Alumni Updates
Braden Pitcher, Forestry & Wildland Resources, 2013
Submitted: February 10, 2017
Braden Pitcher, 2013 Forestry & Wildland Resources, finally landed a full-time, permanent career position with the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service as a Soil Scientist after three years of bouncing across the West between seasonal technician jobs for the Bureau of Land Management. Mapping different soil types and their management potential across Western lands gives Pitcher the opportunity to spend every day outside, often experiencing landscapes few in modern history have seen. Pitcher adds, “OH YEAH! I just recently married a fellow HSU Alumni and Natural Resources graduate!”
Danielle Cudahy (nee LeFever), Biological Sciences, 2005
Submitted: February 10, 2017
Danielle Cudahy (née LeFever), 2005 Biological Sciences, recently became the full-time Optometrist at the local Eureka VA office. In 2010, Cuday graduated from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University in Elkins Park, PA. She is expecting her second child in late March.
Bob Lackey, Fisheries Biology, 1967
Submitted: January 11, 2017
Bob Lackey, 1967, Fisheries Biology, continues to teach part-time at Oregon State University in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. These days, he spends a good portion of his spare time training his young shetland sheepdog, Chandler. Lackey reports that “training progress has been painfully slow, but I think I see glimmers of progress. This little 23-pound dog definitely has a mind of his own and is rarely convinced that my training priorities are fully compatible with his priorities.”
Colin Brayton, Wildlife, 2004
Submitted: December 9, 2016
Colin Brayton, 2004 Wildlife, recently started Alaska Fjord Charters, in Seward, Alaska, and takes guests to the Kenai Fjords National Park, based out of Seward, Alaska.
Leonard A Brennan, Wildlife, 1984
Submitted: December 6, 2016
Leonard A Brennan, 1984 Wildlife, recently published his sixth book, "The Upland and Webless Migratory Game Birds of Texas" with the Texas A&M University Press. Brennan has been conducting quail research for the past 34 years, beginning with his graduate project that began at HSU back in 1982.
Don Rowan, Fisheries Biology, 1992
Submitted: November 28, 2016
Don Rowan, 1992 Fisheries Biology, is in his 17th year of science teaching. For the last three years, Rowan has been teaching Advanced Placement (AP) Biology, Biology, Biology 2, and AP Environmental Science at Bishop Union High School. He is also the Associated Student Body director and has recently been a peer reviewer for the “Journal of Fisheries and Wildlife Management.”
David W Heiser, Fisheries Biology, 1963, 1965
Submitted: November 20, 2016
David W Heiser, 1963 and 1965 Fisheries Biology, retired in 1997 from Washington State Parks. Prior to that he served with the Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game and the Idaho Dept. of Fish, Game and Wildlife. Since 2006, Heiser has lived in Arizona.
jeremy M. Milana, Forestry & Wildland Resources, 2015
Submitted: November 15, 2016
Jeremy M. Milana, 2015 Forestry & Wildland Resources, is seeking opportunities within the environmental realm.
Gage Dayton, Wildlife, 1996
Submitted: November 9, 2016
Gage Dayton, 1996 Wildlife, was recently appointed to the Wilton W. Webster Jr. Presidential Chair for the UC Santa Cruz Natural Reserves. Dayton has served as administrative director of the UCSC Natural Reserves since 2008.
Mark Hudgens, Fisheries Biology, 1999
Submitted: November 9, 2016
Mark Hudgens, 1999 Fisheries Biology, was recently appointed the superintendent of the Mt. San Jacinto State Park. Hudgens spent the last 14 years in the Perris district, which measures roughly 8,800 acres compared to the 14,000 acres of the Mt. San Jacinto park.
Holly Leopardi, Physics & Astronomy, 2014
Submitted: November 4, 2016
Holly Leopardi, 2014 Physics & Astronomy, recently won first place for her paper "Er:fiber frequency comb for synthesis of optical frequencies at the 10^-18 level," at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Photonics National Conference. Leopardi is currently a graduate student at the University of Colorado, Boulder, conducting research in optical frequency comb development at the Time and Frequency Division at the National Institute of Standards and Technology with Scott Diddams. She is a student member of the IEEE, anda recipient of the 2016 National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship.
Jim Parsons, Fisheries Biology, 1979
Submitted: October 17, 2016
Jim Parsons, 1979 Fisheries Biology, is an owner/partner in Troutlodge, Inc., the world's largest supplier of rainbow trout eggs to the commercial and agency sectors. He was also elected president of the National Aquaculture Association in 2016.
Michael T. Rains, Forestry & Wildland Resources, 1968
Submitted: October 13, 2016
Michael T. Rains, 1968 Forestry, recently retired from the U.S.D.A. Forest Service after 48 years of public service. Rains began his career as a wildland firefighter and rose through the ranks to become deputy chief for the agency. His last assignment with the Forest Service was director of the Northern Research Station and the Forest Products Laboratory. Rains is known for his authorship role in the National Fire Plan for the Department of Agriculture and advancing biomass uses—cellulose nanomaterials, green building construction, advanced wood for energy —as a way to help America's forests become more resilient to disturbances. Along the way, Rains earned a master’s degree in Secondary Education and now enjoys substitute teaching math and science at the middle school level in Pennsylvania.
Julia Clark, Environmental Science & Management, 2015
Submitted: October 4, 2016
Julia Clark, 2015 Environmental Science & Management, was elected to the board of directors of the Society for Conservation GIS, a non-profit organization that assists conservationists worldwide in using geographic information systems through communication, networking, scholarships, and training.
Robert T. Lackey, Fisheries Biology, 1967
Submitted: September 14, 2016
Robert T. Lackey, 1967 Fisheries, was recently named a Fellow of the American Fisheries Society at the society’s 146th Annual Meeting in Kansas City, Mo. He has worked on an assortment of natural resource issues from various positions in government and academia. Most recently, he retired after 27 years with the Environmental Protection Agency’s national research laboratory in Corvallis, Ore., where he served as Deputy Director, Associate Director for Science, and in other senior leadership positions. Dr. Lackey has long been an educator, having taught at five North American universities and, currently, he teaches a graduate course in ecological and natural resource policy at Oregon State University. He has published over 100 articles in scientific and professional journals.
Tobin Fulmer, Biological Sciences, 2005
Submitted: July 29, 2016
Tobin Fulmer, 2005 Biological Sciences, has taken a position with the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality at the El Dorado office.
Ron Fritzsche, Biological Sciences, 1967
Submitted: July 14, 2016
Ron Fritzsche, 1967 Zoology, recently contributed a section to the Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Fritzsche is an Emeritus Professor of Fisheries Biology. He was the HSU Outstanding Professor in 1991 and served as an administrator including Dean for Research, Graduate Studies and International Programs. Fritzsche also served as assistant to the Provost for faculty affairs and space and facilities. He is currently an elected board member for the North Humboldt Recreation and Park District and the local Timber Heritage Association. Fritzsche met his wife, also an HSU graduate, in John VanDuzer’s Speech 1 class.
Allison Formica, Biological Sciences, 2014
Submitted: June 24, 2016
Allison Formica 2014 Biological Sciences, is working as a Life Science Research Professional in the Genetics Department at Stanford University studying the cellular and molecular biology of the cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis, which is a critical relationship to the lives of reef-building corals. She was recently promoted to Laboratory Manager and is assisting in developing a reliable spawning protocol for the sea anemone, Aiptasia, in an attempt to improve spawning efficiency and predictability in the lab.
John Giraldes, Chemistry, 2003
Submitted: June 15, 2016
John Giraldes, 2003 Chemistry, graduated from University of Minnesota with a degree in Medicinal Chemistry in 2006 and went on to work for Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research, Global Discovery Chemistry, Oncology in Cambridge, Mass., until 2015. Giraldes then relocated to Baltimore, Md., and currently working as a Project Manager and Scientific Analyst for the National Cancer Institute's Experimental Therapeutics (NExT) Program.
Keith Parker, Fisheries Biology, 2015
Submitted: May 26, 2016
Keith Parker, 2015 Fisheries Biology, recently received a $15,000 Switzer Environmental Fellowship for the 2016-17 academic year. This award is given to individuals who demonstrate outstanding leadership and dedication to working in the environmental field.