Advisor: Dr. Mark Brenner
Geological Sciences

Elliott Arnold received his BS degree from Pennsylvania State University, and received his MS degree from the University of Florida. After his undergraduate studies, he worked as a paleontologist in South Dakota, excavating Columbian Mammoths from a 26,000 year old sink hole. Prior to joining the Water Institute he studied climate records recorded in the carbonate shells of modern mollusks. He is interested in isotopic analyses of oxygen and carbon, as well as paleolimnological investigations into historic trophic state changes.

View Elliot’s dissertation: Reconstructing Florida Lacustrine Environments from the Late Pleistocene to the Present

Advisor: Dr. Wendy Graham
Agricultural & Biological Engineering

Wesley R. Henson joined the Water Institute from Reno, NV.  His research focused on using hydrologic models to explore nutrient issues in Florida. He obtained his BS in Environmental Geology with a Hydrogeology Minor from the Mackay School of Mines and MS in Hydrogeology from the Hydrologic Sciences Program at the University of Nevada, Reno. His research interests include: groundwater/surface water interactions, surface and subsurface integrated hydrologic models, and integrated model software development.

View Wesley’s dissertation: Hydrogeologic and Biogeochemical Heterogeneity across Spatiotemporal Scales— Fluxes, Flowpaths and Nitrogen Transformations in an Eogenetic Karst Aquifer

Advisor: Dr. Tom Frazer
School of Natural Resources and the Environment

Joelle Laing worked on ecosystem thresholds and their role in the development of nutrient criteria with Dr. Tom Frazer. She holds an M.S. in Restoration Ecology from North Carolina State University, where she researched Atlantic White Cedar restoration in the Great Dismal Swamp after hurricane damage. Previous to her PhD Joelle had gained experience across the US in restoration, fire ecology, botany, and soil science at Rocky Mountain Research Station, The Nature Conservancy, and the Colorado Natural Heritage Program.

View Joelle’s dissertation: Relationships Between Sediment Redox Potential and Vegetation Characteristics in Florida Spring Systems: Implications for Restoration

Advisor: Dr. Mark Clark
Soil and Water Science

Charlie Nealis was interested in researching nutrient management in urban stormwater treatment ponds. Charlie received both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Florida with a BS in Food and Resource Economics with a minor in Agronomy and MS in Agricultural Education and Communication. Charlie had previously worked in nutrient management studies in turfgrass as well as waterfront landscaping and community based social marketing for the reduction of nonpoint source pollution for several years. He also had taught Biology and AP Biology at Deltona High School in Deltona, Florida.

View Charlie’s dissertation: Managing Expectations: Creating a Community Based Stormwater Pond Nutrient Management Program

Advisor: Dr. Mark Brown
Environmental Engineering Sciences

Grant Weinkam obtained his B.S. in Environmental Biology from Ohio University and his M.S. in Environmental Science from the College of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Cincinnati. His graduate work focused on the principles of bioremediation, with a specialization in water quality from an engineering perspective. He has worked as an environmental researcher at an USEPA research facility working on degradation/sorption of endocrine disrupting compounds in the waste water treatment process, disinfection byproduct formation in drinking water treatment, and surface water quality experimentation monitoring effectiveness of low impact development.

View Grant’s dissertation: Fate and Transport of Phosphorus in Developing Landscapes Under Long-Term Effluent Irrigation