Research Collaborations
Below are some of the research projects and working groups I have had the opportunity to contribute to.
Pathways Working Group
Principal Investigators:
Dr. Patricia Kelley & Dr. Gregory P. Dietl
The Pathways Working Group, supported by the NSF-funded Conservation Paleobiology Network, aims to identify core competencies and skills needed by conservation paleobiologists to tackle conservation challenges. Another primary goal is to identify a variety of pathways to careers in conservation paleobiology, including applied management and policy practice. The group is working to highlight some stories from individuals trained in conservation paleobiology who are employed in an applied non-academic conservation position to share the skills, challenges, and benefits of working within different agencies (e.g., federal, state, etc.). The compiled resources and advice will be useful to both students and mentors in conservation paleobiology and adjacent fields of study.
Oysters Past Working Group
Principal Investigators:
Dr. Stephen R. Durham & Dr. Gregory P. Dietl
The Oysters Past Working Group (OPWG), supported by the NSF-funded Conservation Paleobiology Network, includes international members from both academic geohisotrical disciplines (e.g., paleontology, archaeology, historical ecology) and oyster management practitioners to identify ways geohistorical records could fill data gaps and meet management needs. The OPWG implemented a survey to both academics and practitioners to help align academic expertise with identified needs and information gaps. The OPWG plans to produce a guidance document for practitioners about the applications of oyster-specific geohistorical methods to help inform actionable research and management decisions.
The Historical Oyster Body Size Project
The Historical Oyster Body Size (HOBS) project was a collaboration between the Paleontological Research Institution in Ithaca, NY, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection. The goal was to use the naturally accumulated record of dead, buried oysters beneath living reefs to extend baselines of oyster information further into the past. Oyster monitoring programs often only have one to two decades of data available, making it difficult to make long-term management decisions. HOBS hand-collected preserved shells to 35cm depth and measured over 30,000 oysters from 12 locations across Florida to inform body size trends over time. As part of the Statewide Ecosystem Assessment of Coastal and Aquatic Resources (SEACAR), the goal was to inform management and policy decisions across the state for oyster habitats, one of five primary coastal habitats in Florida.
