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2008 - 2010 Duke Fellows

 

For more information on the Doris Duke Conservation Fellowships, please return to the Doris Duke Conservation Fellows Page.

Sidney Brown
Joint Public Policy/SNRE, Environmental Justice

 

Originally from Brush Prairie, WA, Sidney earned two undergraduate degrees from the University of Washington in 2006: the first a double major in European studies and history; the second in international studies.  She is interested in trans-border environmental management, international development and the relationship between income disparities and natural resources. Her interest in environmental justice and international policy culminated in a summer 2008 internship with the Commission for Environmental Cooperation—the environmental branch of NAFTA. This organization shares Sidney's commitment to addressing environmental and conservation issues in a manner that transcends borders.

 

Evan Childress
Aquatic Sciences

 

Evan has worked as a field biologist on numerous projects across the U.S. and in southern Africa including research on endangered salmon populations, the relationship between silvicultural practices and salamander diversity, interactions between native and invasive crayfish, and the effects of eco-tourism on black rhino populations. His research at SNRE is focused on fish migrations in the great lakes region. Dams and culverts restrict some fish to 10% of their historic spawning range and little is known about the implications of this for stream ecosystems. His research is specifically focused on suckers, whose charisma is too often overlooked. Evan also completed an internship with The Nature Conservancy examining the distribution of stream barriers. Evan grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and hopes to return there to continue exploring our relationship with running waters and facilitating effective watershed management.

 

Catherine Game
Behavior, Education, and Communication

 

Catherine earned her B.A. in art and biology from Albion College in Albion, MI. At some point between painting landscape murals and coordinating environmental programs for local elementary schools, she realized that art could play a crucial role in communicating about environmental issues. She then decided to combine her art and biology interests in the field of environmental education. Catherine enjoys exploring how art can be used as a tool to develop creative experiences for people to learn about environmental conservation.

 

Matthew Griffis
Environmental Policy and Planning

 

Matt is interested in public land planning and management, specifically in regards to protected areas. His research is focused on the siting of solar energy facilities in the California desert. He also completed an internship with the National Park Service at Golden Gate National Recreation Area, where he developed the park's ocean stewardship plan. Before graduate school, Matt was an outdoor skills instructor for the East Bay Regional Park District in Oakland, California. He has also worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and as a trail crew foreman and backpacking guide in northern New Mexico. Matt holds a BS in environmental sciences from the University of California, Berkeley.

 

Colin Hume
Conservation Biology, Environmental Policy and Planning

 

Originally from Seattle, Washington, Colin grew up hiking in the mountains and forests of the western U.S., developing a love for wild places. After earning a B.S. in Biology from Western Washington University, he spent several years working on wildlife surveys for the USDA Forest Service in Montana and California, and working for a NGO in Afghanistan. Additionally, Colin served as the Assistant Director for Snowboarding at Big Sky Resort, in Big Sky, Montana. Colin continues to focus on the conservation potential of both public and private lands, through development of best use and management practices in his Masters studies. Colin is part of a team of graduate researchers investigating marine ecosystem-based management initiatives throughout the world.  During the summer of 2009 he worked for the Huron River Watershed Council as a coordinator of their Bioreserve program, leading teams of volunteers on environmental assessments of natural areas throughout the watershed.

 

Russell Martin
Terrestrial Ecosystems, Environmental Policy & Planning, Environmental Informatics, Conservation Biology

 

Russell grew up hunting, fishing, hiking and camping the rugged Texas outdoors, which spawned his interests in ecology. He received his B.S. from Texas A&M University in Wildlife and Fisheries Science. This summer he interned with the US Department of Agriculture in Washington DC where he assisted in the program formation for the new Biomass Crop Assistance Program. He is interested in working within the emerging bioenergy industry to ensure the sustainable production of our biomass resources, particularly related to the restoration and maintenance of healthy ecosystems and wildlife habitat.

 

Nerissa Rujanavech
Conservation Biology, Environmental Policy and Planning

 

Nerissa is interested in land management, wildlife conservation, and the conflicts that arise in multiple-use areas. Her graduate work examines the siting of large-scale solar facilities in the California Desert. This summer she is interned with The Nature Conservancy, Colorado to create a conservation management plan for a shortgrass prairie. Prior to her graduate education, Nerissa worked as a field biologist for several university-based research projects in California and Wyoming. Nerissa received a B.S. in Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology from the University of California, Davis and enjoys working with birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians.

 

Amy Samples
Environmental Policy and Planning, Aquatic Sciences

 

Amy earned a Bachelor of Science in Environmental and Natural Resources with a concentration in Economic Policy from Clemson University in 2004 and then volunteered in Madhya Pradesh, India in support of Bandhavgarh National Park. While working for The Nature Conservancy’s Chesapeake Bay Initiative she became familiar with the logistics of large-scale conservation and project coordination. Based on her interest in watershed functionality, Amy’s Master’s research focuses on the interface between terrestrial ecosystem management decisions and freshwater ecological response. Other research experiences include the development of conservation measures for the Green River project in Kentucky, regulatory response to the impact of wet weather events on sewerage, and marine ecosystem based management.  Amy completed two internships this summer, the first with the Kentucky Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, working on conservation measures for the Green River project. During her second internship with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, she researched the EPA's regional responses to wet weather events and their impact on sewerage.

 

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