Research

Early birds: A project two decades in the making is unlocking secrets from a bellwether songbird

Communications Director

Contact Information

Contact Kristen Morales

Phone:

706-206-3055

kmorales@uga.edu

Campus address

Office:

Building 1-202

About

Education:

B.A., Graphic Design, The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, 2002

B.S., Print Journalism, Syracuse University, 1998

Biography:

Kristen comes to Warnell after spending five years as communications manager at the UGA College of Education. At Warnell, she oversees the production of The Log, the college's alumni magazine, as well as regular news releases, website updates and social media content. Before working for UGA, Kristen spent more than 15 years in the newspaper industry as an editor, writer, copy editor and designer at newspapers in New York, Massachusetts, California, Florida and Georgia.

At 5:30 a.m., the forest is dark and quiet.

Off in the distance, you can hear the rushing of a stream. Looking up, the leaves are barely visible against the slowly brightening sky. Stand still and you can begin to hear the murmur of the birds.

Their chatter starts slow, but soon the sky has turned a medium gray and their noises have cascaded up the mountain, surrounding you in a wave of song.

That means it’s time to go see what’s out there.

Conference on advancing southern tree genetics celebrates platinum anniversary

Communications Director

Contact Information

Contact Kristen Morales

Phone:

706-206-3055

kmorales@uga.edu

Campus address

Office:

Building 1-202

About

Education:

B.A., Graphic Design, The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, 2002

B.S., Print Journalism, Syracuse University, 1998

Biography:

Seventy years ago, it was a call to arms. The cold war was swirling, and the focus was on building up our defenses.

Trees, it seemed, played a role in this effort.

Menu of changes could cut Georgia’s carbon footprint by 50% by 2030

Georgia’s sunshine, trees, agriculture and construction industries could help the state reduce its carbon footprint by half in less than a decade, according to a new study by a team of scientists from the state’s leading universities.

Antelope’s fate shrouded by social, political forces

Communications Director

Contact Information

Contact Kristen Morales

Phone:

706-206-3055

kmorales@uga.edu

Campus address

Office:

Building 1-202

About

Education:

B.A., Graphic Design, The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, 2002

B.S., Print Journalism, Syracuse University, 1998

Biography:

The story of South Africa’s oribi mirrors conservation issues for other iconic species

New grant to study next generation of loggers

Communications Director

Contact Information

Contact Kristen Morales

Phone:

706-206-3055

kmorales@uga.edu

Campus address

Office:

Building 1-202

About

Education:

B.A., Graphic Design, The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, 2002

B.S., Print Journalism, Syracuse University, 1998

Biography:

On the one hand, logging companies are facing a crisis: There are about 40% fewer logging businesses today than there were 30 years ago, with many more owners slated to retire in the next decade.

But on the other hand, the industry is primed for new growth, stemming from a new generation of loggers capitalizing on efficiencies and opportunities in the market.

From conflict to collaboration: Student’s research helps guide Andean bears’ future

Communications Director

Contact Information

Contact Kristen Morales

Phone:

706-206-3055

kmorales@uga.edu

Campus address

Office:

Building 1-202

About

Education:

B.A., Graphic Design, The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, 2002

B.S., Print Journalism, Syracuse University, 1998

Biography:

High in the mountains of Colombia, a species of bear known for its black coat and cream-colored “spectacles” around its eyes builds nests in trees and forages for food.

Finding ‘resiliency’ in national forests becomes a balancing act

Communications Director

Contact Information

Contact Kristen Morales

Phone:

706-206-3055

kmorales@uga.edu

Campus address

Office:

Building 1-202

About

Education:

B.A., Graphic Design, The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, 2002

B.S., Print Journalism, Syracuse University, 1998

Biography:

Case studies show how policy, process—and politics—can influence public lands’ future

Every well-managed forest needs a plan.

Seminar: Saving the eagles; investigating novel toxin risk to fish and wildlife from aquatic plant and cyanobacteria co-invasions

Associate Professor, Aquatic Science

Contact Information

Contact Dr. Susan Wilde

Phone:

706-247-5912

swilde@uga.edu

Campus address

Office:

Warnell 3-222

About

Education:

Ph.D. School of Forest Resources. University of Georgia. Major professor: Michael J. Van Den Avyle. Dissertation: Advective regulation of zooplankton assemblages in a reservoir series on the Savannah River, SC/GA. June, 1998.

M.S. Department of Zoology, University of Georgia. Major professor: Karen G. Porter. Thesis: Heterotrophic, autotrophic, and mixotrophic flagellates in freshwater plankton: their abundance, behavior, and grazing impact on bacteria. March, 1989.

B.S. Ecology, Ethology and Evolution. University of Illinois. Advisor: Michael Lynch. Senior Project: Morphological variations in clonal populations of Daphnia pulex in two eutrophic ponds in central Illinois. April, 1983

Biography:

Professional Experience:
August 2016 to present Associate Professor, University of Georgia
May 2008 to present: Assistant Professor, University of Georgia
2005- 2008: Joint Position: Research Assistant Professor, USC, Baruch Institute and Assistant Marine Scientist, SCDNR, MRRI, Charleston, SC
2001-2005: Research Assistant Professor, USC, Baruch Institute, Charleston, SC
2000-2001: Assistant Marine Scientist, SCDNR, MRRI, Charleston, SC
1998-2000: Postdoctoral Associate, Microbiology and Immunology, MUSC
1997-1998: Postdoctoral Associate, Grice Marine Laboratory, College of Charleston

Additional Academic Affiliations:
Adjunct Faculty, Master in Environmental Studies Program, University of Charleston
Adjunct Faculty, Marine Biology Graduate Program, University of Charleston
Adjunct Faculty, Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Clemson University
Adjunct Faculty, Environmental Toxicology, Clemson University
Associate Faculty, Marine Science Department, University of South Carolina

Professional Societies:
Aquatic Plant Management Society
American Society of Limnology and Oceanography
North American Lake Management Society
Southeastern Estuarine Research Society
South Carolina Aquatic Plant Management Society (President-elect)
Weed Science Society of America

Curriculum Vitae:

SWildeCV Website Aug2016.pdf (199.43 KB)

Research

Area of Speciality:

Fisheries and Aquaculture

Biology/Ecology

Water, Soils and Environmental Systems

Hydrology and Environmental Systems

Wildlife Ecology and Management

Non-Game and Endangered Species

Wildlife Disease

Research Areas Detail:

Ecological impacts of harmful algal blooms in freshwater and marine systems on fish and wildlife. Watershed development, stormwater best management practices, and impacts on water quality. Toxic cyanobacteria, invasive plants, reservoir limnology, and Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy. Interactions between invasive and endangered species. Co-occurrence of pathogens and harmful algal blooms.

Labs/Centers/Committees:

Aquatic Toxiciology Lab

Dr. Wilde AVM Research

Water Resources

Recent Citations:

K. L. Fouts, N. C. Poudyal, R. Moore, J. Herrin, S. B. Wilde. 2017. Informed stakeholder support for managing invasive Hydrilla verticillata linked to wildlife deaths in a Southeastern reservoir. Lake and Reservoir Management 33:260-269.

M. A. Barnard, J. W. Porter, S. B. Wilde. 2017. Utilizing Spirogyra grevilleana as a Phytoremediatory Agent for Reduction of Limnetic Nutrients and Escherichia coli Concentrations. American Journal of Plant Sciences 8:1148-1158.

Dodd, S. R., R. S. Haynie, S. M. Williams, and S.B. Wilde. 2016. Alternative food-chain transfer of the toxin linked to Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy (AVM) and implications for endangered Florida snail kite, Rosthramus sociabilis. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 52:335-344.

Wilde, S.B. and S. Weber (2016). Cyanobacteria in the Georgia Piedmont. Sustainable Agriculture at UGA Extension, 2-4.

Woods, W. H III., B. N. Haram, S. B. Wilde and J. Ozier. 2016. Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy. Wildlife Management Publication Series. Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources WSFNR 16-08

Ghosh, S., B.Bartelme, I. S. Astuti, E.Benyshek, D. Haskett, J. He, B. Page, S. Wilde and D. Mishra. 2014. Developing a Cyanobacteria Detection Tool for Georgia Inland Waters Using NASA Landsat 8 OLI Data for Water Quality Protection and Restoration. SEDAAG Conference Proceedings.

Wilde, S. B., J. R. Johansen, H. D. Wilde, P. Jiang, B. A. Bartelme, and R. S. Haynie. 2014. Aetokthonos hydrillicola gen. et sp. nov.: Epiphytic cyanobacteria associated with invasive aquatic plants and implicated in bird deaths from Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy. Phytotaxa 181:242-260.

Courses Regularly Taught:

Links:

Drought-stressed trees more likely to die from wildfires, study finds

Examples of a sapling after being burned in the lab. Photo by Raquel Partelli-Feltrin

Communications Director

Contact Information

Contact Kristen Morales

Phone:

706-206-3055

kmorales@uga.edu

Campus address

Office:

Building 1-202

About

Education:

B.A., Graphic Design, The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, 2002

B.S., Print Journalism, Syracuse University, 1998

Biography:

A first-of-its-kind project highlights perils faced by drier western forests

Drought and wildfires often, unfortunately, go hand in hand. While some fires can be planned and controlled, dry conditions create a tinderbox for much of American’s forests.