Although some of us work at a university, the views expressed on all Bugs, Maps, and Math webpages are our own, and do not reflect those of our employers, colleagues, or funding agencies.  Heck, they might even be horrified by what we say here.  Meh.

ecomentat (Jeffrey Holland, Ph.D.):  I specialize in extensive fieldwork, spatial analysis, biodiversity, entomology, and landscape ecology.  My everyday tools are R programming, GIS, multivariate and spatial statistics, and three dimensional rendering for images and animations.  I have done consulting work on habitat and spatial population dynamics of animals and on statistical analysis.

landgen (Hossam Abdel Moniem, Ph.D.):  I am a landscape geneticist. More explicitly, I’m interested in studying how landscape structure and function influence gene flow between natural populations in complex landscapes. I use modern methods of surface metrology metrics to assess habitat connectivity and heterogeneity in the landscapes. I  use molecular markers like mtDNA and microsatellites to study the genetic structure of natural populations. I use GIS, remote sensing, and spatial explicit statistical techniques to analyses my data intensively in R. In my Ph.D. I worked on the flower longhorn beetle (Typocerus velutivus) and in my postdoc appointment I studied two more species; Phytophthora soje (Soybean root rot fungus pathogen) and Mayetiola destructor (Hessian fly that attacks wheat).

chariessa (Ashley Kissick, Ph.D.):  likes Chariessa sp.

ealarue (Elizabeth LaRue): Studies dispersal evolution, range limits, and climate tracking in a coastal plant. More info can be found at www.elizabethannlarue.wordpress.com

paperinsect (Jakob Goldner):  My background is in wildlife and fisheries resources (B.S.), and entomology (M.S.). My research addresses ecological interactions between insect traits and landscape configuration to determine realized dispersal distances, and at what spatial scale adaptation occurs. I am studying the metapopulation of the dragonfly family Cordulegastridae in the state of Indiana as my model system. I am also interested in advancing academic involvement in STEM education. Specifically, I wish to apply ecological concepts to incorporated STEM lessons in a secondary education context.

 finn (Eoghan McCroskey): With a B.S. in the biological sciences, I am currently working towards a PhD in entomology through Purdue’s Ecological Sciences and Engineering (ESE) program. My research focuses on  how communities of Collembola (springtails) shift in response to anthropogenic stressors under different land-use types and how they may enhance nutrient cycling within the soil. I am also interested in how perceptions of ecological principles and biodiversity influence land management, particularly in regards to “sustainable” agriculture.