Elise Zipkin

Ecologist
U.S. Geological Survey, Eastern Region, Northeast area, Biology discipline

Short Biography

Ph.D., University of Maryland
Biology, Fall 2009-present

M.S., Cornell University
Natural Resources, 2008

B.S., University of Michigan
Mathematics; Resource Ecology, 2003

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE        

Quantitative Ecologist – USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD (January 2008-present) Develop and analyze hierarchical statistical models. 

Graduate Research Assistant – Cornell Computational Agriculture Initiative, Ithaca, NY (Summer 2006) Applied data mining techniques to Northeast Regional Climate Center data to assess spatial and temporal patterns in weather.  

Graduate Research Assistant – Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (2005) Developed and analyzed mathematical models on population control through harvest: examined the effects of including density dependent growth on a demographically structured population.

Summer Student Fellowship – Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA (Summer 2003) Researched the optical properties (including phytoplankton abundance) of Martha’s Vineyard coastal waters through discrete sampling and evaluated algorithms to compare in situ observations to remotely sensed data.

Sea Lamprey Program Fellowship – Great Lakes Fishery Commission, Ann Arbor, MI (2002-2003) Built and analyzed a stage structured population model to examine potential sea lamprey production in impounded Great Lakes tributaries.

Entomology Laboratory Assistant – Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ (Spring & Summer 2001) Assisted in the collection and analysis of data for research on bark beetles, Elm leaf beetles, and honeybees.  Compiled and edited papers on West African pest management for a book.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Intro to Bayesian Statistics for Ecologists (TA) – Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center (April 2009) Short course in Bayesian stats and WinBUGS covering basic theory and applications including linear (mixed) models and generalized linear (mixed) models.

Intro to R for Fisheries Scientists – American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting (August 2008) Developed and taught a short course in R covering interactive calculations, importing/exporting data, built-in and user-defined functions, graphing, and statistical analyses (linear regression, t-test, randomization, anova, basic nonlinear optimization).

Conservation Biology (TA) – Cornell University (Fall 2007) Advanced undergraduate and graduate level course in principles and quantitative techniques of modern conservation and management.

Environmental Conservation (TA) – Cornell University (Spring 2006 & 2007) Introductory survey class on environmental topics.

Applied Population Ecology (TA) – Cornell University (Fall 2005 & 2006) Advanced undergraduate course covering basic population models. 

HONORS & AWARDS
American Fisheries Society Student Writing Contest Winner (2007)
Outstanding Graduate TA, Cornell University College of Ag and Life Sciences (2007)
Society of Mathematical Biology Landahl Conference Travel Grant (2006)
Michigan Academy of Science Kapp Undergraduate Award for Outstanding Paper (2003)
Outstanding Achievement in Mathematics Award, University of Michigan  (2003)
University of Michigan Walter Rodney Essay Competition, Third Place (2001)
James B. Angell Scholar, University of Michigan (2000)

Publications

Zipkin, E.F., Royle, J.A., Dawson, D.K. and Bates, S. 2010. Multi-species occurence models to evaluate the effects of conservation and management actions. Biological Conservation. 143: 479-484.

Zipkin, E.F., DeWan, A. and Royle, J.A. 2009. Impacts of forest fragmentation on species richness: a hierarchical approach to community modeling. Journal of Applied Ecology. 46: 815-822.

Zipkin, E.F., Kraft, C.E., Cooch, E.G., and Sullivan, P.J. 2009. When can efforts to control nuisance and invasive species backfire? Ecological Applications. 19: 1585-1595.

Zipkin, E.F., Sullivan, P.J., Cooch, E.G., Kraft, C.E., Shuter, B.J. and Weidel, B.C. 2008. Overcompensatory response of a smallmouth bass population to harvest: release from competition? Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. 65: 2279-2292. 

Zipkin, E.F. 2007. Balancing the scales: dam removal and sea lamprey control in Great Lakes tributaries. Fisheries 32: 608. (AFS student essay winner).

Zipkin, E.F. and Silverman, E.D. 2003. Using a habitat based model to predict the effects of dam removal on sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus populations in Great Lakes tributaries. Michigan Academician 35: 243-262.

My Science Topics

Science Center Affiliation

Areas of Interest:

Population and community dynamics
Control of nuisance and invasive species
Estimating species occurrence and detection

Active Projects:

Development of hierarchical community models to estimate species occurrences in heterogeneous landscapes

Characterizing spatial and temporal distributions of wintering sea ducks on the US and Canadian Atlantic coast: population trends and relation to habitat

Determining the consequences of invasive species control measures