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.
Jon Rodemann is a second-year PhD student in the Rehage Lab. His research focuses on the implications of altered freshwater flows and seagrass die-offs on the movement and trophic ecology of recreationally important fishes, but he has his hand in everything: He is working on mapping seagrass using remote sensing, modeling habitat suitability for seatrout, and much more. He thinks the FCE student group is a fantastic opportunity for students to meet, hang out with and collaborate with other students working on a variety of projects. As president, he wants to take advantage of this diversity to build a sense of community within the student group through work and study sessions, community outreach and some fun trips as well.
Chloe Vorseth is a second-year MS student working with Dr. Mahadev Bhat at FIU and Dr. Andrew Stainback at the Everglades Foundation. She is interested in understanding the economic value of the Everglades ecosystem, as well as facilitating interdisciplinary Everglades restoration decision-making using stakeholder engagement and expert input. Chloé is eager to be a part of the FCE leadership team, interested in inspiring interdisciplinary collaboration, knowledge sharing, and creating a sense of community among student researchers involved in the Everglades ecosystem.
Selena Chavez is a PhD student studying Earth System Science in the Geodesy Lab under the direction of Dr. Shimon Wdowinski. Her main interests include finding ways to use remote sensing as a tool to monitor coastal wetlands. She is currently researching ways to use NASA's G-LiHT sensor and other remote sensing data to model damage caused by Hurricane Irma on the mangroves of the Everglades and to monitor the mangroves' recovery. Her plan for the FCE group as a member of the executive board is to maintain student engagement and also help to continue to support students working in and around the Everglades through academic and social events.
Mason Bradbury is a PhD student in Mike Ross' lab in the Department of Earth and Environment, co-advised by Dr. Gail Hollander from the Department of Global and Sociocultural Studies. His research focuses on historical ecology and the social and political context of restoration at sites in the Biscayne Bay area. He is serving on the FCE student group e-board in order to become more involved in outreach and leadership activities and to get to know fellow grad students better.
Mareli Sanchez Julia is a PhD student in Dr. Van Bael's lab at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her research focuses on the factors that drive that distribution and diversity of plant-symbiotic fungi, both in species-rich tropical forests in Panama and in species-poor coastal mangrove forests in Florida. Originally from Puerto Rico, Mareli got very interested in ecology and evolutionary biology while working in the tropical forests there. Mareli is excited about the opportunity to get involved and contribute to the collective success of the student group.
Dr. Gaiser has served as the lead principal investigator of the FCE LTER program and the faculty advisor for FCE LTER Graduate Student Group since 2007. She has been mentoring FCE LTER graduate students since the beginning of the FCE LTER program in 2000.