Sea Grant Supported Students Graduate

Thirteen graduate students supported by Louisiana Sea Grant completed their degrees in 2012. The list includes:

• Benjamin Branoff, master of science, Louisiana State University (LSU) Oceanography and Coastal Sciences. Thesis: Nitrogen Biogeochemistry in a Restored Mississippi River Delta: A Modeling Approach.
• Barry James Bleichner, master of science, LSU Geography and Anthropology. Thesis: An Analysis of Marine Protected Areas Legislation in the Caribbean Lesser Antilles.
• James Chatagnier, master of science, LSU Civil and Environmental Engineering. Thesis: The Biomechanics of Salt Marsh Vegetation Applied to Wave and Surge Attenuation.
• Shreya Datta, doctorate of philosophy, LSU Food Science. Dissertation: Production and Application of Antibodies Produced against the Flagella and Hemolysin of Vibrio Parahaemolyticus.
• Benjamin S. Eberline, master of science, LSU Renewable Natural Resources. Thesis: Population Dynamics of the Eastern Oyster in the Northern Gulf of Mexico.
• Glenn Charles Fischer, master of science, Tulane University Earth and Environmental Studies. Thesis: Quantifying Neotectonic Control of Alluvial River Morphology in a Low Gradient Landscape.
• Katherine Garrison-Schilling, doctorate of philosophy; LSU Biological Sciences. Dissertation: Identification of Genetic and Environmental Factors that Control Exopolysaccharide Expression and Phase Variation in the Human Pathogen Vibrio Vulnificus .
• Kelly Marie Henry, doctorate of philosophy, LSU Oceanography and Coastal Sciences. Dissertation: Linking Nitrogen Biogeochemistry to Different Stages of Wetland Soil Development in the Mississippi River Delta, Louisiana .
• Melissa Monk, doctorate of philosophy, LSU Oceanography and Coastal Sciences. Dissertation: Identification and Incorporation of Quantitative Indicators of Ecosystem Function into Single-species Fishery Stock Assessment Models and the Associated Biological Reference Points .
• Michelle Savolainen, master of science, LSU Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness. Thesis: Economic and Attitudinal Perspectives of the Recreational For-Hire Fishing Industry in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico .
• William Sheftall IV, master of science, LSU Renewable Natural Resources. Thesis: Factors Structuring Zooplankton Density and Composition within a Louisiana River and Floodplain Tributaries with Emphasis on Hydrologic Processes .
• Jared Theriot, master of science, LSU Oceanography and Coastal Sciences. Thesis: The Effects of Carbon on Nitrogen Transformations in Restored Wetland and Waste Water Soils.
• Hua Wang, master of science, LSU Agriculture Economics and Agribusiness. Thesis: Economic Assessment of Rapid Land-Building Technologies for Coastal Restoration .

Persons interested in obtaining copies of the theses and dissertations should contact Jessica Schexnayder at jsche15@lsu.edu .