Who We Are
Noelle G. Beckman, PhD
she/her/hers
Associate Professor in Biology and Ecology
I am an Associate Professor in Biology and the Ecology Center and am affiliated with the Climate Adaptation Science and Mathematical Biology Programs. I earned my Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution, & Behavior at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. I was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Mathematical Biosciences Institute (MBI) and the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC). My research focuses on seedscape ecology in both natural and modified environments. I use a combination of empirical and quantitative approaches to understand how spatial interactions of plants with their local environment influences patterns observed at larger spatial and temporal scales, such as patterns of plant spatial distributions and biodiversity. We focus on the early stages of a plant’s life cycle (i.e. reproduction, seed dispersal, seedling survival). Read about current projects by following the links under research themes.
Jennifer Bryan
she/her/hers
Fall 2020-present
Lab Manager
I was born in Curitiba, Brazil. I immigrated to the United States in 2016 after meeting my husband. I’m an undergraduate studying Human Biology with a minor in Psychology at USU. I’m a first-generation college student. During my time at USU, I have served as president of the IELISA club, and I have been active in undergraduate research since my first semester. I was part of the Zachary Gompert Lab for 2 semesters. Growing up, I competed with the Gymnastics Olympic team for Brazil. Since relocating to Logan five years ago, I have married my husband Jacob Bryan and had my daughters Flora and Charlotte. I hope to pursue a career in medicine.
Mitzila Gaitan
Spring 2019-present
Research Technician
Soy Ingeniera en Manejo Ambiental y poseo un título de Profesora en educación media con especialización en Manejo Ambiental. Tengo más de 10 años participando en proyectos de investigación con plantas desde las más pequeñas hasta los arboles más grandes. Me gusta muchísimo el bosque y todos sus acertijos por descifrar. El Bosque es muy complejo pero muy interesantes, actualmente trabajo con frutos que son procesados en el laboratorio. Trabajar pensando en que este es mi granito de arena para ampliar nuestro conocimiento y mejorar nuestro entorno, le da sentido a mi trabajo. La investigación del medio ambiente es muy importante y considero que educar a las personas también lo es, así que en mi tiempo libre dedico unas horas a la semana a ayudar a otros, labor que llevo efectuando hace más de 15 años.
Elsa Jos, MS
she/her/hers
Summer 2018-present
PhD Student in Ecology
I am interested in how species interactions determine the abundance and distribution of plant species. I would like to integrate theoretical and empirical approaches for this. I plan to study the evolution and ecology of fruit traits and how these traits mediate plant-animal interactions. I completed a Masters in Ecology and Environmental Sciences from Pondicherry University, India. My masters research focused on the evolution and ecology of touch-sensitive stigmas in angiosperms, which I did with Dr. Hema Somanathan at IISER, Thiruvananthapuram, India. After this I continued working with her on a project looking at population sizes and species diversity in Myristica swamps in Southern Western Ghats, India.
Beatriz (Bea) de Oliveira Tristão, MSc
she/her
Fall 2014-present
PhD Student in Ecology
I am a PhD student in the Beckman Research Group at Utah State University. My main interests include ecosystem modeling, socio-environmental systems, and the impacts of forest dynamics' shifts on human well-being, with a special focus on indigenous and traditional communities. I hold a Master’s degree in Ecology from the University of Campinas (Unicamp, Brazil), where I conducted research using modeling approaches to assess how climate change affects the provision of ecosystem services in the central Amazon rainforest. My main research goal is to highlight the importance of mitigation and conservation strategies that preserve local cultures, traditions, and ways of living.
Jerry (Gerald) Schneider, PhD
he/him/his
Fall 2019-present
Postdoctoral Researcher
I am a chemical ecologist broadly interested in the ecology and evolution of phytochemistry at the whole-plant level. Within a given plant, each organ/tissue type is often subject to divergent physiological and ecological pressures, and evolution of phytochemistry at the species level is likely to be a product of all of these pressures. Thus, I seek to develop an integrative perspective of phytochemical evolution through examining intraspecific chemotypic differentiation and plasticity across tissue types. I explore these chemical defenses in the contexts of plants' networks of biotic interactions as well as co-occurring biotic and abiotic stressors. My principal toolkit in these investigations is that of molecular networking-based metabolomics.
Madison Smart
she/her/hers
Summer 2014-present
UASAL Intern
I am an undergraduate student with a deep interest in animal behavior. I run a small business as a canine behavior consultant in the Salt Lake area and am a certified veterinary technician. I am currently completing an undergraduate degree in psychology while also taking as many biology and ecology courses as I can to prepare for graduate studies. I have participated in research projects involving the street dogs in Morocco, the wildlife of the Wasatch mountains, and the bees in our backyards. I love reading, hiking, and looking for birds and bugs! I hope to pursue a career in animal behavior research. .
In Memory
Max
he/him/his
August 2012-January 2023
Giver of Infinite Affection
I took Obedience classes at the Zoom Room in Columbus, Ohio. I'm considering continuing my education here in Logan. I spend most of my time sleeping and eating. I LOVE food and will eat almost anything, except for dried lemons, blegh. I like to go hiking. I grew up in more humid forests of the Eastern United States. In Utah, I go hiking when its cool and not too dry. When I first moved to Utah, I tried to go hiking when it was dry and the ground was really dusty. I breathed in a lot of the dust, and then puked it out all over the car on the way home. I also like barking at things that move, but objects that move really slowly or are oddly shaped really make me nervous and a little afraid. I like hanging out with all the people in the research group. They are pretty nice, sometimes they drop little pieces of food for me to eat, but I don't understand why they won't let me sit at the table and eat with them. I'm really good at eating.