I am a Graduate Research Assistant working with Dr. Gus Engman, currently earning my Masters Degree. My research interests are general aquatic conservation, mussel and fish community interactions, and species resilience in the face of anthropogenic impacts.

My research is primarily looking to determine what species of freshwater mussels are viable for restoration in Abrams Creek, a limestone stream in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The once diverse aquatic community of Abrams Creek was damaged by chemical treatments in 1957 in an attempt to create a new trout fishery. These treatments were immediately followed by the impoundment of the lower Little T preventing recolonization. I plan to complete snorkel surveys to characterize the mussel assemblage in Abrams Creek, followed by silo experiments to test success of potential reintroduction species.