2017 TEAM
Felisha Walls
Summer 2017 Team
Felisha joined the Team (and the McGarvey Lab) in July 2017. She was brave enough to relocate from the Other Coast, where she grew up in the Bay (San Francisco) Region, and I'm glad that she did. Felisha's background is in applied stream ecology and she is interested in studying water quality from a human health and social justice perspective. As a PhD student and the most senior non-faculty member of the Team, Felisha is doing double-duty as a crew member and mentor to the other Team members. I'm excited to be developing some new research plans with Felisha. She's an amazing individual and she's doing an amazing job. . .
Daijona Revell
Summer 2017 Team
Daijona is a junior at VCU, majoring in Forensic Biology. She is also sharpening her skills in computer programming and she runs track-and-field (100 meter hurdles) for VCU. Prior to joining the Team, Daijona had never participated in a stream survey but she quickly found her pace and did a killer job throughout the entire program. In fact, she was the only Team member to chase and catch a cottonmouth (snake) when we reached Alabama! Daijona is super motivated to learn more about the research process and to gain as much experience and exposure as possible. She is now completing an independent research project on the relationship between body size and trophic position in stream fishes and invertebrates, then giving her first presentation at the Society for Freshwater Science meeting in Detroit, MI.
Serena Moncion
Summer 2017 Team
Serena joined the Team from Charlottesville, Virginia where she is currently a senior at the University of Virginia. She's majoring in Environmental Science and had previously completed some coursework in aquatic ecology, so she was definitely a big help throughout the summer trip. Currently, she's conducting an independent study of the relationship between body size and abundance, using the fish and invertebrate data that we collected in 2017. This means that she's also spending a lot of time at the microscope, identifying and measuring some of the invertebrate specimens. Serena is a natural leader who works with and mentors some of the international students at UVA. Now, she's mapping out the next step in her very promising future.
Raquel Wetzell
Summer 2017 Team
Raquel is the Team Traveler. She has already completed several study abroad experiences, including Greece and Australia. So she was a total pro when it came to being on the road and living out of a suitcase. Raquel is also incredibly bright and motivated! She's double-majoring at Virginia Commonwealth University in Biology and Anthropology, with minors in Chemistry and History thrown in for good measure. And she's a veteran leader in 'Ram Camp' - the orientation process for incoming freshmen here at VCU. In Fall 2017 (after the summer survey), Raquel completed a nice independent study of functional feeding group structure in invertebrate assemblages among the 2017 study sites. Currently, she is looking for that next research and professional development opportunity. She's awesome!
