Research Team

Tyler Coleman, PhD	Tyler Steven Coleman is a Postdoctoral Researcher for the Aquatics Team. Tyler integrates theoretical and applied research using innovative quantitative techniques, while assisting colleagues and students with fieldwork and statistics. Email: tyler.coleman-5@selu.edu
Alex Mott, PhD	Alex Mott is the Invertebrate Ecology Postdoctoral Researcher working with the Aquatics Team under Dr. Kyle Piller. His work focuses on monitoring blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus), Rangia clams, and identifying the shrimp species that live in Lake Maurepas. Email: alexander.mott@selu.edu
Wray Gabel, MS	Wray Gabel is the GIS/Data Management Technician for the Lake Maurepas Monitoring Program. Wray is responsible for managing all data generated by all aspects of the project and also specializes in ArcGIS geospatial software. Email: wray.gabel@selu.edu
Corwyn Hall, MS	Corwyn Hall is the Lead Field Technician for the Lake Maurepas project. He will work with graduate students and postdoctoral researchers to collect fish, shrimp, crabs, and clams, along with other field samples. When not in the field he will maintain field equipment, help with research projects, and work on his own research. Email: corwyn.hall@selu.edu
Nick Stevens, MS	Nick Stevens will be assisting Dr. Shaffer and his lab throughout the duration of this project. He will be helping manage the day to day duties such as cleaning and maintaining both field and lab equipment as well as prepping equipment and supplies for field operations. Nick will also be helping Dr. Shaffer with his research in the Maurepas swamp and on Lake Maurepas by setting up locations for monitoring, visiting these stations to collect data, and preparing graduate students and equipment for data collection. He will also be in charge of helping grow and maintain the cypress and tupelo that will be needed for the yearly restoration plantings. Email: nicholas.stevens@selu.edu
Ariel Ebanks, MS	Ariel Ebanks is the Community Outreach and Education Coordinator for the Turtle Cove Environmental Research Station. Her responsibilities include incorporating the ongoing research for the Lake Maurepas Monitoring project into STEM outreach events and Turtle Cove tours, assisting with the development of climate change-related coursework, and facilitating the needs of faculty and staff utilizing Turtle Cove for their work. Email: ariel.ebanks@selu.edu
Hadyn Hall, BS	Hadyn Hall is our Project Coordinator, and she will assist in the daily administrative tasks relating to the Lake Maurepas Monitoring project. She is the website manager, so please reach out to her for more information. Email: hadyn.hall@selu.edu
Hayden Reno	Hayden Reno is the caretaker at Turtle Cove. Hayden plays an integral role on the team by facilitating access to Lake Maurepas and sharing his knowledge about Lake Maurepas and the region. Email: hayden.reno@selu.edu

Graduate Students

Camryn Bigelow	Camryn is a first year graduate student in the Piller lab. She graduated from Texas A&M University at Galveston with her B.S. in Marine Biology. She will be working with eDNA for the Maurepas biomonitoring project as a graduate research assistant. Her thesis project is currently directed towards examining variation in invertebrate populations along the salinity gradient and how this information contributes to a greater understanding of how estuaries work overall. Email: camryn.bigelow@selu.edu
Emily Vanaselja	Emily is a first year graduate research assistant on the project. Her main role will be to use environmental DNA (eDNA) to better understand the spatial and temporal variability in the fish assemblage of Lake Maurepas. This comprehensive monitoring technique will be used in conjunction with traditional sampling approaches that also will be used on the project. Email: emily.vanaselja@selu.edu
Anthony Johnson	Anthony Johnson is a Master of Science student and Graduate Research Assistant at Southeastern Louisiana University. He aims to integrate his background in natural resource management with his passion for landscape ecology, herpetology, and conservation biology to support the Lake Maurepas monitoring team. He will be assisting the team both in the field and in the lab to gain a deeper understanding of the pre-carbon capture conditions of the lake. While Anthony is involved in collecting biological data on several taxa within Lake Maurepas, his primary focus is on gathering physiological data from alligators and catfish. Email: anthony.johnson-5@selu.edu
Maggie McGreal	Maggie McGreal is a graduate research assistant who will be involved in monitoring wildlife in the lake through the collection and handling of physiological data, primarily focusing on frogs and alligators. She will also be involved in investigating the demographics of alligators through a large-scale mark-recapture program and will be working in a collaborative team towards the development of satellite trackers to collect data on alligator movement and space use patterns. Email: maggie.mcgreal@selu.edu
Mario Campo	Mario Campo is a graduate research assistant in Dr. Gary Shaffer’s lab. He assists with data collection, field work, and greenhouse upkeep. Campo is composing a new version of the Sustainability map of the Maurepas/Manchac Wetlands. He is also assisting with the growth of bald cypress and tupelo trees that will be used for mitigation during this project. Email: frank.campo-2@selu.edu
Taylor Parker	Taylor Parker is a graduate research assistant studying in Dr. Shaffer’s lab. He assists with data collection and prepping field monitoring stations in the Maurepas swamp and on Lake Maurepas. He is a greenhouse technician that is assisting in the management of bald cypress and water tupelo trees that will be used for mitigation during this project. His thesis will be measuring recent subsidence rates across the Maurepas swamp. Email: taylor.parker-3@selu.edu
Thilini Gunawardhana	Thilini is a Graduate Assistant on the Chemistry team. She will assist in the examination of water and sediment samples from Lake Maurepas weekly and analyze the samples for their chemical properties. Her primary studies are directed toward the chemical migration within the lake and the nearby wetlands. Email: thilininimanthikagunawardhan.wickramaarachchigunawardhana@selu.edu
Md. Alinur Rahman	Md. Alinur is responsible for water and sediment sampling from Lake Maurepas, analyzing the chemical properties of these samples, comparing the data with the dredge and non-dredge sampling locations, and identifying the pollution sources and their distributions. Email: mdalinur.rahman@selu.edu

Contact Information

Lake Maurepas Monitoring Project
Biological Sciences
808 N. Pine Street Ext.
Room 160
Hammond, LA 70402

Tel: 985-549-2010
LakeMaurepas@southeastern.edu