Graduate students

US Graduate Students Supervised  (# indicates award winner; *indicates nominated for award) 
 
Graduated PhD Students
  • Ambler, J.B. 2011. Whales and the people who watch them: baleen whales in Virginia’s near-shore waters and the educational and conservation potential of whale watching. Doctoral thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • #Crerar, L. 2012. Genetics of the Steller’s sea cow (Hydrodamalis gigas): a study of ancient bone material. Doctoral thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Luksenburg, J. 2012. The cetaceans of Aruba: a multidisciplinary study. Doctoral thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • *Shafer, C.L. 2013. Grizzly emigration and land use: an interdisciplinary case study of the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem. Doctoral thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • #Thornhill, J.L., 2014. Bridging the gap between research and decision-making: empirical evidence from a case study of gray wolf (Canis lupus) management in the US. Doctoral thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • #Sitar, A.S.M. 2015. Is dolphin-watching sustainable in Bocas Del Toro, Panama? Doctoral thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • *Cella, E.L. 2015. Understanding residents’ knowledge of, attitudes toward, and participation in sea turtle conservation in Tortuguero, Costa Rica and near the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, Florida, USA. Doctoral thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • #O’Bryhim, J.R. 2015. The shark trade in Costa Rica: genetic, mercury contamination and human dimensions and the implications for conservation. Doctoral thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • #Fazio, J. 2016. Assessment of current captive management of the fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus). Doctoral thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Kohanowich, K.M. 2016. From Cousteau to Cameron: testing a quadrant model for undersea marine research infrastructure management. Doctoral thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • #Shah, A. 2016. An evaluation of social goals in Philippine marine protected areas. Doctoral thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Tracy, S. 2017. Inclusion of environmental education into public school curricula. Doctoral thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Roland, A. 2017. Impacts of ambient noise on minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) habitat use and behaviour. Doctoral thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Razafinjatovo, P. 2018. Establishing Marine Spatial Planning in Madagascar, drawing lessons from experience in the US and Europe. Doctoral thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Gleason, C. 2018. A socio-economic and management evaluation of whale-watching in Samaná, Dominican Republic. Doctoral thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.

Graduated MS Students

Research Thesis Track Students
  • McConchie, T. 2007. Computer assisted analysis of individual bottlenose dolphin fins off Wallops Island, Virginia. Masters thesis. George Mason University, Virginia. (joint director with D. Kelso)
  • #O’Bryhim, J. 2009.  Public knowledge, attitudes and behavior to sharks and shark conservation. Masters thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  •  Wong, D.L. 2009. Public perception of mammals and mammal conservation in Fairfax County. Masters thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • #Fazio, J. 2010. A behavioral assessment of the clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa); a comparative analysis of reproductive success. Masters thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Griffith, D. 2010. Waste reduction as a method to reach conservation goals; a comparative analysis of plastic waste management. Masters thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • # Patterson, K. 2010. Conservation, captivity, and whaling: a survey of Belize whale-watching tourist attitudes to cetacean conservation issues. Masters thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • #Sitar-Gonzales, A. 2011. A survey of student opinions of green commercials. Master’s thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Tracy, S. 2012. Understanding conservation: a study of student attitudes and understanding of the effects of human activities on global ecosystems. Master’s thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • *Redman, M. 2013. Keeping green schoolyards green: a study of challenges and success strategies for the long-term sustainability of schoolyard habitats. Master’s thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • *Ozbenian, S. 2013. Survey of attitudes toward, conflicts with and management of wolves and bears in rural villages in Armenia. Master’s thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Roland, A. 2013. Population size and viability of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) off the coast of the Parque Nacional De Este, Dominican Republic. Master’s thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • #Abrahams, H. 2014. Mitochondrial control region diversity and phylogeographic patterns of the Atlantic white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus) along the East Coast of the United States. Master’s thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Scott, C. 2015. Otter social science research: an evaluation of the general public’s knowledge of otter species. Master’s thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • #Denham, W. 2015. Public knowledge, attitudes and behaviour towards dolphins and dolphin conservation. Master’s thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Donahue, K. 2015. Public perception of cetacean conservation in the DC Metropolitan area. Master’s thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Kanojia, M. 2017. Addressing deforestation on the island of Hispaniola. Master’s thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • #Brown, D.M. 2018. An analysis of opportunistic data to investigate humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) sighting patterns and vessel risk in the northwestern New York Bight. Master’s thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.

Project track MS students
  • McDuff, H. 2008. How sea turtle populations are impacted by shrimp trawls along the United States east coast and the Gulf of Mexico. Masters project. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Tadur, S. 2008. The use of patent variables in biotech firm valuation-the case of misspecified models. Masters project. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Willis, T. 2009. Decentralized wind energy generation: advantages and challenges. Masters project. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Galgano, M.R. 2011. A review of Brucella — focusing on marine mammals and the associated zoonotic health risk. Master’s project. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Hendren, A. 2012. The public perception of marine invertebrates in the Washington, D.C. Area. Master’s project. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Sharma, A. 2012. Marine plastic pollution. Master’s project. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • McKee, K. 2016. Is it just a little bit of history repeating? Using past forestry strategies to frame future marine planning. Master’s project. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Scully, S. 2017. Gyres … or international garbage dumps. Master’s project. George Mason University, Virginia.

Masters Student Advisory Committee Member - Completed:
  • Lewandowski, J.K. 2005. Assessing public input on further regulatory measures by the National Marine Fisheries Service to address harassment of wild marine mammals from interactive viewing activities. Masters thesis. George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia.124pp.
  • Draheim, M. 2007. Who’s afraid of the big bad coyote? A survey of messaging and existing attitudes in the National Capital Region. Masters thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Alcorn, J. 2008. U.S. environmental security: understanding and enabling it to matter. Masters thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Morabito, P. 2009. A survey of stereotypic behavior in captive North American river otters (Lontra canadensis). Masters thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Crane, J.A. 2010. Keiko: a case study of releasing a killer whale from captivity. Masters project. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Gleason, C. 2010. The nature of whalewatching and whalewatchers in the Dominican Republic. Masters thesis. Antioch University, New England.
  • Zirbel, K. 2010. Navy sonar, cetaceans and the Supreme Court: Fairfax County public attitudes and potential ramifications. Masters thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Perez, N. 2012. A qualitative evaluation tool for elementary student attitudes during an overnight environmental education experience. Masters thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Busch, K. 2013. An investigation into the effects of the National Wildlife Federation’s certified wildlife habitat program on mammalian species richness in urbanized residential properties. Masters thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Bair, R. 2013. Relating environmental literacy to standards of learning biology and earth science: a case study from Prince William Country, Virginia. Masters thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Hansen, A. 2013. Early life history, habitat use, and microsatellite allele frequency of two common reef fishes (Stegastes partitus and Thalassoma bifasciatum) in marine protected areas of the Northwestern Gulf of Mexico. Masters thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Peredo, C. 2015. A statistical analysis of marine mammal dispersal routes across major ocean regions using beta diversity at the generic level. Masters thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Holstein, B. 2015. Analyzing photovoltaic potential using a Geographic Information System: a case study of Prince William County public schools. Masters thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Butt, M. 2016. An additionality approach to blue carbon conservation. Masters thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Petruny, L. 2016. Biostratigraphic and stable isotope study of selected foraminifera from the Turonian Lindi formation, southeastern Tanzania (Tanzanian drilling project site 34 drill core). Masters thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Villari, J.R. 2016. Three-dimensional cranial morphology of odontocetes: creating a morphological dataset. Masters Project. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Beichler, A. 2017. Survey of Northern Virginia residents on their awareness, knowledge and attitude toward black bears. Masters thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.

 PhD Student Advisory Committee Member - Completed:
  • Bordelais, J.-P. 2007. A comparative study of environmental policy development in the Caribbean: Barbados, the Dominican Republic and Guadeloupe. Doctoral thesis. George Mason University, Virginia. 160pp.
  • Hawkins, M. 2009. An assessment of awareness of fish consumption advisories concerning mercury among women of childbearing age. Doctoral thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Mickelberg, J.L. 2011. Understanding and managing isolation in a fragmented population of golden lion tamarins, Leontopithecus rosalia. Doctoral thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Smith, A.K. 2011. A mid-Atlantic stream suitability index for brook trout (Salvelinus frontinalis). Doctoral thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • #Dutta, T. 2012. Patterns of genetic structure and gene flow of leopards (Panthera pardus) in Central India. Doctoral thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Draheim, M.M. 2012. Social conflict and human-coyote interactions in suburban Denver. Doctoral thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Davis, H.A. 2013. The biological and economic benefits of shade coffee plantations in the Blue Mountain, Jamaica W.I. Doctoral thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Sevin, J. 2014. Factors effecting the distribution of the endangered Shenandoah salamander (Plethodon shenandoah). Doctoral thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Schwartz, K. 2014. Development of the zoological information management system: linking in situ and ex situ conservation efforts. Doctoral thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Lewandowski, J.K. 2015. Transforming conflict into effective action: a case study on the effects of anthropogenic sound on marine mammals. Doctoral thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • *Patterson, K.W. 2015. The microbial and molecular ecology of tissue-loss diseases affecting Acropora cervicornis in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Doctoral thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Prado-Oveado, N. 2015. Hyperprolactinemia and ovarian acclivity in captive female African elephants (Loxodonta africana). Doctoral thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Orr, J.M. 2016. The eastern box turtle, Terrapene carolina carolina; population ecology, growth, relocation, and soil pH of resting forms. Doctoral thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Muldrow, M. 2016. Assessing reef experts’ baselines and values regarding the Florida Keys coral reef ecosystem. Implications for historical ecological knowledge of the region. Doctoral thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • Walsh-Thomas, J.M. 2016. An evaluation of metaphors in climate change discourse. Doctoral thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.
  • *Romano, E. 2017. Caenorhabditis elegans as a model to determine the molecular effects of plausible environmental determinants of breast cancer. Doctoral thesis. George Mason University, Virginia.