Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program:
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

Cienna is a masters student who graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 2021 with a bachelor's degree in Ecology and Environmental Biology, a Marine Science minor, and a Geospatial Information Systems certification. During her undergrad, she worked on many projects such as determining microplastic presence in zooplankton in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, investigating Daphnia's susceptibility to predation due to microplastic ingestion, surveying Elasmobranchs in the Gulf of Mexico, and testing Trimtect hormone response in various plant species and its correlation to drought tolerance. She is currently evaluating the resilience and vulnerability of fish assemblage structure to intermittent flow in the tributaries of the Colorado River. She uses modified technology to record the timing and duration of droughts occurring in these tributaries and will use those metrics, combined with fish assemblage surveys and habitat variables, to determine species most at risk due to extended drying periods. She hopes to specialize in aquatic research with a focus on aquatic, climate, and spatial ecology.