News
The AEL is welcoming three new graduate students in Autumn 2026!
Manao Kato, a research technician at the AEL until very recently, will be working with Stu Ludsin on a master's project…
AELers gathered for a pig roast to celebrate the end of summer. Stu Ludsin hosted and roasted the pig with the help of graduate students Seth Drake and James Dowling, as well as technician Sawyer…
Peyton Marks, undergraduate researcher with Stu Ludsin, presented her research at the SROP Research Symposium on July 23.
Peyton worked all summer with Stu and graduate student David Drinko…
Congratulations to three graduate students advised by Jim Hood on successfully defending their research for the completion of their degrees.
Lyndsie Collis defended her dissertation on July…
On Monday, July 13, the AEL once again hosted the participants of the Youth STEM Institute. Halley Miller led a presentation on aquatic ecosystems and a tabletop exercise in which the students…
Two AEL doctoral students, James Dowling and Megan Herbruck, attended and presented at the North American Native Fish Association Annual Convention at Deer Creek State Park on July 10.
The AEL maintained our great tradition of annually cleaning out our shared spaces on July 9, 2026. This hallowed event has been improving our working environment and overall efficiency since at…
Three AEL graduate students were honored with awards for the annual conference for the International Association for Great Lakes Research.
Demetra Williams, doctoral student with Stu Ludsin,…
Congratulations to all of the AEL students who graduated May 10!
Kayla Geller, Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science, with Honors Research Distinction, having successfully defended her…
Dr. Jim Hood attended the Spring Meeting of the International Joint Committee (IJC) in Washington, D.C. the week of April 20, 2026. Jim serves as a member of the Science Priority Committee for the…
Dr. Zach Steele, postdoctoral researcher, traveled with his advisor Dr. Stuart Ludsin to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission Council of Lake Committees meeting in Windsor, Ontario, on April 21. The…
Devan Mathie was honored to be named the 2026 Center for Life Sciences Education Outstanding Lab Instructor. Devan has been a dedicated TA for many semesters and is being recognized for his…
Abby Duimering, master's student with Casey Pennock, was acknowledged with an Honorable Mention in the 2026 U.S. National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) competition…
Graduate students Megan Herbruck and Demetra Williams attended the meeting for the Great Lakes Chapter of the Ecological Society of America in Cleveland on April 11. Both students gave oral…
Two recent AEL graduates have published research from their master's theses:
Jacob Bentley, advised by Stuart Ludsin, published work from his thesis in the North American Journal of…
Nearly two dozen Aquatic Ecology Lab members including graduate students, staff, undergraduates, and faculty, participated in the return of the Museum of Biological Diversity Open House.
Kylee Wilson and Demetra Williams, both doctoral students, attended the Lake Erie Committee Meetings with their advisor, Stu Ludsin, March 26-27 in Ypsilanti, Michigan. All three enjoyed…
Dr. Stuart Ludsin has been named a 2025 Fellow of the American Associate for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). This lifetime recognition is one of the most prestigious honors for researchers…
LEPAS technician, Haley Miller, presented at Freedom Trail Elementary's Enrichment Day on Friday March 20. Haley led three groups of 20+ children in grades 1 through 5 in an activity on foodwebs…
Mack White, postdoctoral scholar with Casey Pennock, presented a seminar for the Biology Department at Tennessee Tech University. Mack engaged with colleagues and presented for a broad audience…
Dr. Stu Ludsin presented the weekly seminar for the Department of Biological Sciences at Kent State University on March 6. His talk focused on Lake Erie as a lens through which to explore human…
Dr. Jim Hood presented in the Purdue University Department of Forestry and Natural Resources seminar series on March 2. His talk touched on the threats faced by aquatic ecosystems and the services…
The Aquatic Ecology Lab was very well-represented at the Ohio Chapter of the American Fisheries Society (OCAFS) winter meeting February 19-20 in Newport, Kentucky. Faculty members Lindsey…
Dr. Casey Pennock presented the brown-bag seminar at the University of New Mexico Department of Biology on February 11. His talk was titled, From the Arid West to the Rust Belt: Divergent…
Braden Charles DeMattei, PhD student with Dr. Jim Hood, has been selected for the Ecological Society of America's Katherine S. McCarter Graduate Student Policy Award. Brady is one of 20 students…
Dr. Lindsey Bruckerhoff travelled to University of New Mexico last week to deliver the departmental seminar for the Department of Biology. She met with colleagues and collaborators while she was…
Jim Hood and Stu Ludsin were both recently awarded Ohio Department of Higher Education Harmful Algal Bloom Research Initiative (ODHE HABRI) grants.
Dr. Hood's grant is titled: …
Dr. Stuart Ludsin was honored with the Meritorious Service Award from the North Central Division of the American Fisheries Society at the Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference in Fort Wayne,…
James Dowling, PhD Student with Casey Pennock, was recently featured alongside several of our Ohio Department of Natural Resources-Division of Wildlife collaborators in a video documenting…
The AEL enjoyed gathering with friends and family to celebrate the holiday season and the end of the semester. Even the falling snow didn't stop a large crowd from gathering at Stu's home to take…
The AEL is proud of our many graduates this semester, including Andrew Foley, who successfully defended his master's thesis November 21.
Graduates Graduate Students: Andrew Foley, Master's of…
The AEL once again hosted the annual Lake Erie & Inland Waters Research Review meeting at the Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center December 11 and 12. The meeting had over 150 attendees from…
Seth Drake, PhD student with Casey Pennock, presented at the 3rd Annual Interdisciplinary Water Research Symposium on Wednesday, October 29. This is a "collaborative event that brings together…
The 3rd Annual AEL Chili Cookoff was a success! Nearly three dozen people gathered to share and sample eleven different chilis. With multiple vegan, meat only, and beany varieties, no one left…
PhD student Lyndsie Collis, advised by Jim Hood, has two new first author publications in recent months.
The first of these papers was part of a large NSF-funded study that examined…
Welcome to Fall Semester and another AEL Group Photo in the books! A few folks were unable to participate due to the demands of field work and they are missed, but we are blown away by our…
The AEL welcomed seven new graduate students this fall!
Abby Duimering, Sophia Holupka, and Reagan Oller are all new master's students with Casey Pennock. Abby will be studying arctic…
Dr. Lindsey Bruckerhoff presented as part of a the Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Lab Science Writers Workshop on August 27. Her presentation was titled, "Water quality improvements in Ohio are linked…
The AEL sent four students and one faculty member to the Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society in San Antonio, Texas, August 10-15. They were joined by many colleagues from the Ohio…
The AEL once again hosted three students for our Aquatic Ecology & Fisheries Management Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program. We continue to be grateful for our partnership with…
AELers gathered for another successful Work Day to clean out the detritus of the year on July 16.
Left to fester and grow, dirt and disorganization spread to unyielding proportions…
The AEL hosted participants in the Youth STEM Institute organized by our Kinnear Road neighbors, the Ohio Supercomputer Center. LEPAS head technician Haley Miller welcomed the students with an…
AELers attended the Ohio Chapter of the American Fisheries Society summer business meeting at Thomas More University Biology Field Station on Thursday, July 10. Justin Furby, Kylee Wilson, Neal…
On July 10, Lindsey Bruckerhoff presented an Ohio Sea Grant webinar in person at Stone Lab.
Her talk was titled, Lifecycle of a stream: how fishes respond to variable environmental…
Jim Hood travelled to Stone Lab to contribute to the Ohio Sea Grant Lake Erie HABS Forecast for 2025. Dr. Hood contributed information on the behavior of phosphorus in the sediments of the Maumee…
The AEL was very well represented at the annual meeting for the Society for Freshwater Science (SFS) meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico in May 2025. Three faculty, three postdocs, and two graduate…
AEL postdoc, Nayan Mallick, graduated with his PhD from University of South Carolina earlier this month. Nayan was advised by Dr. Joshua Stone who was once a postdoc here at the AEL.
The AEL was well represented at commencement with 8 undergraduates and 3 graduate students all graduating at the May 4 ceremony.
Undergraduates Michael Begines was an undergraduate technician…
On Thursday, May 1, Jacob Bentley, master's student with Stu Ludsin, successfully defended his thesis.
His talk was titled, Understanding the Ecological Niche of Introduced Blue Catfish…
After a recess of quite a few years, the annual AEL pig roast has returned!
For many years, AELers gathered at the home of Roy Stein, former director of the AEL, for a fall picnic and pig…
Dr. Jim Hood was elected to the International Joint Commission Science Priority Committee which is part of the Great Lakes Science Advisory Board. The Science Advisory Board exists to provide…
Five AEL graduate students have been recently honored with awards!
Megan Herbruck, master's student with Lindsey Bruckerhoff, was awarded the Helen M. and Milton O. Lee Fellowship based on…
Four AEL students successfully defend their master's theses this semester:
Madeline Schumacher, student with Lindsey Bruckerhoff, defended their thesis on April 1, Multiscale drivers of…
Allie Litmer, postdoctoral researcher with Casey Pennock, presented at the bi-monthly Graduate Women in Science's Science 'n' Suds event at Parsons North Brewery on April 4, 2025. She presented on…