Cluster Students
Bradley Allf
Graduate Research Asst
FER (Forestry and Environmenta 100
ballf@ncsu.edu
Bradley is a graduate student in the Cooper Lab studying how citizen science can effect positive changes in conservation, research, and public engagement in science. Before coming to NC State Bradley worked at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences and as a freelance science writer. Bradley studied biology and creative writing at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and edits science poetry for ILT Review.
Carson B.
Graduate Research Asst
Jordan Hall Addition 4213
blcarson@ncsu.edu
Carson is a graduate student studying for her masters in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology. As a recent graduate of North Carolina Central University, she first became interested in doing environmental research pertaining to disparities in traditionally underserved communities through her lab experience there. Multiple opportunities from that time inspired her passion for social and environmental equity. She now hopes to use citizen science in an environmental justice context for her project. Currently, she is working on a citizen science project titled Sound Around Town with National Park Service Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division. This project aims to assess the acoustic environment in urban and suburban areas relating to noise pollution and perceptions of sound and noise. She will explore these perceptions using theories about biophilia, sense of place, and the soundscape approach. She hopes to learn how sense of place plays into the sensory perceptions of sound as an ecosystem service that is often overlooked but has been noted for its restorative qualities for human and more than human species.
Imani Bell
Graduate Research Asst
Biltmore Hall (Robertson Wing) 1003
ijbell@ncsu.edu
Imani is a graduate student in the Cooper Lab on Crowd the Tap, an EPA-funded citizen science project to inventory water pipe materials across the country. For her thesis, Imani is examining risk of lead-in-tap-water in relation to race and economics, as well as understand how communities organize to address environmental risks. Imani received her Bachelors of Science degree in Environmental Sciences from the University of South Florida. Before coming to graduate school, Imani did field work studying rare butterflies.
Michael Caslin
Graduate Research Asst
Jordan Hall 5103
mwcaslin@ncsu.edu
Michael is a graduate student in the Masters of Geospatial Information Science and Technology (MGIST) program at NC State University. He is currently a research assistant working with Dr. Madhusudan Katti on a citizen science project called the Triangle Bird Count with the goal of monitoring the abundance and diversity of bird species in urban habitats for the Triangle area. He has received a BS in Applied Geography at East Carolina University and a minor in Urban and Regional Planning. He enjoys hiking, caving, photography, and traveling. Michael has volunteered with the Earthwatch Institute which is an organization that engages people worldwide in scientific field research and education to promote the understanding and actions needed for a sustainable environment. So far he has helped with scientific fieldwork in Malaysia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Puerto Rico.
Sara Futch
Graduate Research Asst
Jordan Hall 3136
sefutch@ncsu.edu
Sara is a masters student in Dr. Lincoln Larson's and Dr. Caren Cooper's labs. She is working towards her MS in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology with a concentration in Human Dimensions. She has a BS in Psychology and BA in German from Wofford College. Her current research centers around SciStarter, an online citizen science platform, and investigating the current landscape of citizen science projects.
Kathryn Green
Graduate Services Assistants
Partners Building III 263
kegreen4@ncsu.edu
Katie is a PhD candidate in Science Education. She taught middle school science for 12 years and is very interested in how the public views science outside of the classroom. Her dissertation research is on evolution education and how religious beliefs affect acceptance and understanding of evolution. She is working with Dr. KC Busch on research that uses social network analysis to investigate how environmental education groups work together in North Carolina.
Suzanne Hartley
Graduate Research Asst
Biltmore Hall (Robertson Wing) 1003
smhartle@ncsu.edu
Suzanne is a Master's student in Dr. Caren Cooper's Lab, managing the citizen science project Sparrow Swap. Sparrow Swap is a citizen Science Project with two goals. The first goal is to compare management strategies to help bluebird enthusiasts manage house sparrows, an invasive pest species, from competing with bluebirds for birdhouses. The second goal is explore the use of house sparrow eggs (collected by participants of Sparrow Swap) as indicators of persistent environmental pollution. For her thesis, Suzanne is exploring potential relationships between eggshell appearance (color, speckling patterns, and thickness) and heavy metal concentrations. Her other interests include science communication, environmental education, and botany.
Mwenda Kudumu
Graduate Teach & Research Asst
enter degree here
Poe Hall 326G
mokudumu@ncsu.edu
Mwenda is a PhD student in Science Education. For 7 years she designed and implemented informal science programming for multi-generational audiences in museums across California, New York, and North Carolina. The lack of staff and visitor diversity in these informal science education institutions inspired her to move to Ghana, where she spent 8 years developing a science and technology center at the University of Cape Coast. She is currently working with Dr. KC Busch on developing a graduate certificate program in learning in informal contexts.
Mwenda Kudumu
Graduate Teaching Asst
Poe Hall NA
mokudumu@ncsu.edu
Charmaine Pedrozo
Graduate Teach & Research Asst
Jordan Hall 5125
cpedroz@ncsu.edu
Charmaine is a graduate student pursuing her MS in Natural Resources, with a focus in Outdoor Recreation. She is working in Dr. Lincoln Larson’s and Dr. Caren Cooper’s labs, studying the impacts of citizen science participation on wildlife conservation behaviors through the platform of Candid Critters. The Candid Critters citizen science project uses camera trapping as a tool to generate scientific data on local mammals in North Carolina, while simultaneously engaging the public with wildlife research. Before becoming a student at NC State, Charmaine received her BS in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation from the University of Florida, with a focus in Human Dimensions.
Deja Perkins
Graduate Research Assistant
Jordan Hall Addition 4213
djperkin@ncsu.edu
djperkins9012.wixsite.com/perkins
Deja is a Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology graduate student in Dr. Madhu Katti's Reconciliation Ecology Lab. She is studying the overlap between bird diversity and distribution in urban areas with human socio-economic and cultural distribution. She is also interested in understanding the value of nature in minority communities to increase minority participation in natural resource careers and activities. Visit my website for more information.
Laura Roberts
Graduate Research Asst
Winston Hall 223A
lerober4@ncsu.edu
Laura is a PhD student in the Communication, Rhetoric, and Digital Media program and a research assistant for Dr. Jean Goodwin. Laura researches how technologies which enable digital scholarly publication influence scientific communication and communication between technical and lay audiences. Her interests include rhetoric of science, science communication, genre studies, and digital rhetoric. She received her MA in Professional Writing from UW-Milwaukee and her BA in English from Louisiana State University.
Maria Sharova
Graduate Research Asst
Jordan Hall 3136
mvsharov@ncsu.edu
Maria Sharova is a graduate student in the Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology program. Her research involves learning more about SciStarter participants and project owners to create a community of citizen science. She has an undergraduate degree in Anthropology from the University of Maryland and most recently worked at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center on their citizen science and education programs. Maria enjoys figure skating, theater, cooking, and her favorite flavor of ice cream is rocky road.
Vallari Sheel
Graduate Research Asst
Jordan Hall Addition 4213
vsheel@ncsu.edu
Vallari is a PhD Student in the Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology Program in Dr Madhusudan Katti's Reconciliation Ecology Lab. Having grown up in a large city, she is interested in wildlife and biodiversity conservation in rapidly expanding urban areas. She is currently examining the role of fig (Ficus species) and red silk-cotton (Bombax ceiba) trees in the urban Indian context, looking at their social, cultural & ecological relationships in the city of New Delhi and how they shape urban biodiversity. Her research also seeks to understand citizens' perceptions and values of urban trees, and how recent civil society movements for protection of urban trees have influenced governance and management of urban greens in the country.