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Current Lab Members

Brent Rudolph
Ph.D. Candidate

Brent is also a Wildlife Research Specialist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Brent has many interests, but his research has largely focused on the biological and social challenges to managing white-tailed deer on increasingly human-dominated landscapes

Krishnan Sudharsan
Ph.D. Candidate

Former Lab Members

Meredith Gore - Postdoctoral Fellow (December 2007)

Meredith's research focuses wildlife-related outreach intervention evaluation, risk communication and percpetions.

Meredith is now an Assistant Professor in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife and School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University. Please visit her website.

Jordan Burroughs - Outreach Specialist (October 2007)

Jordan, who developed an outreach specialist position in the Riley Lab, starting in 2003, recently became the outreach specialist for the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. She seeks to improve quality and sustainability of human environments and natural resources in Michigan. Please visit her website.

Rebecca Christoffel - PhD (August 2007)

Using human dimensions insights to improve conservation efforts for the eastern massasaugua rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus) in Michigan and the timber rattlesnake (Crostalus horridus hooridus) in Minnesota. Doctoral dissertation. Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.

The goal of this research was to enhance conservation of snakes through improving insights about the human dimensions of management – especially those factors affecting stakeholder wildlife acceptance capacity – related to these often overlooked taxa. Semi-structured interviews and a mail-back questionnaire were administered to stakeholders in Michigan and Minnesota. People, who lived in the presence of either rattlesnake species, expressed more positive attitudes towards snakes than those people who did not live within the range of the snakes. A rattlesnake stewardship score, derived from a series of questions that determined feelings of obligation toward snakes, explained the greatest degree of variation in acceptance capacity. Risk perceptions were the most important determinant of whether or not a respondent would kill snakes. An experiment to test the efficacy of outreach in improving knowledge and attitudes towards snakes indicated that first-hand experience with snakes yielded the most significant positive attitude change.

Please contact Rebecca at chris317@msu.edu to find out more information.

Rebecca is a research associate at DJ Case & Associates.

Mark Coscarelli - M.S. (May 2006)

The purpose of this study was to develop information focusing on fish passage opportunities, including dam removal as a potential option, and to transfer this knowledge to local governments, watershed organizations, and dam owners to support strategic planning activities. The study was not designed to make specific recommendations for dam removal at any location.
Specific project objectives were to:

• Conduct an assessment of dams in the Saginaw River watershed based on current use, ownership, age, hazard potential, sea lamprey barrier issues, including potential for increasing access to existing spawning habitat
• Develop technical and economic information to help dam owners, local officials, and resource managers assess and evaluate options for fish passage Conduct an engineering feasibility study and select a preferred option for fish passage at the Frankenmuth Dam
• Identify significant obstacles to enhancing fish passage in the Saginaw River watershed

Mark is now a Senior Consultant at Public Sector Consultants in Lansing, MI.

Stacy Lischka - M.S. (May 2006)

Measure wildlife stakeholder acceptance capacity for white-tailed deer and develop a strategy for setting deer population goals to meet stakeholder impact tolerance.

Lischka, Stacy. 2006. Enabling impact-based management of acceptance capacity for white-tailed deer in southern Michigan. Thesis, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.

Stacy is now the Human Dimensions Specilist for the Illinois Naturay History Survey.

Alix Marcoux - M.S. (December 2005)

Reduce frequency of deer-vehicle collisions through improvement of knowledge about the characteristics of deer-vehicle collisions (DVCs), who is involved in DVCs, and consideration of human dimensions factors that may modify driver behavior.

Marcoux, Alix. 2005. Deer-vehicle collisions: an understanding of accident characteristics and drivers' attitudes, awareness, and involvement. Thesis, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.

Alix is now a youth conservation educator at the Brookfield Zoo in Boston.

Krishnan Sudharsan - M.S. (December 2005)

Determine environmental factors affecting frequency and rate of deer-vehicle collisions in Michigan, and develop educational programs that reduce impacts of deer-vehicle collisions to society.

Sudharsan, Krishnan. 2005. Environmental factors affecting the frequency and rate of deer-vehicle crashes (DVCs) in southern Michigan. Thesis, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.

Krishnan is now a doctoral student in Fisheries & Wildlife at Michigan State University.

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