Angel Chappell
Angel completed her B.S. in Horticulture at Texas A&M in 2012. As an undergraduate at A&M, she worked for over three years on a Potato Breeding and Variety Development Program. After graduating from TAMU, she traveled for a year before returning to work for the potato program full time. In June 2019 she moved to San Antonio, Texas and began working full-time at the San Antonio Botanical Gardens. In January 2021, Angel began working on a master's degree in Environmental Science that is focused on plant conservation of a rare milk weed. She does this part-time as she continues working full-time at the botanical gardens.
Kelsey Delgado
Kelsey is currently a professional-track graduate student for the Department of Environmental Science and Ecology. She graduated with her B.S in environmental science in Spring 2020 from UTSA. Currently, Kelsey holds a position as an Environmental Scientist contracted with the U.S Air Force. Her main role is supporting the tracking of restoration/remediation project funds for all U.S Air Force bases nationally and internationally. Although she is not conducting research, Kelsey is passionate about studying the impacts of climate change and potential solutions for how society can lower their carbon-footprint. She also enjoys studying the environmental services native species provide to society and her ultimate goal is to one day pass on her knowledge by becoming a professor.
Fabiola Estrada
Fabiola is currently a thesis masters student in the Department of Environmental Science and Ecology. She graduated with her B.S in Environmental Science from UTSA in the Fall 2020. Currently she is working on a research project evaluating the impacts of wastewater effluent on stream metabolism and bacterial diversity in the Cibolo Creek located in Boerne, Texas. Fabiola is a scientist who is passionate about improving the environmental quality for our community. Her goal is to study aquatic ecosystems to protect and conserve our natural resources for future generations to come.
Mary Finucane
Mary earned her BS in marine biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. After graduation, Mary worked for Sea World San Diego as an educator, animal care specialist, and animal trainer. She later earned her teaching credential and her M.Ed and taught high school biology when she moved back to her home state of Texas. As a native San Antonian, Mary is pursuing her MS in environmental sciences at UTSA so that she can be a part of the local scientific community. Mary is thrilled to be a part of a joint research project with UTSA, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and the San Antonio River Authority that will be assessing Guadalupe bass population and habitat use in the Mission Reach of the upper San Antonio River. Mary is passionate about conservation and hopes she can share her passion so that her fellow San Antonians enjoy, appreciate, and conserve the natural spaces in and around this community.
Andrew Foster
Andrew is currently in the UTSA master's program in the Department of Environmental Science and Ecology. He has received his associate degree in Arts at San Antonio College, and his bachelor's degree in Environmental Science with Summa Cum Laude honors at UTSA. While attending UTSA, he has worked as a Peer Mentor and Teaching Assistant for courses in the Department of Environmental Science and Ecology at UTSA. His overall research interest is in restoration and anthropogenic impacts on ecosystems. His research thesis will consist of reporting water quality parameters in San Antonio creek beds and determining components that influence those parameters.
Eres Gomez
Eres is a Master of Science student at UTSA where her research aims to investigate the effects of rodenticide exposure to raptors in Texas. She also works at a raptor rehabilitation center called Last Chance Forever where they care for sick, injured, and orphaned birds of prey. Her main research interests include raptor ecology and issues surrounding human-wildlife interactions. She is especially interested in ecotoxicology and contaminant monitoring in wildlife to understand the impacts of anthropogenesis on the natural world.
Jamie Killian
Jamie received her undergraduate degree in Wildlife Biology from Texas A&M University in 2000. As a student, she was a student member of Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society. After graduation, she worked as a seasonal wildlife technician for Wyoming Game & Fish in 2001 for a portion of a multi-year Black-footed ferret project. Jamie began her career with Texas Parks & Wildlife in 2008 on the Middle Trinity River Ecosystem Project as area manager for Big Lake Bottom, Keechi Creek, and Cedar Creek Islands Wildlife Management Area. Her education came to life for her in this role putting learned theories into practice. In 2015, she wanted to expand her experience to include working with private landowners and moved to a south Texas district biologist position covering Karnes and Wilson counties. Jamie currently provides technical guidance to citizens in the community related to wildlife and habitat management. She is excited to return to school at UTSA to pursue her master's degree in Environmental Science. Jamie is interested in habitat management, using prescribed fire, and managing non-game species. Her research project will determine Texas horned lizard presence / absence in Karnes and Wilson counties, model population abundance based on the survey data, and assess habitat types at each survey location.
Amanda Lamberson
Amanda holds a Bachelor's degree in biology from UTSA and is pursuing her master's degree in environmental science. Her research will look at supplemental feeding of wild birds and how local practices of San Antonio residents are influencing wild birds in terms of species abundance and diversity. Wild bird feeding is a popular activity that is widespread across the United States and many other developed countries around the world. Despite its prevalence, research on how supplemental feeding impacts bird populations is only beginning to create a picture of how different species are responding. Amanda's work will contribute to creating a better understanding of how wild birds are being affected by supplemental feeding in a humid subtropical climate within an urban environment. When not working on her research, Amanda enjoys trying out different art mediums and copious amounts of strong coffee.
Sally Lent
Sally is a master's student in the Department of Environmental Science and Ecology at UTSA. As an undergraduate, she participated in the UTSA Bee Research Program and researched the diversity of bees in Bexar County using field collection and citizen science. After graduation, she interned with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and contributed to the western bumble bee species status assessment report. Now as a master's student, she is researching how abundance, diversity, and bee community composition vary between different green spaces in an urban landscape. Sally is passionate about conservation and is excited about conducting research to better understand the issues bees are facing in our constantly changing and increasingly urbanized world.
Angela Maroti
Angela graduated from Texas A&M University where she earned her bachelor's degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences and is currently working on her master's degree in Environmental Science at UTSA. She has interned with the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute and volunteered as an environmental educator with the Colorado River Alliance and as a wildlife rehabilitator. She is interested in wildlife biology, human effects on freshwater ecosystems, and science communication. Her current thesis research is focused on evaluating the suppression of hydrilla by manual removal and planting native aquatic plants.
Alejandra Montoya
Alejandra was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas and received her BS at Texas Tech University. She is currently a first year UTSA master's student in the Department of Environmental Science and Ecology. Her interest includes running, reading, being outdoors, walking her dog, and spending time with her family. Alejandra's broad research interest include human-wildlife interactions, data analysis, and conservation. Alejandra hopes to have an environmental analyst job one day.
Rebecca Nishida
Becca is a first-year master's student in the Department of Environmental Science and Ecology at UTSA. She received her B.S. in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology at North Carolina State University. At NCSU, she was first introduced to and became interested in the human dimensions of wildlife, and she is excited to be conducting human dimensions research in the Smith Lab at UTSA. She is an aspiring naturalist and enjoys connecting people to nature and wildlife at her current and at her past job and intern positions. Her overarching career goal is to contribute to both wildlife conservation and human well-being. Her hobbies include hiking, photographing critters, and playing instruments and singing with friends (when possible).
Marina Zannino
Dulcie Gomez
Dulcie is a native of San Antonio, Texas and received her undergraduate degree in Environmental Science from Our Lady of the Lake University in 2015 where she played collegiate soccer. Her hobbies include running, soccer, reading, painting, and spending time outdoors and with her family, friends and dog Arlo. Dulcie's professional interests include forestry, aquatic ecosystems, conservation, restoration, and wildlife biology. She plans to become the first in her family to obtain a master's degree and create a huge impact in environmental conservation and management at all levels from local to international. She is excited to see what opportunities arise with a master's degree in Environmental Science.
Madeleine Henao
Madeliene graduated from Texas A&M University in 2012 with a Bachelor's degree in biology and then obtained an Associate's degree from Palo Alto College in veterinary technology. She has been a licensed veterinary technician since 2015 and has worked in the veterinary field for two years. She is a fish lab technician in a children's cancer research facility at UT Health San Antonio. She started the Master's program in environmental science at UTSA in August 2018 to pursue her original dream of becoming a natural research scientist. She hopes to continue her work with Texas Parks and Wildlife in the future once she has earned her degree. She is currently working with Texas Parks and Wildlife Inland Fisheries department on an urban fisheries project along the Leon Creek Greenway in San Antonio, TX. The project is still in the planning process but will involve surveying fish populations along the greenway and integrating human use of the greenway and education into the project.
Alexander Toder
Alex is a master's student in the department of Environmental Science and Ecology at UTSA. His thesis research will consist of comparing invertebrate community composition between ephemeral ponds in Upper Leon Creek within San Antonio, Texas. Alex earned his bachelor's degree in Wildlife Biology from Texas State University in 2015. Since then, he has worked seasonal positions across the country: participating in Spotted Owl and Northern Goshawk acoustical surveys on the eastern side of Lake Tahoe in Nevada with the Nevada Department of Wildlife; driving on the beach looking for nesting Kemp's ridley sea turtles on Padre Island National Seashore with the National Parks Service; and helping Texas Parks and Wildlife collect Chronic Wasting Disease samples from white-tailed deer in Hondo, Texas. Alex is an active member of The Wildlife Society, loves the outdoors, and hopes to grow as a professional biologist.
Gabriela Vara
Gabriela is a second-year master's student in the department of Environmental Science and Ecology at UTSA. She is interested in wildlife zoology, land stewardship and museum studies. Her current research uses herbarium specimens to gain an understanding of urban effects on the ecology of San Antonio, Texas. Gabriela holds a bachelor's degree in university studies from Texas A&M University.
Eugene VonBon
Eugene is in the first year of UTSA's Environmental Science M.S. degree program. His research interests include restoration ecology, environmental remediation, and urban ecology. He is currently working with the department's storm water management program on the Main Campus and developing a thesis project on low impact design. Eugene is a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force serving as a dental assistant and retiring with the rank of Master Sergeant. He completed his B.S. in Environmental Science at UTSA in May 2018 with a focus on conservation and restoration ecology.
