Graduate Students

Sharron Hicks-Crane: Ph. D. student (Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources Graduate Program, New Brunswick - EENR). Sharron is investigating the interactions between bacteria and fungi in mercury dynamics. She is concentrating on the accumulation of mercury into fungi, but linking the effects of bacteria in this process, especially in ectomycorrhizae. Major advisors: John Dighton and Tamar Barkay (Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Cook College).

David Keller: M.S. student (Camden Biology Department). 2006. David is studying the distribution of white catfish in the Delaware river area. Major Advisor: John Dighton.

Jennifer Oberle: Ph. D. student (Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources Graduate Program, New Brunswick - EENR. Jennifer is studying plant litter decomposition using FT-IR spectroscopy. Major Advisor: John Dighton.

Karena DiLeo: M. S. student (Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources Graduate Program, New Brunswick - EENR) Karena is studying pine barrens water quality influence on chytrid presence on amphibians. Major Advisor: John Dighton.

Yiwen Zhao: Ph.D. (Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources Graduate Program, New Brunswick - EENR) 2007 – Yiwen is studying soil arthropod communities in the NJ pine barrens. Major Advisor: John Dighton.

Nick Skowronski: Ph.D. student (Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources, New Brunswick - DEENR) 2006. My current research focuses on the quantification and analysis of the structural characteristics of forest canopies and how this relates to carbon and water cycles.  I have recently been using a newly emerging remote sensing technology called LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) which actively characterizes the canopy with a laser beam.  My work is split between developing methods for using LiDAR and other remotes sensing techniques for wildfire mitigation and studying how forest functionality changes after disturbance.
Major advisor Ming Xu.

Ai Wen: Ph.D. student (Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources, New Brunswick - DEENR). Ai is studying avian and amphibian species utilization of cranberry bogs. Major advisor David Ehrenfeld.

Graduates:

Bill Landesman: Ph.D. 2009. Rutgers University, New Brunswick – EENR. Bill investigated the influence of temporal rainfall events and micro-spatial distributions and activity of soil microbiota in pine barrens ecosystems. Major Advisor: John Dighton

.Jason Stanwood: M.S. 2009. Rutgers University, Camden. Jason examined the influence of distance from a major highway on the community composition of phylloplane fungi of commercial and natural blueberry.

Kristen Lammers: M.S. Chemistry, Rutgers University, Camden 2008. Kristen investigated changes in leaf litter carbohydrate chemistry during combustion, using FT-IR spectroscopy. Joint advisors John Dighton and Georgia Arbuckle-Keil.

Andrea Kornbluh: M.S. 2008. Rutgers University, New Brunswick – EENR.

Jenn Adams Krumins: Ph.D. 2007. Rutgers University, New Brunswick – EENR. As a graduate student Jenn investigated the impact of N deposition on ectomycorrhizae and soil microbial communities under scrub oak in New Jersey and Florida. Major advisors: Peter Morin and John Dighton.

Alice Chin: M.S. Chemistry, Rutgers University, Camden 2007. Alice characterized certain volatile metabolites of fungal competition. Joint advisors John Dighton and Georgia Arbuckle-Keil.

Leigh Ann Wilson: M.S. 2006. Rutgers University, New Brunswick – EENR. Leigh Ann examined the influence of soil bacterial communities on ectomycorrhizal colonization and growth of pitch pine (Pinus rigida). Major advisor: John Dighton.

Don Brickner: M.S. 2006. Rutgers University, Camden. Don manipulated the forest floor as if it were being subjected to a control burn, and monitored subsequent changes in the soil biota and processes. Major advisor: John Dighton. Don was awarded the Ralph Good fellowship in 2005.

Dennis Gray: Ph.D. 2006. Rutgers University, New Brunswick – EENR. As a graduate student Dennis conducted field and greenhouse studies to determine the fate of nutrients mobilized by prescription fire.

Shannon Nix: Ph.D. 2005 Rutgers University, New Brunswick – EENR. Shannon investigated the role of phylloplane fungal diversity in the susceptibility of cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) to fungal pathogens. Major advisor: John Dighton.

Rachel Ward: M.S. 2005 Rutgers University, New Brunswick – EENR. Rachel followed up on some of the work that Leigh-Ann started by looking at bacterial communities on ectomycorrhizae using molecular methods of identification and looking for genetic adaptations of ectomycorrhizal fungi to mercury. Major advisors: John Dighton and Tamar Barkay (Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Cook College). Melissa Zimermann: MS 2005 Rutgers University, Camden. Melissa conducted research on fungal pathogens of peppers.

Murray McHugh: M.S. 2001. Rutgers University, New Brunswick – EENR. Murray studied the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization, marsh position, phosphorus level and salinity on two salt marsh grasses, Spartina alterniflora and S. patens. Major supervisor: John Dighton.

Amy Tuininga: Ph.D. 2000. Rutgers University, New Brunswick – EENR. Amy studied the effects of controlled burning on the community structure of ectomycorrhizal fungi in relation to changes in nutrient availability. Her study was conducted in upland pine oak communities in the New Jersey Pinelands. Major advisor: John Dighton. Amy is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Biology, Fordham University and operates out of their Louis Calder Center field station (see her web page).

Roxanne Robles-Torre: M.S. 1999 University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez. Roxanne examined variation in arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization of Capparis cynophallpohora and Tabebuia heterophyllastatus in Guanica, a tropical dry forest in Puerto Rico. Major advisor: Carlos Betancourt (UPR).

Jim Baxter: Ph.D. 1998. Rutgers University, New Brunswick – EENR. Jim studied the effects of anthropogenic impacts on nutrient availability, ectomycorrhizal community structure, and host tree performance in contrasting urban and rural forests. Jim was co-principal investigator with John Dighton on a 3 year National Science Foundation grant to investigate the ecophysiological functioning of ectomycorrhizal communities. Jim is now a faculty member of the Department of Biological Science, University of California, Sacramento, CA 95819 (see his web page)

Post-docs:

Lena Jonsson: Ph.D. 1998. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Upsaala Sweden. Lena worked on a USDA-NRI grant (2000-2003) where she examined the role of leaf litter and fungal grazers on the structure and functioning of ectomycorrhizal communities. This research was in conjunction with the late Dr. John Lussenhop (UIC) and Dr. Roger Koide (Penn State).

Christine Conn: Ph.D. 1993. Old Dominion VA. Christine studied forest floor patch dynamics and resource relations in litter. Her project was funded by the Victoria Foundation (1993-1994) .

Technicians:

Christine Edly: (1999-2000) Christine worked with Jim Baxter on the National Science Foundation grant. After receiving her MS at Oklahoma State Christine returned to NJ and currently teaches science in Burlington County NJ.

Kevin Eichman: (2000-2001) Kevin worked with Jim Baxter on the National Science Foundation grant and Lena Jonsson on the USDA-NRI grant.  Kevin currently works for the NJ Department of Environmental Protection.

Erin Garnett: (1999-2003) Erin worked with Jim Baxter on the National Science Foundation grant and Lena Jonsson on the USDA-NRI grant. Her work focused on the structure and functioning of ectomycorrhizal communities in the NJ Pine Barrens. She subsequently took a MS degree in environmental Science at Wageningen University, The Netherlands an is now working in environmental consulting in Florida