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Natalie Cokel
Former B.S. Student
Natalie is a senior at UIS working towards a biology degree. She started in the Ting lab at the beginning of the fall of 2020 and has worked towards writing the protocol for present and future water quality monitoring of Lake Springfield. The objective of the water quality monitoring project is to collect data to observe long-term trends of the Lake Springfield water as well as provide a basis for mitigation strategies in the future. Natalie's research interests include conservation of native habitats, microbial ecology, and plant biology.
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Ellie Bretscher
Former B.S. Student
Ellie is a sophomore at UIS where she is currently working on a B.S. in Biology with a focus in Environmental Science. Her research is centered on the utilization of artificial nesting boxes in the rehabilitation of the declining Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea) population in central Illinois. Ellie will gather data that she will then use to determine the ideal location and placement of nesting boxes within local bottomland forests to maximize population growth. After installation, the boxes will be monitored to determine their impact on the Prothonotary Warbler population. Ellie’s primary research interests include the rehabilitation of threatened and endangered species and the post-disaster recovery plans for damaged ecosystems and communities.
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Matt Hayes, PhD
Former Visiting Research Project Coordinator
Matt graduated with his Bachelor's of Science in Zoology from Eastern Illinois University in 1998. He began studying Sandhill Cranes in Wisconsin in 2000. He completed his Master's of Science in Biology from the University of South Dakota in 2005 and Doctor of Philosophy in Animal Sciences from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2015. He studied Sandhill Crane demography and behavior using field observations and genetics from a long-term marked population in Wisconsin. During his time in the Ting Lab, Matt helped research a declining population of Franklin's ground squirrels in Central Illinois using behavior and genetics from a long-term marked population. He also assisted in translocating Osprey in Central Illinois.
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