2009-2010 Science & Society Fellows
Chris Goforth
Chris Goforth is obsessed with aquatic insects. As an incoming graduate student, she was pressured into teaching the aquatic entomology lab by her advisor, even though she knew nothing about the topic, and it was the best thing that ever happened to her! Her master’s and PhD work at the University of Arizona have focused on the giant water bug. Giant water bugs are among a tiny number of insects that exhibit paternal parental care and she is studying how these behaviors contribute to the survival of the egg stage. Chris has also completed a number of other aquatic ecology projects all over the state of Arizona and for a variety of different agencies including ADEQ, BOR, The Nature Conservancy, USGS, Arizona Fish and Game, and BLM. She also teaches the labs for aquatic entomology and insect behavior and was recently awarded the Outstanding Teaching Assistant award at the University of Arizona. When she finishes her PhD, Chris hopes to become a faculty member at a small college where teaching skills are important. She will also continue her research on aquatic insects, focusing on how respiratory physiology impacts aquatic insect distributions in natural and disturbed habitats.
Daniel Griffin
Daniel Griffin received his BS in Earth Science and his MA in Geography, both from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. His undergraduate thesis research used repeat photography and tree-ring dating to document the survival of old-growth oak woodlands in the Cross Timbers ecosystem of eastern Oklahoma. His master’s thesis research reconstructed rainfall and streamflow history for the past 600 years in California’s Salinas Valley using blue oak tree-ring chronologies. Daniel is now a PhD student in the University of Arizona Department of Geography and the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research. Working with Connie Woodhouse and others, the goal of his dissertation research is to reconstruct monsoon season rainfall across the southwestern United States using chronologies developed from the latewood component of annual tree rings. Daniel is also involved with the Climate Assessment of the Southwest, and is interested in the potential for using tree-ring data in water resource planning.
Alandra Kahl
Alandra Kahl is currently a PhD student in the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at the University of Arizona, advised by Dr. Bob Arnold. She also works at the Arizona Laboratory for Emerging Contaminants, under the direction of Dr. Leif Abrell and Dr. Jon Chorover. Alandra earned a BS degree in Chemistry, Mathematics and Engineering at Saint Vincent College in 2006 and an MS in Environmental Engineering at the University of Arizona in 2008. Her research focuses on trace organic contaminants in wastewater, specifically endocrine disruptors and pharmaceuticals and personal care products. She is currently investigating how these compounds behave within constructed wetland systems.
Bryan Moravec
Bryan Moravec is a PhD student in the Watershed Resources program in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Arizona, advised by Kathleen Lohse. He earned a BS in Geology from the University of Colorado at Denver in 2001 and an MS in Hydrogeology from Washington State University in 2008, advised by C. Kent Keller. Prior to graduate school, Bryan worked for the US Geological Survey and then served as an environmental Peace Corps volunteer in Benin, West Africa. Bryan’s MS research examined hydrological flow paths that lead to high agricultural nitrate contamination in streams in Eastern Washington. His current research focuses on the coupled hydrology and soil C and N response to drought and climate change along an elevation gradient in the Santa Catalina Mountains north of Tucson. His interests also include promoting sustainable agriculture and appropriate technology in developing countries and environmental education.