Lab Members

Shelby Hayhoe - (Ph.D. Student in the Brown/MBL program and the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Co-advised by Chris Neill)

I am interested in biogeochemical cycling, how this cycling affects ecosystem functioning, and what, then, happens with anthropogenic land use changes. I did my undergrad research at Grinnell College in rural Iowa, an area that has seen some of the most rapid and complete land use change in the world, looking at nutrient loading in stream and lake systems. Before starting as a student in the joint Brown/MBL program I worked as an environmental consultant, conducting sampling of impaired waterbodies in Minnesota as well as working on hazardous material clean ups. My dissertation is focusing on the expansion and intensification of soy agriculture in the Brazilian Amazon, a region with one of the most active agricultural frontiers in the world. I am looking at differences in stream and soil biogeochemistry and hydrology between primary forest and areas under soy cultivation.

Tim Huth - (M.S. Student in the Center for Environmental Studies)

My research investigates soil carbon dynamics under land use change (conversion from forest to pasture) in the tropical highlands of southwest (Pacific) Costa Rica. I am also interested in nutrient depletion (N, P, K, etc.) caused by compaction and loss of soil under grazing by cattle. More generally, my interests include whole-ecosystem ecology and biogeochemical cycles and understanding how to effectively educate the lay person about the motivations, results, and implications of investigations in ecology. I graduated from the College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell University in May 2008 with a degree in Science of Earth Systems, concentrating in biogeochemistry. As an undergraduate, I studied subsurface weathering dynamics in the watersheds of northern Hawaii by analyzing the silica content of surface and groundwater samples.

Mana Tang - (Undergraduate, Geology-Biology Concentrator)

I was born in Hong Kong, a city constantly buzzing with excitement on the southeastern coast of China. Having spent my childhood in a concrete forest, I have always yearned for the outdoors. At Brown, I developed an interest in terrestrial biogeochemistry and plant ecology. My senior thesis is a comparative study of nitrate reductase activity in hardwood species of northeastern temperate forests. Nitrate reductase is necessary for plants to utilize nitrate, which is likely to accumulate in northeastern forests due to anthropogenic deposition. The difference in nitrate reductase activity among tree species could consequently influence forest ecosystem species composition. I conducted fieldwork at Harvard Forest this summer for this research (funded by the Royce Foundation), and I will be analyzing the collected data this school year. When I am not engrossed in my studies, I play Japanese drumming with Brown Taiko, which performs on Brown campus and all over New England.

Jesse Bateman – (Undergraduate, Geology-Biology Concentrator)

I am an undergraduate concentrating in Geology Biology. My senior thesis focuses on determining which forms of soil phosphorus are utilized by plants, and whether the forms utilized change with the soil’s age. I spent this past summer in Hawaii collecting soil samples to use in my thesis.

Ruby Ho (Lab Manager)

I am responsible for the day to day operations in the lab, including helping students with their work and running samples that come in from our various projects. All inquiries that are lab-specific should be sent to me.

Lab Alums

Joaquin Chaves (former post doc).
Current whereabouts:

Lindsay Hagaman (former undergraduate)
Current whereabouts:

Deborah Lipson (former undergraduate)
Current whereabouts: A project enginner at DPR Construction, Inc. in San Francisco. Deb is primarily been working on green building and supporting the company in their efforts to do more sustainable construction and LEED projects.

Lindsay McAlpine (former undergraduate)
Current whereabouts: Research assistant at the Energy, Climate, and Transportation division of ICF International, Fairfax, VA. Lindsay is supporting the EPA’s Sustainable Products Network (SPN) and WasteWise program, which helps organizations reduce solid waste through reuse, recycling, and better practices education. She provides membership and technical support to businesses, non-profits, and state and local governments in order to assist their waste reduction efforts.

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