Fabulous Chrismakah holiday door decoration by Rachael, J and Anthony!
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Back row (l to r): Josh Lopez-Binder, Savannah Sanchez, Sasha Escamilla, Rachael Auer, Anthony Luketich, J Ortega. Front row (l to r): Corrie Reasner, Marcy Litvak, Tomer Duman.
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Dr. Marcy Litvak (PI) (she/her)
Marcy is a Professor in the Biology Department of University of New Mexico. She received her B.A. with honors in 1989 from Colorado College, and her Ph.D. in Plant Physiological Ecology in 1998 from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Her research focus is on understanding how ecosystem processes vary across ecological gradients in semi-arid biomes. She is particularly interested in quantifying how climate and disturbance alter carbon, water and energy dynamics in the Southwestern U.S.
For more information: CV, Google Scholar, or Research Gate.
Contact info: faculty web page
Marcy is a Professor in the Biology Department of University of New Mexico. She received her B.A. with honors in 1989 from Colorado College, and her Ph.D. in Plant Physiological Ecology in 1998 from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Her research focus is on understanding how ecosystem processes vary across ecological gradients in semi-arid biomes. She is particularly interested in quantifying how climate and disturbance alter carbon, water and energy dynamics in the Southwestern U.S.
For more information: CV, Google Scholar, or Research Gate.
Contact info: faculty web page
Research Professor
Dr. Tomer Duman, is a research assistant professor who studies the interactions between vegetation and its surrounding environment as a key component for understanding the effects of environmental changes. Tomer’s research work deals with atmospheric boundary layer flows and lies in the intersection between ecology, meteorology and engineering. His research topics include problems such as estimation of flux footprint, assessment and analysis of ecosystems gas exchange, energy and water balance, and modeling the dispersion of gasses and heavy particles within and above canopies in the atmosphere. To answer these questions, Tomer uses diverse techniques, including numerical modeling, and collection and analysis of high frequency atmospheric measurements and additional ecophysiological measurements.
Google Scholar
Research Gate
Google Scholar
Research Gate
Technicians
Anthony Luketich, MSAnthony is the lead technician in charge of maintaining instrumentation and keeping everything running on all 9 towers. He received his M.S. from the University of Arizona in Natural Resources with an emphasis on Watershed Management and Ecohydrology. He is particularly interested in learning about ecosystem processes so we can use that knowledge to save the world! Anthony helps the lab with his experience working with research infrastructure and data acquisition systems.
Anthony's blog on Gravitec tower climbing and rescue course!! |
Rachael Auer, BSRachael is our ecology technician in charge of making all ecological measurements across the NMEG. She received her B.S. in Biological Sciences from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, focusing on botany and plant ecology. She is fascinated by plant ecosystems and how they are changing in response to climate change. Some of her responsibilities include organizing monthly and yearly surveys across the NMEG to collect data on phenology, net primary productivity, and litterfall. She is excited to help improve our understanding of how these plants are responding to disturbances and climate change.
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Jacob "J" Ortega, BS
Jacob is our field research technician in charge of collecting, entering, and processing data from our sites across the NMEG. He received his B.S. in Biological Sciences and International Studies from the University of New Mexico with a focus on plant sciences and ecosystem ecology. He is interested in ecosystem dynamics and their response to an ever-changing climate especially in the arid and semi-arid biomes of New Mexico. He is enthusiastic about merging Indigenous and western epistemologies to further our understanding of these complex ecological processes and aid in important climate modeling.
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Graduate Students
Corrie ReasnerCorrie is a Masters student looking at seedling regeneration after disturbance in PJ woodlands in the context of climate change. She received her BS in Conservation Ecology from New Mexico State University in 2013. Corrie has been working for Natural Heritage New Mexico since 2014 and is currently the lead-technician on a statewide riparian and wetland habitat mapping project. She was born and raised in the middle Rio Grande Valley and her love for ecology and the southwest stemmed from her experiences as a teenager working with her father on various ecological restoration projects. She loves all things New Mexico and takes any opportunity she can to enjoy all the wonderful outdoor activities it has to offer.
Savannah SanchezI am currently a master's student looking at plant contributions to CO2 fluxes at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge. I received my B.S. in Biology at New Mexico Highlands University in 2022. I was born and raised in Las Vegas, New Mexico and my love for plants started through an internship through NMHU working for Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge collecting different native plants to add to our herbarium. I am an avid houseplant collector, hiker, and skier and New Mexico is the perfect place to be able to do all three!"
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Sasha EscamillaI am a master's student interested in habitat restoration and plant conservation with a particular focus on endangered species. I'm currently investigating plant community changes post fire in the mixed conifer forest of the Valles Caldera National Preserve. After receiving a BS in Biology from California State University Dominguez Hills in 2020, I spent a year as a horticulture intern at Grand Canyon National Park. I'm from San Diego, California and love the beach, hiking, traveling and eating out with my dog Ziki.
Josh Lopez-BinderJosh is a masters student investigating tree responses to climatic changes. He received a BS in mechanical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in 2014. Since then he worked as a mechanical engineer, programmer and tree-trimmer. Studying ecology combines elements of his past experiences and he is thrilled to be applying them to the study of trees.
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Past Lab Members
Huge shout out to all the people who have worked in the Litvak Lab in the past and who poured an enormous amount of time and energy into building up our flux tower gradient and datasets. It would not have been possible without their enormous efforts. They are listed here in no particular order.
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Graduate Students
University of New Mexico
Alesia Hallmark, PhD Amanda (Leibrecht) Stanfield, PhD Dan Krofcheck, PhD Amanda Sacks, MS Michelle Nuanez, MS Daniel Brese, MS Plan II Amy Bennett, MS Plan II Theodore Roper, MS Ryan Schulz, MS University of Texas, Austin M. Shawn Brumbaugh, PhD Ann Thijs, PhD Tamara Basham, PhD |
Postdocs
Cameron McIntire Krista Anderson Teixera Andy Fox Tim Hilton Greg Maurer Dan Krofcheck Rob Pangle Laura Morillas Gonzalez Mike Fuller Cheng-Wei Huang
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Lead Instrument Technicians
Mikael Schlumpf
Steven Crisp Alex Moody Andy Hawk Leo Stoscheck Skyler Hackley Jonathan Furst Christopher Russell Lead Ecology Technicians
Nicholas Smith Margaret Schluter Stephanie Schmiege Christy Lowney Bobby Mullin Melissa Baciagalupa Andrea Urioste |
Field Technicians, Field Crew and Undergraduate Students
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Laura Pages Barcelo
Grady Ball Sarah Lujan Pavel Vahkhlamov Emma Elliot-Smith Anita Enriquez Tallie Segel Eva Detweiler-Robinson |
Teresa Conway
Kelly Williamson Caitlin Wolf Gaea McGahee Nate Ritz Cecilia Payan Shaila Cochran Amanda Solnitzky Will Crockett |
Sarah Hicks Dean
Kathryn Harris Devon Fisher-Chavez Thommy Thompson Nina Vakhlamova Sabrina McNew Ryan Evansen Matthew McNair Ryan Ozatalar |