I am currently seeking graduate students (Ph.D. and MS) who are interested in studying various aspects of continental ichnology and paleopedology, including the relationships between Pennsylvanian and Permian soil organisms, paleosols, and paleoenvironmental changes in the distal Appalachian basin. Undergraduate students are also an important part of any research laboratory. I currently have several small-scale projects that can be completed as part of a senior thesis or independent research project. Please see News and Opportunities for projects and funding opportunities.
Current Graduate Students
Skyler Houser, MS
Skyler joined the lab in the Fall 2021 semester after earning his BS in Biology from Mount St. Joseph University. Skyler is conducting research with three different species of burrowing scorpions to connect discrete elements of burrow morphology to specific behaviors, burrowing techniques, and environmental conditions. Skyler earned a student research grant from the Geological Society of America to help fund his project.
Current Undergraduate Students
Alumni
Krista Smilek, MS 2009
Krista completed her Master’s thesis “Using Ichnology and Sedimentology to Determine the Paleoenvironmental and Paleoecological Conditions of a Nearshore Depositional Environment: Case Studies from the Pennsylvanian Ames Limestone and Modern Holothurians” in 2009. In her thesis research Krista conducted the first detailed investigation of the ichnology of the Ames Limestone from outcrops in the vicinity of Athens, Ohio. She also completed a neoichnological study of the holothurian Thyonella in order to document the suite of possible trace fossils produced by burrowing sea cucumbers in different substrates. Krista received a Geological Society of America Grant-in-Aid in 2008 to help fund her field and laboratory research. Krista has presented her thesis research at the 2008 and 2009 Geological Society of America Annual Meetings. Krista’s Thyonella research was published in The Open Journal of Paleontology in 2012. Krista is currently the Academic Director of the University of Cincinnati Department of Geology.
Bart Rasor, BS 2010
Bart completed his undergraduate thesis in 2010. He was part a National Geographic funded research team from Ohio University to the South Pacific island of Lifou. The purpose of this expedition was to document the first known modern, shallow water deposit of Nautilus shells in two bays in the southern part of the island. Bart helped to analyze the sedimentology of the shallow bays and the taphonomic signatures of the shells in order to develop a modern analog for fossil cephalopod deposits. Bart helped to present this research at the 2009 Geological of Society of America Annual Meeting and was a coauthor on a paper published in Palaios in 2011. Bart earned his Master’s degree in the Department of Geology and Earth Sciences at Miami University. Bart is currently employed as a geophysicist by Continental Resources.
Angeline Catena, MS 2012
Angeline completed her Master’s thesis “Neoichnology of two scincoid lizards and Pennsylvanian paleosols: improving interpretations of continental tracemakers and soil environments” in 2012. Angeline’s Master’s thesis research involved the study of the burrowing behaviors and biogenic structures of two species of skinks, the ocellated sand skink (Chacides ocellatus) and the gold skink (Mabuya multifasciata). Angeline documented the different styles of burrowing and resulting burrow morphologies of these two skinks as well as investigated the effects of variations in changes in soil composition and moisture on their burrowing behavior. Angeline also conducted a detailed study of the paleosols and ichnofossils within an outcrop of the Upper Pennsylvanian Casselman Formation in southeastern Ohio. Angeline received a Geological Society of America grant to help fund her laboratory research. Angeline presented her thesis research at the 2011 and 2012 Geological of Society of America Annual Meeting. Angeline’s Casselman paleosol study was published in Geosciences in 2012. Angeline has earned her Ph.D. from the Department of Biology at Case Western Reserve University.
Nicole Dzenowski, MS 2012
Nicole completed her Master’s thesis, “The neoichnology of two Ambystomatid salamanders, Pennsylvanian paleosols, and their use in paleoenvironmental, paleoecological, and paleoclimatic interpretations” in 2012. Nicole’s Master’s thesis research involved the study of the burrowing behaviors and biogenic structures of two species of salamanders, the tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) and the marbled salamander (Ambystoma opacum). Nicole documented the different styles of burrowing and the different burrow morphologies of these two salamanders as well as variations with changes in soil composition and moisture. Nicole also conducted a detailed study of the paleosols and ichnofossils within an outcrop of the Upper Pennsylvanian Glenshaw Formation in southeastern Ohio. Nicole received a SEPM grant to help fund her field research. Nicole presented her thesis research at the 2011 Geological of Society of America Annual Meeting. Nicole’s Glenshaw paleosol study was published in Geosciences in 2012. Nicole is currently employed as a seasonal ranger at Petrified Forest National Park.
Jared Bowen, MS 2013
Jared completed his Master’s thesis, “The neoichnology of juliform millipedes and Upper Monongahela to Lower Dunkard group paleosols: a multi-proxy approach to paleolandscape variability,” in 2013. Jared’s thesis research involved the study of the burrowing behaviors and biogenic structures of two species of millipedes, Narceus americanus and Floridobolus penneri. Jared documented the burrowing techniques and burrow morphologies produced by these millipedes as well as the effects of changes in soil composition and moisture on their burrowing behavior. Jared also conducted a detailed study of the paleosols and ichnofossils preserved within the Upper Pennsylvanian–Lower Permian Monongahela and Dunkard groups of southeastern Ohio. Jared received a SEPM Ed Picou Fellowship to help support his research and presented at the 2012 Geological of Society of America Annual Meeting. The results of Jared’s research were published in Palaeontologia Electronica (17.1.18A:1-48) and PALAIOS (v. 32, p. 295-320). Jared is currently employed as a Geologist at Innova Exploration.
Mike Hils, MS 2014
Mike completed his Master’s thesis, “Neoichnology of the burrowing spiders Gorgyrella inermis (Araneae: Mygalomorphae) and Hogna lenta (Araneae: Araneomorphae),” in 2014. Mike’s thesis research involved neoichnological experiments with two species of burrowing spiders, Gorgyrella sp. (South African trapdoor spider) and Hogna lenta (wolf spider), documenting their burrowing morphologies and their behavioral responses to changes in environmental conditions, and comparing spider burrows to the burrows of other terrestrial animals as well as trace fossils. Mike received grants from the Geological Society of America and the Paleontological Society to help support his research and presented at the 2013 Geological Society of America Annual Meeting. The results of Mike’s research were published in Palaeontologia Electronica (18.1.7A:1-62).
Michael Blair, MS 2015
Michael completed his Master’s thesis, “A Paleopedological and Ichnological Approach to Spatial and Temporal Variability in Pennsylvanian-Permian Strata of the Lower Dunkard Group,” in 2015. Michael’s thesis research involved a study of Permian Dunkard Group paleosols and continental ichnofossils in West Virginia. Michael received a grant from the Geological Society of America and presented the results of his research at the 2014 Geological Society of America Annual Meeting. The results of his research were published in Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology (v. 454, p. 246-266).
Lauren Johnson, BS 2015
Lauren completed her undergraduate thesis, “Understanding Anuran Burrows: Neoichnology of the Eastern Spadefoot Toad, Scaphiopus holbrookii,” in 2015 and graduated with two BS degrees in Geological Sciences and Anthropology. Lauren’s undergraduate research focused on an experimental study of the burrowing behavior and burrow morphology of the eastern spadefoot toad, Scaphiopus holbrookii. Lauren received a Provost’s Undergraduate Research Fund grant to support her research and presented at the 2014 Southeastern Geological Society of America Meeting and the 2014 Geological Society of America Annual Meeting. The results of Lauren’s research were published in Palaeontologia Electronica (18.2.43A:1-29).
Jennifer Carnes, MS 2017
Jennifer completed her Master’s thesis, “Response of soils and soil ecosystems to the Pennsylvanian-Permian climate transition in the upper fluvial plain of the Dunkard Basin, southeastern Ohio, USA”, in 2017. Jennifer’s thesis research involved a field and laboratory study of paleosols and continental ichnofossils from the Late Pennsylvanian to Permian Monongahela and Dunkard group of Meigs County, Ohio. Jennifer presented the initial results of her research at the 2016 Geological Society of American Annual Meeting in Denver. The results of Jennifer’s research were published in Geosciences (v. 8, no. 208, 35 p.).
Emma Swaninger, BS 2017
Emma completed her undergraduate thesis, “Large burrows in fluvial deposits of the Early Permian (Asselian) Dunkard Group, southeast Ohio, USA”, in 2017. Emma’s undergraduate research involved a study of large burrows assigned to Camborygma found in fluvial sandstones of the Early Permian Dunkard Group. Emma also worked as an undergraduate laboratory assistant funded through the OU PACE program conducting daily animal care and assisting with experiments conducted with various burrowing terrestrial animals. Emma presented her research at the 2017 Northeastern/North-central section Geological Society of America meeting in Pittsburgh. The results of her research have been published in Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology (v. 491, p. 137-151).
Sarah Kogler, MS 2018
Sarah joined the lab in the Fall 2016 semester after earning her BS in Soil Science and Biology from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. Sarah conducted a study of impact of modern weathering trends on the geochemistry of paleosols in southeastern Ohio as part of her Master’s thesis entitled, “Influences of modern pedogenesis on paleoclimate estimates from Pennsylvanian and Permian paleosols, southeast Ohio, USA.” Sarah obtained graduate research grants from the Geological Society of America and the Society for Sedimentary Geology to support her research. Sarah presented the results of her research at the 2017 Geological Society of America Annual Meeting in Seattle. Sarah is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in the Department of Geosciences at Baylor University.
Connor McFadden, MS 2019
Connor joined the lab in the Fall 2017 semester after earning his BS in Geology from Youngstown State University. Connor conducted a study of changes in paleosol properties and ichnofossil assemblages from the Late Pennsylvanian Monongahela Group to the Early Permian Dunkard Group through southern Athens County, Ohio in order to assess the effects of regional climate change on soil environments and ecosystems. Connor defended his thesis “Analysis of landscape variability through the Pennsylvanian and Permian Monongahela and Dunkard groups, southeastern Ohio, USA” in 2019. Connor presented the results of his research at the 2018 Geological Society of America Annual Meeting in Indianapolis. Connor is currently employed by Civil and Environmental Consultants, Inc.
Hayden Thacker, BS 2020
Hayden joined the CIRL in 2018 as an undergraduate laboratory assistant funded through the OU PACE program and in 2019 he started an undergraduate thesis. Hayden defended his thesis entitled “Neoichnological study of burrowing darkling beetles (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) from larval to adult stages” in April 2020. In his thesis Hayden described the traces produced by two species of burrowing darkling beetles from their larval to adult life stages. Hayden was set to present the results of his research at the 2020 Joint Southeastern/Northeastern GSA section meeting, but unfortunately the meeting was cancelled due to COVID-19. Hayden began his MS degree in geology with Dr.Ilya Buynevich at Temple University in Fall 2020.
Joe Wislocki, MS 2021
Joe joined the lab in the Fall 2019 semester after earning his BS in Geology from Kent State University. Joe conducted a neoichnological study of three species of burrowing beetles from larval to adult life stages under varying substrate conditions. Joe defended his thesis, “Understanding larval to adult beetle ichnofossils using experimental neoichnology,” in 2021. Joe presented the results of his research at the 2020 Geological Society of America Annual Meeting which was held online. Joe is currently an instructor for the Ohio University Department of Geological Sciences.
Jennifer Crowell, MS 2022
Jennifer joined the lab in the Fall 2020 semester after earning her BS in Geology and Biology from Southern Utah University. Jennifer conducted a study of changing fluvial ichnofossil assemblages from the middle Pennsylvanian to Early Permian of southeastern Ohio and West Virginia. Jennifer defended her thesis, “Climate induced changes in fluvial ichnofossil assemblages of the Pennsylvanian-Permian Appalachian Basin.” Jennifer presented the results of her research at the 2021 Geological Society of America Annual Meeting in Portland, Oregon and the 2022 Geological Society of America North-Central/Southeast Section Meeting in Cincinnati, Ohio. Jennifer is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Geology and Geological Engineering at the University of Mississippi.
Former Undergraduate Laboratory Assistants
Robert Tenwalde
Robert worked in the CIRL from 2009-2011. He assisted with animal care, the construction of a neoichnology database, and the experimental setup and data collection associated with the Arizona desert scorpions (Hadrurus arizonensis).
Brian Atkinson
Brian worked in the CIRL in 2011. He assisted with the experimental setup and data collection associated with emperor scorpions (Pandinus imperator) and Asian forest scorpions (Heterometrus spinifer).
Allison Durkee
Allison worked in the CIRL from 2012-2013 as an undergraduate laboratory assistant funded through the OU PACE program. She conducted daily animal care, helped with the neoichnology database, and assisted in experimental setup and data collection associated with burrowing terrestrial arthropods. Allison also worked as a field assistant helping to describe Pennsylvanian-Permian Dunkard Group paleosols and trace fossils.
Madeline Ingle
Madeline worked in the CIRL from 2013-2014 as an undergraduate laboratory assistant funded through the OU PACE program. She conducted daily animal care, helped with the neoichnology database, and assisted in experimental setup and data collection associated with various burrowing terrestrial animals
Samantha Hampton
Samantha worked in the CIRL from 2014-2015 as an undergraduate laboratory assistant. She conducted daily animal care, helped with the neoichnology database, and assisted in experimental setup and data collection associated with various burrowing terrestrial animals.
Wesley Parker
Wes worked in the CIRL from 2014-2015 as a web designer assisting in the development of a new continental neoichnology database and website funded through the OU PACE program and the National Science Foundation.
Mary Reichle
Mary worked in the CIRL from 2019-20 as an undergraduate laboratory assistant funded through the OU PACE program. She conducted daily animal care in the lab and assisted with experimental setup and data collection associated with ongoing experiments with beetles and arthropod predators.
Rachel Wawrzynski
Rachel joined the CIRL in 2020 as an undergraduate laboratory assistant funded through the OHIO PACE program. She conducts daily animal care in the lab and assists with experimental setup and data collection associated with ongoing experiments with burrowing arthropod predators.