Tori Rodrigues (ENVA), Susan Thomassie (Bio), and Olivia Guerra (ENVA) won second place for their virtual presentation "Status of a recently established population of Cuchia (Amphipnous cuchia) in Bayou St. John, New Orleans" at the annual meeting of the Louisiana Chapter of the American Fisheries Society in May 2021. Congratulations!
Aimee Thomas, the Environment Program's very own "Spider Woman" was recently featured on WGNO with Rosie the spider.
Click here to view the spot on the WGNO website. Congratulations Dr. Thomas!
Professor Verchick was in for a big surprise this week when one of his virtual law classes came together to thank him for all his hard work over the pandemic. The students shared their thanks with him using several hand made signs which they presented during their last Zoom meeting of the semester. A recording of the gesture has gone viral on TikTok, and so far has over five million views and two million likes.
Mark Tobler is a plant ecologist in the laboratory of Dr. Paul Barnes where they study plant and ecosystem responses to global climate change. In addition, he oversees the Azby rooftop greenhouse that supports teaching, student research and faculty-student collaborations. He is always seeking student volunteers interested in fostering a lifelong passion for plants.
Jaime Jimenez is a senior in the environmental studies and journalism department. He is currently working on his capstone project which involves creating standing snags in Picayune, MS. This conservation project hopes to create habitats to draw in more bird and insect species. He has special consideration of invasive Tung trees in the area. When Jaime isn’t girdling trees you can find him working on a story for The Maroon, cycling on the levee or trying new recipes.
Loyola Law school professor, Robert Verchick, who worked in the Environmental Protection Agency under the Obama Administration and has conducted research abroad in India, is now onto his next project, representing Loyola in Louisiana’s effort to protect the planet. Louisiana State Governor John Bel Edwards appointed Verchick to the state’s new Climate Emissions Task Force, the first of its kind in the Gulf South. The task force aims to cut the state’s net greenhouse gas emissions, as well as aid in adjusting to climate change.
Frank Jordan and his students study the ecology of freshwater and estuarine systems, with special emphasis on the biology, management, and conservation of fishes. He is also interested in developing and evaluating new methods for monitoring and modeling population dynamics of imperiled and non-native aquatic organisms. He is always seeking highly motivated students to conduct research in his lab.
Victoria Rodrigues is conducting research on an asian species of swamp eel recently discovered in Bayou St. John. She also received two dive certifications through Loyola and hopes to use these experiences to start a career in coral reef conservation and restoration research.
Dr. Paul Barnes has recently contributed to the UNEP (United Nations Environmental Program) Environmental Effects Assessment Panel on the environmental effects of ozone depletion, UV radiation and climate change. He was also the lead author of a shorter summary report for Policy Makers.
Congratulaions to ENVA alum Champagne Cunningham for winning the 3rd place Environmental Science Poster award Presented at the 130th Annual Meeting of the Tennessee Academy of Science on November 21, 2020, hosted by East Tennessee State University. She will be recognized in an upcoming issue
of the Journal of the Tennessee Academy of Science.
To read more click here.