STUDENT NEWS
UT Student Chapter of the Wildlife & Fisheries Society Awarded Best Student Subunit
On January 25, 2019, the UT Student Chapter of the Wildlife & Fisheries Society was recognized as the Best Student Subunit at the annual meeting of the Southern Division of the American Fisheries Society. The award is judged based on service activities and professional development conducted by the students in 2018. Pictured below are SDAFS President Craig Bonds, graduate student representative Kyler Hecke, Fisheries Vice-President Robbie Cogburn, and Treasurer Karlie Jeffers.
2018 graduate Sarah Kate Bailey Tabbed as New Reintroduction Biologist at TNACI
In 2021, former Alford Lab undergraduate research intern Sarah Kate Bailey was named as the Reintroduction Biologist for the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute in Chattanooga. Upon graduation from UTK, Sarah worked at the Ripley's Aquarium in Gatlinburg. During her time witht the Alford Lab, Sarah was instrumental in culturing Tilapia for a research project on using kitchen wastes to formulate pelleted food for the purpose of growing tilapia to market size.
On January 25, 2019, Ph.D. student Kyler Hecke was awarded the 2018 Jimmie Pigg Memorial Outstanding Student Acheievement Award at the annual meeting of the Southern Division of the American Fisheries Society in Galveston, TX. The award is given annually by the Warmwater Streams Technical Committee and recognizes outstanding research conducted by a graduate student on issues relating to warmwater stream ecosystems. Kyler was recognized for his work on developing occupancy models for fish and mussel fauna in the Clinch River drainage of TN and VA and developing an ecological niche model for the rare Sickle Darter.
Kyler Hecke Wins 2019 Jimmie Pigg Memorial Outstanding Achievement Award
Kristin Irwin Wins First Place for Best Oral Presentation at TN American Fisheries Society Meeting
At the 2018 annual meeting of the TN Chapter American Fisheries Society in Knoxville, masters student Kristin Irwin won first place for Best Oral Presentation. Her talk was on her thesis research--mussel fauna of the Duck and Harpeth River drainages. Way to go, Kristin! Pictured is Kristin giving her talk, discussing the new Cumberland River drainage record she found of the Salamander Mussel (Simpsonaias ambigua) from the Harpeth River.
Meredith Harris Takes 2nd Place in the David Etnier Best Student Oral Presentation at Southeastern Fishes Council Meeting
Kyler Hecke Takes Second at 6th Annual UT Watershed Symposium
On September 26, 2017 PhD student Kyler Hecke was awarded second place in the Best Student Poster competition. Kyler's poster detailed his dissertation research on the historical occupancy of non-game fishes in the diverse Clinch River watershed of Virginia and Tennessee. Congrats Kyler!
At the 2017 annual meeting of the Southeastern Fishes Council in Chattanooga, TN, masters student Meredith Harris won second place for David Etnier Best Oral Presentation. Her talk was titled Size-specific Advantage in Habitat Competition between Mountain Madtoms (Noturus eleutherus) and Invasive Crayfish (Orconectes spp.). Congratulations Meredith! Pictured with Meredith are Dr. Dave Etnier and Dr. Alford.
Meredith Harris Lands Job with Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute
After successfully defending her master's thesis in August 2017, Meredith will join the TNACI staff in Chattanooga as the new Restoration Biologist. She will be responsible for rearing imperiled fishes from the Southeastern U.S., including native Brook Trout, Lake Sturgeon, and other species in dire need of restoration to their native range.
Hayley Gotwald Awarded Job with TVA
In May 2017, Hayley Gotwald, a Masters graduate from the Alford Lab, landed a permanent job with the Tennessee Valley Authority in Lenoir City, TN. Congrats Hayley!
Dan Walker Awarded 3rd Place Best Student Oral Presentation at the Southeastern Fishes Council meeting
At the annual meeting of the Southeastern Fishes Council in Jackson, MS, on November 9, 2016, PhD student Dan Walker was awarded 3rd Place in the David Etnier Best Oral Presentation competition. His talk was titled Microhabitat Selection and Partitioning Among Darters in the Nolichucky River, Tennessee.
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Dan Walker presents dissertation research at Hydro Research Foundation & is awarded 3rd Place Poster at UT Watershed Symposium
Sarah Darling, former student technician, now an employee Oak Ridge National Lab
Sarah Darling, former student technician in the ALford lab and Fall 2015 graduate in Wildlife & Fisheries at UTK, has taken a job with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory as a Wildlife Technician. Sarah was instrumental in maintaining the health of Lake Sturgeon and Tilapia in our flow-through and recirculating aquaculture systems.
Todd Amacker secures job at TVA as Natural Areas Biologist
Ph.D. student Dan Walker traveled to Minneapolis, MN during July 25-31, 2016 to present results of his dissertation research. The title of his poster presentation was "Mapping Lake Sturgeon Spawning Habitat in the Upper Tennessee River Using Side Scan Sonar". His research findings show that tailwaters located farther down the river system likely have adequate amounts of spawning substrate for the reintroduced population of Lake Sturgeon, particularly at Chickamauga and Nickajack Dam tailwaters. Other tailwaters upstream may need artificial substrates added to help the population spawn. Dan was a 2014 winner of a highly competitive Hydro Research Foundation Fellowship.
Dan also won 3rd place for his poster presentation at the 5th Annual Watershed Symposium held on the UTK campus in September 2016. His work on side scan sonar mapping was published in the American Fisheries Society's North American Journal of Fisheries Management which can be downloaded from the "Publications" page within this website.
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New Conservation Fisheries Website Developed by 'Alfordian'
Todd Amacker, an MS student in the Alford Lab, recently developed and published a brand new website for Conservation Fisheries, the foremost authority on the ecology, management, and conservation of non-game fishes (especially darters) in the American Southeast. Their primary goal is to restore fish populations that have been eliminated because of pollution or habitat destruction. However, they also propagate many rare or difficult-to-collect species for other purposes related to aquatic conservation.
Todd Amacker graduated in Spring 2016 with a M.S. in Wildlife & Fisheries Science, and has now accepted a position as Natural Areas Biologist at TVA in Knoxville. He will be assessing environmental impacts of TVA projects to natural ecosystems in the Tennessee Valley. He will also be pursuing his dream of owning his own conservation business, Todd Amacker Conservation Visuals.
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Hayley Gotwald Wins 3rd Place at Poster Competition
At the recent UT Watershed Symposium in September 2015, Alford Lab member Hayley Gotwald placed 3rd in the student poster competition with her research on agricultural land use influences on fish and insect assemblages. The theme was theme is "Horizons of Environmental and Water Policy: Where We Are and Where We Are Going." This Symposium was supported by the participating colleges (Agriculture and Natural Resources, Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Engineering, and Law), with a goal of introducing students to studies associated with watersheds while providing an opportunity for interactions between academics and professionals working with watersheds.
Daniel Walker Travels to Oregon for HRFR Presentation
In July 2015 Dan had the opportunity to travel to Portland, OR, to talk about his work as a Hydro Foundation researcher at the Hydro Research Foundation Roundtable. He presented an update on his ongoing research assessing spawning habitat below TVA dams on the Tennessee River for Lake Sturgeon to the Hydro Research Foundation, fellow graduate students receiving funding from the Foundation, and hydropower professionals. The Foundation supports graduate students conducting a wide range of primary research associated with various aspects of the hydropower industry, including biologists, geologists, engineers, and others. Dan then attended Hydrovision 2015, the largest hydropower industry conference in the United States. While in Portland, Dan visited Bonneville Dam on the lower Columbia River, where their extensive fish ladder infrastructure was being utilized by migrating salmonids and Pacific Lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus).
Hayley Gotwald Becomes Certified Taxonomist in Eastern EPT at Highlands Biological Station, NC
In June and July 2015 Hayley attended a two week course in the mountains of NC. There she learned the natural history and taxonomy of mayflies (Ephemeroptera), stoneflies (Plecoptera), and caddisflies (Trichoptera), including systematics, ecology, and behavior of larvae and adults, with emphasis on those aspects important in ecological studies, biological monitoring of water quality, and sport fishing. The class was taught by entomologist Dr. John C. Morse of Clemson University. Students had to identify 60 taxa down to genus. During those two weeks students spent 12 hours a day in class listening to lectures, in the field collecting specimens, and in the lab identifying specimens. At the end of class Hayley took the genus level taxanomic certification exam for eastern region Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Tricoptera and correctly identified all images. Now she is listed on the Society for Freshwater Science's website of certified taxonomists.
Clockwise from top left a caddisfly case from family Helicopsychidae, Hayley and a fellow student collecting specimens, caddisfly cases from family Odontoceridae, and Dr. Morse and students identifying specimens.
Todd Amacker Awarded Prestigious Science Communication Scholarship
In February 2015 Todd attended the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA) Summit in San Diego, California. As one of several college scholarship recipients, the week-long program included shooting, editing, and presenting a multimedia film in only five days. Their clients were US Fish and Wildlife and the US National Wildlife Refuge System. Canon Professional Services provided access to their full line of lenses, cameras, and accessories as they worked from sun up to sun down in the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge. They presented the final product to 500+ attendees prior to the final keynote presentation by famed photographer Frans Lanting.
Ph.D. Student Daniel Walker Wins 2nd Place at Annual Southeastern Fishes Council Meeting
In November of 2014 Dan Walker presented his research findings from his summer internship with the US Fish & Wildlife Service to attendees of the annual SFC meeting in Asheville, North Carolina. His talk , entitled Substrate Characteristics and Potential Contaminant Exposure Risk of Lake Sturgeon Habitat in the Upper Tennessee River, was so well-received by the judges that he was awarded second place among all of the student presenters who spoke during the two day event.
Dan, second from left, is pictured with fellow lab mates Hayley Gotwald, Dr. Brian Alford, Todd Amacker, and Joyce Coombs.
Former undergraduate student technician Aaron Adkins earns graduate assitantship at Virginia Tech
Aaron gained experience in the Alford lab rearing juvenile Lake Sturgeon for conservation stocking purposes during 2014. This experience enabled him to land a technician position for the NC Division of Wildlife Resources in Marion, raising endangered mussels also for conservation stocking into rivers. Then in January 2016, he was awarded a Masters assistantship position in the lab of Dr. Jess Jones, where he will be advancing the conservation biology and management of endangered mussels.
Pictured is Aaron working hard to raise juvenile Lake Sturgeon at UTK.
Parker Hurst, former undergraduate student technician, lands fisheries job after graduation
Parker graduated in 2015 with his B.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Science and Management. Following graduation, he landed a job with SOLitude Lake Management, from Virginia Beach, VA. This company specializes in assessment and management of fisheries and other aquatic resources.
Pictured is Parker processing Smallmouth Bass testes for his undergraduate research project in the Alford lab on intersex prevalence in black bass from east Tennessee rivers.