Carley Capon

Ethan Scott

Ethan is originally from central Illinois, and obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Fisheries Biology and Aquatic Sciences from the University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point in 2022. Before coming to EIU he worked as an fisheries research technician at the Kaskaskia Biological station with the Illinois Natural History Survey. His research focuses on Smallmouth Bass population demographics in the Kaskaskia River.

Braden Whisler

Braden grew up in East Berlin, Pennsylvania and obtained his B.S. in environmental science at Juniata College in 2023 where he also played on the men's soccer team for four years. His research focuses on the larval stages of invasive carps in the Wabash and Illinois Rivers. His hobbies include fly-fishing, hunting, soccer, and music. His favorite fish are the bowfin and brook trout.

Olivia Wertman

Olivia is from Troy, IL and received her undergraduate degree in biology from EIU in 2020. She then worked at Pluton Biosciences for four years as a research associate doing micro and molecular biology. She has now returned to EIU to earn her graduate degree. In her free time, she enjoys reading, drawing, and playing video games with friends.

Danielle Shubat

Danielle is from Connecticut and received her bachelor’s degree in marine biology from the University of New Haven in 2019. Since graduating, she worked seasonally with the State of Connecticut in the Department of Energy and Environmental protection (DEEP). There she worked for the Marine Fisheries Division, the Water Planning and Management Division, and then found the Inland Fisheries Division and where she worked with them for 3 seasons. While working in the Inland Fisheries Division, she enjoyed the various kinds of projects and field work she worked on and switched her career interests from marine fisheries to freshwater fisheries. Her research at EIU will focus on monitoring Channel Catfish populations in surrounding lakes.

Cade Naughton

Cade Naughton is from Northern Illinois and studied Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. After graduation, he worked for the INHS around Chicago doing surveys of the Illinois River. Currently, his research focuses on catfish populations in the Wabash River.

Lexi Gerber

Lexi grew up in Cottage Grove, Minnesota and graduated from South Dakota State University in 2023 with a B.S. degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Management. Her research is focused on larval invasive carp in the Wabash River. She enjoys fishing, hiking, and going on adventures with friends.

Shaley Klumker

Shaley grew up just north of Austin, TX and went on to attend Texas A&M University at Galveston where she earned her bachelor's degrees in Marine Biology and Marine Fisheries. She is broadly interested in community ecology of aquatic systems, especially those influenced by anthropogenic activities. Her thesis work involves evaluating the recovery of a stream impacted by a large fertilizer spill. Additionally, Shaley manages the invasive carp telemetry project.