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Researchers

Research Laboratory Faculty

 

Lee Kats

Lee Kats

Professor of Biology
Interim Dean, Seaver College
Frank R. Seaver Chair of Natural Science

Dr. Lee Kats' current research is focused on the ecology and conservation biology of stream animals. This includes examining possible causes of amphibian decline. He and his students focus their studies on the effects of ultraviolet radiation, wildfire, and the introduction of exotic species. He has a significant background in the areas of animal behavior, conservation, animal ecology, tropical biology, and stream ecology.  Dr. Kats conducts most of his research in the Santa Monica Mountains of Southern California; however, he also leads classes and conducts research in Costa Rica and Argentina.

Dr. Kats has taught at Pepperdine for over 30 years. He currently serves as the Interim Dean of Seaver College, as well as Academic Director of the Center for Faith and the Common Good, and a professor of biology. Dr. Kats has published numerous research articles on amphibian ecology and conservation ecology, served on the Board of Editors for the scientific journal Conservation Biology since 1996, and the editorial board of Hydrobiologia, the European scientific journal on freshwater biology, since 2000.

Full biography


 

Research Laboratory Students

 

Dayo Lee

Dayo Lee

Student Researcher

Dayo is a sophomore psychology major on the pre-health track whose main interests are behavior science of humans and animals and child development, specifically in physiological and mental development. She is a new member this year and is excited to help in animal care and upcoming projects year-round.

Kinkade Mcmurray

Kinkade Mcmurray

Student Researcher

Kinkade is a junior biology major who is interested in amphibian ecology. Kinkade has been a part of the laboratory since his sophomore year and is currently conducting research with his partner Connor McGaha on California and Pacific tree frogs’ defense mechanisms against UV rays. Kinkade has also helped out with the USGS survey team over the summer of 2023 and takes part in animal care on campus.

Veronica Boyle

Veronica Boyle

Student Researcher

Veronica is a senior biology major who joined the laboratory in the summer of 2023 to help in surveying streams for the USGS partnership. She is interested in all things animal-biology-related as she wants to pursue vet medicine post-grad. She is also passionate about educating herself about environmental science and conservation.

Andrew Wang

Andrew Wang

Student Researcher

Andrew Wang is a junior biology major and great books/chemistry minor who has been working in Dr. Kats’ behavior ecology laboratory since November 2022 of his freshman year. He is interested in herpetological diseases, behavior ecology, and cellular biology. Andrew has been a part of multiple experiments during her involvement within the lab and is currently involved in animal care for the campus. This past summer Andrew collected data from streams throughout the Santa Monica Mountains, supporting the laboratory’s USGS partnership research.

Nolan

Nolan Gentile

Student Researcher

Nolan is a senior biology major whose primary interests are environmental stressors in the Santa Monica Mountains and the effect of steam geomorphology on stream inhabitants. He has been involved in the lab since his freshman year and is currently conducting research on steam geomorphology and the impacts of wildfires in the streams. In summers 2022 and 2023 he co-led the USGS partnership, and this summer he will help in a nature reserve with the lab.

Research Projects: Wildfire & Biodiversity

Merry

Merry Kimble

Student Researcher

Merry is a freshman biology major who is interested in zoology as well as environmental journalism. She is a new member of the lab, but is excited to be working with the USGS partnership this upcoming summer. She has a special interest in amphibian conservation, and hopes to continue to pursue that passion in the future.

Ripley Conklin

Ripley Conklin

Student Researcher

 

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Connor McGaha

Student Researcher

Connor McGaha is a senior biology major who is interested in ecology and wildlife conservation, particularly as they pertain to vertebrates, as well as interspecies competition and predation. After joining his junior year, Connor spent the summer conducting USGS surveys with the laboratory and thoroughly enjoyed spending time in nature with such amazing people. Aside from participating in animal care on campus, Connor is analyzing the effects of frogs’ secretions as they pertain to UV ray protection with his research partner Kinkade Mcmurray.

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Jake Velen

Student Researcher


 

Research Laboratory Student Graduates

 

David

David Addison

Former Student Researcher

David graduated as a biology major with interest in studying the effects of insecticides in stream ecology. He was a member of the lab since his freshman year and led a project focused on the effects of tetrodotoxin, a neurotoxin released by the California newt, on mosquito motility, morphology, and mortality. Furthermore, he collected data for the USGS stream surveys, and he was one of the student leaders of the lab.

Research Projects: Reclaimed Water & Tadpole Behavior

Elise DeArment

Elise DeArment

Former Laboratory Student Leader

Elise DeArment graduated as a biology major with interest in investigating the impact of wildfire on streams in the Santa Monica Mountains. She engaged in several semesters of research investigating how water quality changes after wildfire, and how this could impact both native and invasive species. She was also involved in the USGS partnership for three years and was one of the student leaders of the lab.

Research Projects: Wildfire, Water Quality, and Invasive Species

Jack

Jack Keoseyan

Former Student Researcher

Jack graduated as a biology major and with primary interest in the effects of urbanization and invasive species on native species’ behavior and how this affects conservation practices. He specifically researched how water quality affects the predator evasion capabilities of the Pacific tree frog’s tadpoles. He was involved in the laboratory’s USGS partnership and hopes to continue his work in conservation biology.

Research Projects: Bti (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis)

Conor

Conor Kramer

Former Student Researcher

Conor graduated as a biology major. Conor’s research interests surround geomorphology of streams in riparian ecosystems, the effects of wildfire, and biodiversity. These three interests combined in his research laboratory studies on the effects of wildfire on the geomorphology of streams in riparian ecosystems in the Santa Monica Mountains, and how this could affect the faunal biodiversity in surrounding stream habitats.

Research Projects: Wildfire & Biodiversity

Hayley Lunn

Hayley Lunn

Former Student Researcher

Hayley Lunn joined the laboratory as a biology major with interests in behavioral, stream, and conservation ecology. Hayley participated in multiple experiments during her involvement, including analyzing and conducting experiments with poison dart frogs. Hayley was involved in the USGS partnership, and collected data from streams throughout the Santa Monica Mountains. Additionally, Hayley provided animal care and served as one of the student leaders of the lab.

Lucia Maldonado

Lucia Maldonado

Former Student Researcher

Lucia Maldonado graduated as a biology major. Her interests include studying the behavioral cues of animals. She was a member of the lab since her junior year and was a part of several projects focused on stream organism behaviors. Lucia collected data for the USGS stream database. Furthermore, she provided animal care and served as one of the student leaders of the lab.

Analise Nash

Analise Nash

Former Student Researcher

Analise graduated as a biology major with a minor in Hispanic Studies and Sustainability with interest in the effects of environmental changes on native and invasive species' interactions. She researched analyzing how chemical cues from invasive mosquitofish and native Hyre frogs influence crayfish aggression. She is also interested in environmental policy and will be attending Pepperdine's School of Public Policy.

Research Projects: Invasive Crayfish & Fish

kyle osornia

Kyle Osornia

Former Student Researcher

Kyle Osornia graduated with a B.S. in biology and joined the research laboratory the following summer. Kyle joined the laboratory to gain valuable experience in field-based research, with the hopes of exploring the relationship between the stream animals and the changing climate. Both the USGS and laboratory experiments conducted during his time in the laboratory will help prepare Kyle for the future graduate program he intends to pursue after an initial gap year.

Dani

Dani Rizzo

Former Student Researcher

Dani graduated with a BS in biology in December 2021. As an NSF Student-As-Scholar Fellow, she studied the impacts of melanized spots on invasive crayfish feeding behavior. Throughout her undergraduate career, Dani was committed to both conservation and outreach, presenting at research symposiums including the Southern California Conference for Undergraduate Research and the Seaver College Research and Scholarly Achievement Symposium.

Max

Max Sprute

Former Student Researcher

Max graduated as a biology and history dual major with research interests in behavioral ecology, population genetics, genomics, phylogeography, and speciation. Max was a member of Dr. Kats' lab for almost five years helping on multiple projects, and ran the animal care on campus for the laboratory. In addition he was involved with the laboratory’s USGS work during the summers. 

Elyse Vetter

Elyse Vetter

Former Student Researcher

Elyse graduated with a BA in biology in December 2021. She completed an honors thesis on the emergence of widespread disease symptoms in a local population of California newts. As an NSF Student-As-Scholar Fellow, Elyse studied the impacts of chemical cues on invasive crayfish aggression. She worked collaboratively with the USGS, serving as a fieldworker and survey coordinator. Elyse presented her research findings at the NPS and Partners Annual Stream Team Meeting and the Seaver College Research and Scholarly Achievement Symposium.