I Designed and executed research linking aquatic habitat conditions, spawning site selection, and origin of Chinook salmon in the Yakima River, WA. I led a small team that collected spatially continuous habitat, fish community, and salmon redd and carcass data along 165 km of mainstem, tributary, and floodplain habitats. The project will improve scientific understanding of spawning site selection by hatchery- and wild-origin salmon, the changing role of habitat factors at various spatial scales in species-habitat relationships, and the relationships between aquatic habitat conditions and salmon supplementation. The outcomes of this research may help resource managers to prioritize management and restoration actions affecting the conservation of native salmonids. Through this research, I gained experience with spatially continuous and traditional habitat assessments, inventories of resident fishes, and analysis of empirical and derived data in GIS and various statistical software packages. I have also published manuscripts, presented to fellow scientists, managed projects, and fostered collaboration among government agencies and tribes.

The first two quarters I taught evolution and genetics (BIOL 180). The third quarter I taught animal and plant physiology (BIOL 220). I gained valuable teaching and leadership experience. My responsibilities included leading 4 hour lab sessions, grading, maintaining grade records, and lab preparation.

I further developed my dissertation project regarding spawning site selection by salmon relative to aquatic habitat conditions. A combination of continuous and site-based survey techniques were used to holistically quantify biotic and abiotic conditions across spatial scales.