through collaboration with other LTER sites.

The FCE Student Group at the 2025 FCE LTER All Scientists' MeetingThe FCE Student Group at the 2025 FCE LTER All Scientists' Meeting

Graduate Student Executive Board

  • President: James Sturges
    James Sturges

    James is a third year PhD student in the Coastal Fisheries Research Lab advised by Dr. Jennifer Rehage. James’ dissertation work broadly focuses on aquatic food web dynamics on an ecosystem scale. He is interested in niche partitioning, multichannel energy pathway coupling in food webs, and ecosystem trajectories under shifting climatic conditions. Prior to moving to Florida James completed his B.S. degree at the University of Southern California and his M.S. at California State Polytechnique University, Pomona where he used stereo-video cameras to study fine-scale fish habitat use patterns on artificial reefs. James is passionate about promoting cross-site synthesis with other working groups and LTER sites, and hopes to promote better data management by making analytic resources available to students in the LTER network.

  • Vice President: Katie Johnson

     

  • Outreach Coordinator: McKenzie Zapata

     

  • Treasurer: Sophie Costa

     

  • Secretary: Alia Jones

     

  • Faculty Advisor: Dr. John Kominoski
    John Kominoski

    Dr. Kominoski is the lead principal investigator of the FCE LTER program and the faculty advisor for FCE LTER Graduate Student Group. He has been mentoring FCE LTER graduate students since joining the FCE LTER program in 2012.