Graduate Students
Christina Arroyo (she/her)
MS Student | Conservation Sciences
Project: Evaluating lake responses to common carp management (MAISRC Lab to Lakes)
Background: Christina is a Master's student in the Walsh Lab studying lake responses to common carp management in Lake Fremont and the Chisago Chain. She graduated from Cornell University with a B.S. in Biological Sciences and a Business Minor for Life Sciences. Her aquatic monitoring experience includes an AmeriCorps term surveying plants in New York's Lower Hudson Valley, another AmeriCorps term monitoring water quality in the Kettle Ponds at Cape Cod National Seashore, and a technician role monitoring water quality in the Long Island Sound. She looks forward to diving deeper into the monitoring, management, and conservation of aquatic ecosystems. In her free time, Christina enjoys climbing, volleyball, reading, and making collages.
Mary Claire Fibbe
PhD Student | Conservation Sciences | Co-advised with Dr. Gretchen Hansen
Project: Understanding the role of zooplankton in the provisioning of lake ecosystem services
MC is a PhD student in the Hansen and Walsh Lab, where she studies how zooplankton can serve as bio-indicator species for lake health in Minnesota. She earned her B.S. in Marine Science with a concentration in Biology and a minor in Coastal Management from Eckerd College. During her undergraduate years, MC worked in the Eckerd College Microplastic Lab with Dr. Amy Suida, where she investigated the relationship between zooplankton and microplastic pollution—focusing on grazing studies with mixed diets of microplastics and phytoplankton. Between her time in Florida and Minnesota, she worked as a biological field station assistant at Ohio State University’s Stone Lab on Lake Erie and as a marine biologist with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. When she’s not studying zooplankton, MC loves going on walks with her partner and dog, trying new foods, running, and enjoying the outdoors (especially near the water).
Melina Pakey-Rodriguez
MS Student | Conservation Sciences
Project: Supporting innovative and adaptive IAPM
Melina is a Master's student in the Walsh Lab studying aquatic invasive plant management. She earned a B.S. in Environmental Science & Sustainability from Cornell University. After graduating she moved to Michigan for a job with the Huron River Watershed Council, where she worked on freshwater mussels conservation, water quality monitoring, environmental education, and community engagement. She is working to build a career in freshwater ecology that centers both conservation and environmental justice. In her free time Melina enjoys river snorkeling, playing music, and laughing with loved ones.
Jill Sweet
MS Student | Water Resources Sciences | Co-advised with Dr. Dan Larkin
Project: Upcoming Partnership with the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District
Research Staff
Madeline Conowall (she/her)
Project: Supporting innovative and adaptive IAPM
Madeline is a staff researcher in the Walsh Lab, where she primarily focuses on improving the management of invasive aquatic plant management data. She earned her B.S. in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology from the department in 2022 and returned in May 2025 for her current role. Prior to joining the lab, Madeline worked on several research projects in Minnesota related to water quality, agricultural practices, and spatial modeling. She is passionate about integrating and repurposing existing data to expand research capabilities. Outside of work, Madeline enjoys being active, cooking, seeing live music, and traveling to visit friends and family.
Naomi Blinick
Lab Manager of Walsh, Hansen, and Larkin Labs
Postdoctoral Researchers
Tyler Butts (he/him)
Tyler will be working on analyzing a large dataset of zooplankton abundance and composition from lakes across the state of Minnesota to develop adaptive lake management strategies into the future. His work spans multiple scales from mesocosms to whole-lakes with a focus on understanding environmental changes and the impacts of disturbances on both food webs and whole ecosystems. Tyler received a B.S. from St. Norbert College in 2018 and a Ph.D. from the Center for Limnology, UW-Madison in 2023. He brings nearly a decade of experience in mesozooplankton, rotifer, and macroinvertebrate identification, ecological modeling and data science practices, as well as a wealth of experience in experimental design and running field programs.