Past Students
Josh Bruegge
Josh is originally from Iowa and received a B.S. from Iowa State University. His current research focuses on shifts in fish communities in response to restoration efforts in the rivers of Illinois.
Tyler Pasley
Tyler is from Shelbyville, Illinois, and he graduated from the University of Illinois Springfield with a BA in environmental studies in 2021. Before coming to EIU, he worked as a research technician for the Illinois Natural History Survey. His thesis research focuses on invasive carp reproduction and zooplankton community composition in tributaries of the Illinois and Wabash rivers.
mitchell Rosandich
Mitch is originally from the suburbs of Chicago but chose to study fisheries at Colorado State University for his bachelors. He then spent a few years working in the field before coming to EIU to complete his masters. His research focuses on establishing a sampling protocol for Channel Catfish in smaller impoundments.
Valerie Thompson
Valerie is originally from Milford, OH, and obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Biology from EIU while playing on the softball team there. She is currently a graduate research assistant in the EIU Center for Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences and is studying Channel Catfish population demographics in the Wabash River. Her hobbies include hunting, fishing, reading books, and drawing (especially pictures of fish), and her favorite fish is the Shovelnose Sturgeon.
Alexis Vandenberg
Alexis is originally from Channahon, IL and graduated from EIU with her B.S. in environmental biology. She continued at EIU to get her Master’s degree where studies fish and macroinvertebrate community response to stream restoration.
Coy Blair
Coy was born and raised in Iowa and grew up with an interest in conservation and the outdoors. His research focuses on understanding silver carp habitat use and selection in the Wabash River. Coy is broadly interested in invasive species, fish management and river ecosystems.
Jay Kelly
Jay is originally from Stratford, NJ and graduated from Stockton University with a B.S. in Marine Science in 2023. He is interested in aquatic/ behavioral ecology, and his research will involve tracking Silver Carp movement on the Wabash River. In his free time he enjoys hiking, skimboarding, and kayaking with his friends.
Sydney Mcandrews
Sydney's research investigates the role of physical habitat restoration in an urban stream in Champaign-Urbana. She is interested in the community assemblages of fish and macroinvertebrates, as well as understanding food web linkages in urban environments. She is from Denver, Colorado and enjoys swimming, rock climbing, and fishing with the lab!
Ryan skowronski
Ryan Skowronski is from Shelbyville Illinois just 45 minutes from EIU. He completed his undergrad at EIU, with a degree in environmental biology. His favorite fish is the northern hog sucker, but also enjoys many darter species in Central Illinois streams and rivers.
Devlon Sutton
Devlon is a lifelong resident of Illinois from the banks of the Kankakee River in Momence. After high school, he thirsted for adventure and served actively in the Army as a combat infantryman. After five years of service, Devlon returned to a familiar area to attend Eastern Illinois University. In 2019 he graduated obtaining a bachelor’s degree in environmental biology. He spent the next stage of life at the Illinois River Biological Station in Havana Illinois working primarily on the Illinois River. He is currently back at Eastern Illinois University as a graduate student looking into research pertaining to river ecosystems.