CFE Faculty & Staff
Affiliated Faculty
Email: kathleen.bush@dhhs.state.nh.us
Phone: (603) 271-1106
Dr. Bush is the Program Manager for the Environmental Public Health Tracking Program at New Hampshire’s Department of Health and Human Services. She also serves as support staff for the NH Climate and Health Program. Katie is an environmental epidemiologist, with a Ph.D. in Environmental Health Sciences from the University of Michigan School of Public Health and a B.S. in Biology and Environmental Studies from Hobart and William Smith Colleges. Her research focuses on the linkages between environmental quality and human health and utilizes a variety of statistical and geospatial methods.
Office: Boyd Science Center Rm 315
Phone: (603) 535-2410
Email: j_cordeira@plymouth.edu
Dr. Cordeira, Associate Professor of Meteorology, is an atmospheric scientist who specializes in multi-scale atmospheric characteristics of extreme weather events. Prior to joining PSU, Jay obtained his Ph.D. from the University at Albany in 2011, spent one year in Boulder, CO as a post-doc at the Water Cycle Branch of the NOAA Earth Systems Research Laboratory, and spent one year as a research meteorologist at a weather software company, EarthRisk Technologies, in San Diego, CA. His research interests include better understanding and improving forecasts of the atmospheric processes conducive to (1) extreme precipitation events across the U.S. in association with “atmospheric rivers” and (2) extreme temperature events across the U.S. in association with heat waves and cold-air outbreaks.
Email: pdavis@bentley.edu
Phone: 781-891-3479
Dr. Davis’s research specialties include glacial and alpine geomorphology, Quaternary stratigraphy and chronologies, climate change, lacustrine sedimentology, and tephrochronology. He has been recently funded by NSF for several projects, including “Constraining the timing and rate of southeastern Laurentide Ice Sheet thinning during the last deglaciation with cosmogenic nuclide dipsticks,” a collaborative project between Bentley University, Boston College, and University of Vermont, and “Pathways project – Enhancing climate change communication between broadcast meteorologists and their viewing audiences,” a collaborative project between Bentley University and Plymouth State University. Thom is also an authority on the glacial history of northern New England, and is a co-author of a book titled “The Geology of New Hampshire’s White Mountains” (Durand Press, Lyme, N.H.). He has a B.A. in geology from the University of New Hampshire, a M.S. in geology from the University of Maine, and a Ph.D. in geology from the University of Colorado.
Email: mbg78@case.edu
Dr. Green is a hydrologist, focused on forests and their role in regulating water movement and water quality. He studies the hydrologic cycle using water tracing techniques and data mining of large public databases. He was previously an associate professor with CFE and is now a Research Scientist at Case Western Reserve University. A major aspect of Mark’s work is serving as a research hydrologist with the Northern Research Station of the U.S. Forest Service. Mark has a B.S. in Biology from Minnesota State University, Mankato; a M.S. in hydrology from the University of Nevada, Reno; and a Ph.D. in water resources science from the University of Minnesota.
Email: Brendon.Hoch@erdc.dren.mil
Mr. Hoch is a research physical scientist at the US Army Corps of Engineers’ Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) in Hanover, NH. His current research involves using numerical weather prediction models to improve forecasts of dust and aerosols for defense applications. Brendon is experienced with applying technology in environmental sciences and has been involved with a large number of projects managing the instrumentation and software. His work has included partnerships with agencies such as NH Department of Transportation and the National Weather Service. He previously worked as Director of IT and Instrumentation at Plymouth State’s Judd Gregg Meteorology Institute where he also taught courses.
Office: Boyd Science Center, Room 226
Email: ddjolles@plymouth.edu
Research blog: http://www.pyrola.org
Dr. Jolles is an Assistant Professor of Plant Biology. Her research focuses on how different aspects of natural history such as reproductive biology, biogeography, and ecological associations influence both plant population demographics and phylogeny. She uses this information to discover new lineages/species and to refine our understanding of plant taxonomy. Jolles is an expert on the western North American Pyrola picta species complex (Ericaceae), a group of closely related, mycoheterotrophic plants. These Pyrola species represent just a few of the hundreds of Angiosperm species adapted for ‘buzz-pollination’, a form of vibratile anther dehiscence (interesting!). Jolles’ current research is focused on population genomics and biogeographic patterns in plant lineages growing in New England, including Cypripedium acaule (Orchidaceae), the pink lady slipper orchid, and Chimaphila maculata (Ericaceae), an eastern North American species with close relatives in Mexico.
Email: ekelsey2@plymouth.edu
Dr. Kelsey is a Research Associate Professor in the Applied Meteorology Program at PSU and previous Director of Research at the Mount Washington Observatory. He has a B.S. from the University of Missouri, a M.S. from SUNY – Albany, and a Ph.D. from the University of New Hampshire.
Office: 239 Boyd Science Center
Email: mmcgarry@plymouth.edu
Phone: 603-535-3209
Dr. McGarry is an Associate Professor in the Environmental Science and Policy Program. She specializes in science education and water resource outreach. Mary Ann has received state, national, and international recognition for team-developed programs. She served as Director of Education for Maine Lakes Conservancy Institute, 2000-2004, and she founded Maine Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) and was the state coordinator from 1995 to 2005. She completed a fellowship with the Cypriot government in 2001 to work on water conservation education. She helped direct a 5-year National Science Foundation (NSF) funded project entitled Maine Math Science Teaching Excellence Collaborative and served as advisor to another NSF multi-year initiative — the Bioregional Outdoor Education Project in the Four Corners area of the United States. From 2007 – 2009, Mary Ann served as Director of Education for the Hubbard Brook Research Foundation while remaining a PSU faculty member. Mary Ann also served as a faculty member for the Pakistani Educational Leadership Institute at PSU assisting with place-based community initiatives around environmental stewardship and cultural heritage preservation. She has a B.A. in environmental education from Dartmouth College, a M.S. in earth science from Northern Arizona University, and an Ed.D. in science education from the University of Maine.
Email: bcodonnell@mail.plymouth.edu
Dr. O’Donnell is an Associate Professor in the Biological Sciences Program at PSU. Her research program centers on understanding the development, life history and evolution of the large bodied and common mayfly, Hexagenia limbata (Ephemeroptera: Ephemeridae). Brigid also collaborates with NH Fish and Game on tracking temporal changes in the abundance and diversity of macroinvertebrates at Johnson Brook (Nash Stream Forest, Coos County) following the construction of new pools along its length.
Email: rpinsonn@icloud.com
Dr. Pinsonneault teaches biology and environmental science at Bishop Guertin, a private college preparatory day school in Nashua, NH. Rob maintains an active research program in collaboration with other members of the Center for the Environment, where students are exposed to the ecology, biodiversity, and hydrology of freshwater systems. His research interests include a study of the Pemigewassett Watershed, with a particular focus on the ecology and hydrology of Newfound Lake. He has a B.S. in biology from Fairfield University and a Ph.D. in biology from the University of Vermont.
Email: leonr@plymouth.edu
Dr. Reitsma is a Professor Emeritus of zoology in the Biological Sciences Program. Len has collaborated with CFE students on several projects related to birds and habitat conservation. He has a B.S. from William Paterson College and a Ph.D. from Dartmouth College.
Email: shannon.rogers@unh.edu
Dr. Rogers is an interdisciplinary environmental scholar and educator who focuses on understanding complex environment-human systems. With an emphasis on environmental policy and decision-making, Shannon seeks to integrate her research and teaching in a manner that is community based and participatory. A native of New Hampshire, Shannon is particularly concerned with maintaining and enhancing the quality of life, including ecosystem services, we enjoy in this wonderful state. She has a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Dartmouth College, a M.S. in Resource Administration and Management and a Ph.D. in Natural Resources and Environmental Studies from the University of New Hampshire.
Dr. Ryder is a sociologist currently serving as a post-doctoral research fellow in the Department of Geography at the University of Exeter. She is a colleague of Dr. Lisa Doner and has participated in a grant proposal to the National Science Foundation’s International Research Experience for Students led by Dr. Doner.
Email: lts@plymouth.edu
Dr. Spencer, Professor Emeritus of Biology, serves as chair of the Environmental Subcommittee of the Friends of the Pemi-Livermore Chapter where he is working on a GIS/remote sensing project of the natural features of the corridor. He also serves as chair of the Holderness Conservation Commission and is working on a GIS/remote sensing project for Mt. Prospect looking at land use and steep slopes for the area.
Office: Samuel Read Hall Building, Room 217
Phone: 603-535-2327
Email: trstoughton@plymouth.edu
Research Blog: claytonia.org
Dr. Stoughton joined the Center for the Environment at PSU in 2016. He is an evolutionary biologist focused on assessing biodiversity of sessile organisms (principally, plants and fungi) using a broad spectrum of biogeographic, cytological, ecological, genetic (including genomic), and morphological data. Tommy is an authority on North American tuberous Claytonia (Montiaceae), called spring beauties. The main objective of Stoughton’s research efforts is to provide useful information to land managers and practitioners of biology so that they can, in turn, make informed decisions regarding conservation of biological diversity. He has a B.A. from the University of Redlands and a Ph.D. from Claremont Graduate University
Email: klyurewicz@plymouth.edu
Dr. Yurewicz is an Associate Professor of ecology in the Biological Sciences Program interested in how species interactions affect the performance of individuals and shape patterns of abundance and diversity in nature. Most of her work has focused on freshwater invertebrates and amphibians. Current research projects focus on the distribution of aquatic insects in streams, behavioral responses of crayfish to sensory cues, and the population ecology of terrestrial red-backed salamanders. Kerry earned her B.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Michigan and held a postdoctoral research position at the University of Notre Dame before joining the faculty at Plymouth State University in 2004. She has also helped manage Plymouth State’s Research Support & Training Grant for the NH-INBRE program (IDeA Network for Biomedical Research Excellence).
