School of Forest Resources

Jessica Leahy – Graduate Students

Current Graduate Students:

• Vance Brown (M.F.) – Vance’s area of interest includes the human dimensions of forestry and agriculture.
• Ian Foertsch (M.F.) – Ian’s areas of interest includes the forester-landowner relationship, including conflicts of interest, trust, and billing preferences.
• Erika Gorcyzca (M.S.) – Erika is currently researching small-scale forest policy and management through the use of agent-based modeling to promote sustainable solutions in management decisions.
• Gretchen Heldmann (M.S.) – Gretchen’s research involves modeling recreation access and land use change decisions of small woodland owners in Penobscot County.
• Patrick Lyons (M.S.) – Patrick’s research is focused on developing a stakeholder driven family forest initiative in Maine through the Center for Research on Sustainable Forests.
• Mike Quartuch (Ph.D.) – Mike’s research will involve combining sustainability science with knowledge-to-action research for the benefit of small woodland owners in Maine.
• Crista Straub (Ph.D.) – Crista is working on an interdisciplinary research project that involves citizen science with water quality and environmental communication.
• Teresa Thornton (Ph.D.) – Teresa is discovering what parameters contribute to a successful collaboration in natural resource management through the study of social capital, trust, and social networks in a community based environmental monitoring research program.
• Martha Willand (M.S.) – Martha’s research examines landowners concerns with public recreation use, and exploring possible incentives for increased access.

Undergraduate Research Assistants:

• Elijah Shank (B.S.) – Eli assists and leads a variety of projects contributing to the Family Forest Program of the Center for Research on Sustainable Forests and the Sustainability Solutions Initiative.

Recently Graduated:

• Brittany Hummel (M.S., 2008) – “Seeing the forests for the tourists: Forest-based entrepreneurial tourism enterprises in the Northeast”
• Marilynne Mann (M.S., 2008) – “Bad apples, overworked trail workers, and landowners relations: Meanings of ATV riding in Maine’s clubs”
• Michael Shugrue (M.S., 2008) – “Pathways to the park: The effect of a media campaign and the importance of trail use in Acadia National Park”
• Jackie Zimmerman (M.S., 2010) – “From seeds to trees: A study of educators’ influences on forestry outreach development”

To understand how I feel as a graduate student mentor (sometimes), please watch this video.