Amanda Kissel
I am a Ph.D. student at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, and part of the Earth to Ocean research group in the Biological Sciences department at SFU. In 2013 I jumped on board with Dr. Maureen Ryan and Dr. Wendy Palen (my senior supervisor) to explore the effects of climate change on high-elevation amphibians in the Pacific Northwest. I am working on a thread of this large, collaborative project with the goal of forecasting the response of Cascades frogs (Rana cascadae) to changes in climatic regime. I am now collecting baseline data on landscape-level larval mortality of Cascades frogs as a result of pond-drying. These data will be used along with long-term demographic data to “add up” the effects of climate change on Cascades frogs. For more information on the project, you can email me at akissel@sfu.ca.
Katie Goodwin
I am a recent biology graduate from Simon Fraser University who joined the team in January 2015. In the spring of 2013, I studied abroad in a field-based program at Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. The experience sparked my interest and fascination with nature and led to a decision to pursue a career in conservation biology. I started in the Palen Lab by helping determine tadpole development rates of the Cascades frog to track their growth throughout the summer. I then received an Undergraduate Student Research Award and was happy to stay on the team for the summer 2015 field season.
In addition to helping out with Amanda’s main projects at Mount Rainier and Olympic National Parks, I am investigating thermal performance of the Cascades frog to determine the temperature at which it becomes too warm for frogs to perform (i.e. jump) optimally. Since amphibians conform their temperature to the surrounding environment, they may be sensitive to the higher average and increased temperature variation predicted to occur within the next 50 years due to climate change. We aim to determine how often in the future it will be too hot for frogs to forage throughout the day in favour of seeking water or shade to keep cool and whether or not the species will be pushed beyond its thermal limits, which may result in population declines.
Chloe Reid
I am in my final year of undergraduate studies at Simon Fraser University, pursuing a Bachelors Degree in Biology, in the stream of ecology, conservation and evolution. I started volunteering in the Earth to Ocean lab at SFU in 2012 sorting freshwater invertebrates. Since then I have assist in projects involving the Oregon spotted frog, American bullfrog monitoring, and currently with the Cascade frog mark-recapture program, and Coastal Tailed Frogs in run-of-river projects. My goals for the future include honing in on my passions in ecology and conservation to help guide my future academic career. Meanwhile I strive to learn techniques and strategies of successful projects that potentially result in real change for the betterment of local ecosystems, and the creatures residing in them.
Gavia Lertzman-Lepofsky
I have always loved catching frogs, so I’m not surprised that amphibians have found their way out of my childhood and into my university education. I am currently a fourth year biology undergraduate at Simon Fraser University and I’ve been volunteering in the Earth to Ocean lab at Simon Fraser University since the summer of 2013. In the summer of 2014, I had the amazing opportunity to work as Amanda’s field assistant and participate directly in research.
As well as doing the Cascades frog mark-recapture and tadpole wrangling last summer, we also deployed physical models (think firm Jell-O in a frog shape) that accurately mimic the physiological properties, temperature and water-loss, of real frogs. Since then, I have been working with this data to see how the conditions experienced by these model frogs, varies across sun, shade, dry, and wet refuges and how these treatments relate to temperatures that would cause frogs to experience reduced capacity to function.
Jason Ngan
I am a recent graduate of SFU's Software Systems Program and I enjoy creating games and learning about the world underwater and how life interacts. I got involved with the project as it combines various elements of what I enjoy. I have spent the summer designing the Mountain Frogs website and creating an interactive game related to the scope of the project, which you can play under the games tab! Check out my portfolio to see more of my creative projects.
Dr. Maureen Ryan
Past Team Members
Zach Monteith
Noll Steinweg
Mara Healy
Collaborators
Regina Rochefort
Jerry Frielich
Barbara Samora
Rebecca Lofgren
See-Yeun Lee
I am a curious individual who wants to understand how we humans can minimize our impact upon wilderness areas. I received my Bachelor's of Science in Environmental Science from Simon Fraser University in the Spring of 2015. In the summer of 2015 I was awarded a Vice-President's Research award to work within the Palen lab, studying conservation and amphibians.
I assisted Amanda on a few expeditions, hiking and camping in remote areas to collect water/air temperatures as well as body condition of Cascades frogs in their mountain habitat. I also helped research into the Pacific Tailed frog (Ascaphus truei) in relation to run-of-river dams.
During my time at SFU I also had the privilege of working with individuals studying salmonids, Philomachus pugnax (a super cool sandpiper species of bird), biological control of mosquitoes, ecology of an invasive fruit fly and integrated pest management of click beetles on Canadian agriculture. For more info on these projects, feel free to check out: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/aboxwell.