2023 ANNUAL MEETING STUDENT AWARDS
Dave Etnier Best Student Oral Presentation
1st Chase Brownstein (Yale University), Phylogenomic species delimitation in North American shiners allows for recognition of the Sawfin Shiner, a species undescribed for over four decades
2nd Courtney Weyand (Auburn University), Historical connections between the Mobile Basin and Tennessee River revealed though phylogeographic analysis of the Western Blacknose Dace
3rd Julia Wood (Yale University), Revisiting the Central Highlands Vicariance Hypothesis in the Gilt Darter, Percina evides (Jordan & Copeland 1877), using next-generation DNA sequencing techniques
Royal Suttkus Best Student Poster
1st Hilary Canada (Arkansas State University), Do SNPs and microsatellites support previously defined management units for the endangered Cumberland Darter (Etheostoma susanae)?
2nd Maddie Wilson (Ohio State University), How native fish diversity in Ohio rivers and streams may affect the reintroduction success of the Tippecanoe Darter (Nothonotus tippecanoe)
3rd Colton Morris (Arkansas Tech University), Microhabitat use of the Highland Darter (Etheostoma teddyroosevelt) in the Illinois Bayou watershed of Arkansas
3rd Tanner Bahm (Southeastern Louisiana University), Who are you? Using ethanol preservation fluid to non-destructively extract DNA from larval fishes
Bob and Fran Cashner Best Undergraduate Presentation
Oral Sahara Morgan (University of Central Arkansas), Diet of the endemic Strawberry Darter in presence of the widespread Rainbow Darter
2022 ANNUAL MEETING STUDENT AWARDSDave Etnier Best Student Oral Presentation
1st River Watson (Austin Peay State University), Effects of instream barriers on population connectivity of the Kentucky Arrow Darter (Percidae)
2nd Alexis Culley (Austin Peay State University), The effects of surface mining on population connectivity and genetic diversity of Etheostoma sagitta spilotum, the Kentucky Arrow Darter
2nd Ryan Hudson (Tennessee Tech University), Can migratory suckers subsidize their spawning streams?
3rd Brittany McCall (Arkansas State University), The potential use of madtom catfishes as conservation tools for southeastern U.S. headwater streams
3rd Hayley Robinson (University of Georgia), Identifying mussel-host fish relationships in Georgia’s Flint River using genetic barcoding techniques
Royal Suttkus Best Student Poster
1st Jessica Rath (University of Central Arkansas), Distribution and population dynamics of Peppered Shiner, Notropis perpallidus
2nd Hannah Alloway (University of Tennessee), Documenting darter diversity: systematic evaluation of Etheostoma duryi and Etheostoma flavum
3rd Jackson Pav (University of Central Arkansas), Variation in fish communities of Boston Mountain streams in the Ozark National Forest
3rd Ester Atutey (Ball State University), Temporal and spatial variation in macroinvertebrates in the Ohio River
Bob and Fran Cashner Best Undergraduate Presentation
Poster Sahara Morgan (University of Central Arkansas), Diet of Etheostoma fragi in the presence of Etheostoma caeruleum in the Strawberry River
Poster Cade Richesin, Krista Yari, Peyton Manry (University of Central Arkansas), An assessment of thermal tolerance of a vulnerable minnow, Peppered Shiner
2021 ANNUAL MEETING STUDENT AWARDS
Dave Etnier Best Student Oral Presentation
1st Nastasia Disotell (Austin Peay State University), Parentage assessment of the Egg-mimic Darter (Percidae: Etheostoma pseudovulatum) demonstrates complex patterns of allopaternal care behavior2nd Julia Wood (Yale University), Phylogenomic diagnosis of a recently discovered population of Tennessee Dace (Chrosomus tennesseensis) in Alabama
2nd Mack White (Tennessee Tech University), Salmon of the south: suckers in Citico Creek
3rd Loren Stearman (University of Southern Mississippi), Do sedimentary processes have nonlocal consequences for metapopulation and metacommunity dynamics?Royal Suttkus Best Student Poster
1st Alexis Culley (Austin Peay State University), The effects of surface mining on population connectivity and genetic diversity of Etheostoma sagitta spilotum, the Kentucky Arrow Darter2nd Langston Haden (University of Southern Mississippi), Assessing the efficacy of a barrier passessment method and the connectivity of headwater fish: an experimental approach
2nd Ryan Hudson (Tennessee Tech University), Nutrient subsidies from migratory fishes: evaluating drivers of ammonium excretion rates in multiple catostomids
3rd River Watson (Austin Peay State University), Effects of land use and instream barriers on population connectivity of the Kentucky Arrow DarterBob and Fran Cashner Best Undergraduate Presentation
Oral Grace Davenport (University of Central Arkansas), Relationships between constructed waterbodies and homogenization of fish assemblages in the Black River watershed of ArkansasPoster Cade Richesin (University of Central Arkansas), Comparison of field acclimatization and lab acclimation approaches to measuring fish thermal tolerance
2020 ANNUAL MEETING STUDENT AWARDS
Dave Etnier Best Student Oral Presentation
1st Scott Meyer (Georgia Southern University), Conservation genomics of eight imperiled freshwater mussel species
2nd Loren Stearman (University of Southern Mississippi), Do communities respond to processes at different scales during disturbance?
3rd Aaron Coons (TN Tech University), Multi-scale habitat associations of Longnose Darters (Percina nasuta)
3rd Nastasia Disotell (Austin Peay State University), Are neighbors pillaging nests: detecting allopaternal care in the imperiled Egg-mimic Darter (Percidae: Etheostoma pseudovulatum)
Royal Suttkus Best Student Lightning Talk
1st Calvin Rezac (University of Central Arkansas), Rediscovery of the Pallid Shiner, Hybopsis amnis, in the Black River system of Arkansas and Missouri
2nd Jessica Rath (University of Central Arkansas), Does gut length of Luxilus pilsbryi vary in response to stream drying?
3rd Grace Davenport (University of Central Arkansas), Do farm ponds and small impoundments influence fish assemblages in the Black River watershed in Arkansas?
3rd Reagan Spinelli (University of Central Arkansas), Morphological and dietary responses of fishes to stream drying
Bob and Fran Cashner Best Undergraduate Oral PresentationWillow Newman (University of Central Arkansas), Turning up the heat: thermal tolerances of fishes in the Kings River, Arkansas
2019 ANNUAL MEETING STUDENT AWARDS
Dave Etnier Best Student Oral Presentation
1st Austin Hannah (Austin Peay University), Evaluating the effects of elevated water conductivity on Chrosomus erythrogaster at different life history stages
2nd Daniel Akin (Auburn University), Morphological divergence of a stream fish in altered flow: teasing apart the influences of natural selection and plastic response on body shape
3rd Daemin Kim (Yale University), Species delimitation and phylogeography of the Longear Sunfish, Lepomis megalotis (Centrarchidae)
Royal Suttkus Best Student Poster
1st Alexsis Mross (Arkansas State University), Assessing species boundaries among clades of the Least Darter, Etheostoma microperca, using multilocus species delimitation methods and morphological data
2nd Mack White (Tennessee Tech University), Abundance estimates of spawning catostomids in a small, oligotrophic stream using aerial imagery
3rd Nastasia Disotell (Austin Peay University), Are neighbors pillaging nest: detecting allopaternal care in the imperiled Egg-mimic Darter (Percidae: Etheostoma pseudovulatum)
3rd Anna Eastis (University of West Alabama), Phylogenomics and stable isotope analysis of the invasive Green Swordtail (Xiphophorus hellerii)
Bob and Fran Cashner Best Undergraduate Oral PresentationRiver Watson (Arkansas State University), Taxonomic evaluation of the Goldstripe Darter, Etheostoma parvipinne, using species delimitation methods with molecular and morphological data
Bob and Fran Cashner Best Undergraduate Poster Presentation
Logan Bodiford (Clemson University), Comparing scales and otoliths to age endemic Bartram's Bass
2018 Annual Meeting StudEnt Awards
Dave Etnier Best Student Oral Presentation
1st Sam Silknetter (Clemson University), Positive biotic interactions in freshwaters: a research directive
2nd Malorie M. Hayes (Auburn University), The diversification of the Blackbanded Darter (Percina nigrofasciata) across the southeast
3rd Joshua Hubbell (University of Southern Mississippi), Evidence for habitat filtering as a basis for the coexistence of three darters (Etheostoma) in a Gulf coastal plain drainage
Royal Suttkus Best Student Poster
1st Dustin R. Thomas (Arkansas State University), Assessment of Walleye in the Eleven Point River, Arkansas, following a six-year stocking gap
2nd William Commins (Kennesaw State University), Using instream stationary antennas to monitor the movements of warm water fishes
3rd Kenny Jones (University of West Alabama), Using genomics and eDNA methods to assess the conservation and future management of the endemic Coal Darter Percina brevicauda
Bob and Fran Cashner Best Undergraduate Presentation
Tammy St. James (Austin Peay State University), The scarlet letters: detection of cross-species mtDNA between Scarlet Shiners and Striped Shiners
2017 Annual Meeting StudEnt Awards
Etnier Best Student Oral Presentation
1st Jessica Grady (Austin Peay State University), Factor affecting scale shape variation in Etheostomatinae darters
2nd Meredith Harris (University of Tennessee), Size-specific advantage in habitat competition between Mountain Madtoms (Noturus eleutherus) and invasive crayfish (Orconectes spp.)
3rd Eric Malone (Tennessee Technological University), Prioritizing native fish reintroductions in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Suttkus Best Student Poster
1st Nastasia Disotell (Austin Peay State University), Assessing the mitochondrial genetic diversity of the Smallscale Darter, Nothonotus microlepidus
2nd Amanda Pinion (Texas A&M University), Cephalic and body tuberculation of the Shoal Chub Macrhybopsis hyostoma (Teleostei: Cyprinidae)
3rd Jerry Kattawar III (Southeastern Louisiana State University) Comparative Population Genetics of the Relict Darter and Guardian Darter in Western Kentucky
2016 Annual Meeting StudEnt Awards
Etnier Best Student Oral Presentation
1st Aaron Burgad (University of Central Arkansas), Preliminary analysis of fish assemblage composition in the upper Saline River, Arkansas over multiple decades
2nd Jessica Grady (Austin Peay State University,) Scale shape variation in a speciose and highly imperiled group of fishes, the darters (Percidae: Etheostomatinae)
3rd Ed Burress (Auburn University), Ecological diversification associated with the benthic-to-pelagic transition by North American minnows
3rd Daniel Walker (University of Tennessee), Microhabitat selection and partitioning among darters in the Nolichucky River, Tennessee
Suttkus Best Student Poster
1st Brooke Washburn (Austin Peay State University), Islands in the stream, is that what we are: assessing the spatial scale of genetic diversity in the endangered tuxedo darter, Etheostoma lemniscatum.
2nd Brooke Bedal (Austin Peay State University) Development of microsatellite loci for the threatened Blackside Dace (Chrosomus cumberlandensis) and other co-occurring cyprinid
3rdBrittany McCall (Arkansas State) Spatiotemporal population dynamics of the Caddo Madtom (Noturus taylori)
2015 Annual Meeting Student Awards (1st $150.00; 2nd $100.00; 3rd $50.00)
Oral Presentations
1st Place. Malorie M. Hayes, Auburn University, Conservation genetics of the Broadstripe Shiner, Pteronotropis euryzonus, an endemic species of the middle Chattahoochee River
2nd Place. Mattie C. Lewis, Austin Peay State University, Role of nuptial coloration in interspecific communication: examining color vision in a nest host, the Creek Chub
3rd Place. (tie) Brittany V. Furtado, University of Central Arkansas, Variation in fish assemblage composition and population dynamics across a gradient of natural gas development on the Fayetteville Shale, Arkansas and Amy E. Gebhard, Tennessee Technological University, Loiters, leavers, and leptokurtosis: Measuring and predicting short-term movement of Banded Sculpin, Cottus carolinae, in Tennessee
Poster Presentations
1st Place Daniel J. MacGuigan, Yale University, Molecular and morphological species delimitation in the Greenthroat Darter, Etheostoma lepidum
2nd Place Joseph A. Andreoli, University of Florida, Predicting the geographic ranges of non-native cichlids in Florida with climate change
3rd Place (tie) Kenny Jones, Arkansas State University, Conservation genetics of the Blueface Darter (Etheostoma sp. cf. zonistium), a rare undescribed fish in Northwest Alabama and Brooke A. Bedal, Austin Peay State University, Cytochrome B lineage assessment of Blackside Dace (Chrosomus cumberlandensis) from the Kentucky River system
2014 Annual Meeting Student Awards (1st $150.00; 2nd $100.00; 3rd $50.00)
Oral Presentations
1st Place. Edward D. Burress, Auburn University, The Influence Of Phylogeny On Minnow Morphology, Ecology, And Physiology
2nd Place. Daniel Walker, University of Tennessee, Substrate Characteristics And Potential Contaminant Exposure Risk Of Lake Sturgeon Habitat In The Upper Tennessee River
3rd Place. Erica Rottmann, Southern Louisiana University, Revealing What Lies Beneath: Utilizing Environmental DNA (eDNA) To Detect Rare Fishes In Louisiana
Poster Presentations
1st Place Tie. Courtney Weyand, Austin Peay State University, Quantitative Microscopic Analysis Of Darter (Percidae: Etheostomatinae) Scale Morphology
2nd Place Tie. Pamela Hart, Auburn University, Preliminary Data For Diagnosing Putative Lineages Of The Southern Cavefish (Typhlichthys subterraneus) In Alabama
3rd Place Tie. Brittany McCall, Austin Peay State University, Seeking Taxonomic Resolution: Is Orconectes cf. barrenensis From The Red River (Cumberland River) Of Tennessee A Distinct Species Of Crayfish?
2013 Annual Meeting Student Awards (1st $150.00; 2nd $100.00; 3rd $50.00)
Oral Presentations1st Place. Brianna Zuber and Hayden T. Mattingly. SPECIESHABITAT ASSOCIATIONS OF A RARE TENNESSEE STREAM FISH AT FOUR SPATIAL SCALES
2nd Place. Brooke Washburn, Carol-Rose Gingras, David J. Eisenhour, DISPERSAL ABILITY OF THE FRECKLEBELLY DARTER (PERCINA STICTOGASTER)
3rd Place. Brittany Furtado, Jessie Jean Green, Ginny L. Adams, Reid Adams. EXAMINING NATURAL GAS DEVELOPMENT AND FISH COMMUNITIES OF THE FAYETTEVILLE SHALE, ARKANSAS
Poster Presentations
1st Place. Savannah Michaelsen, Jacob F. Schaefer, FLUCTUATING ASYMETRY AS A MEASURE OF ENVIRONMENTAL STRESS CAUSED BY THE 2010 DEEPAWATER HORIZON OIL SPILL
2nd Place. Laura Steward and Jacob F. Schaefer, TEMPERATURE PREFERENCE IN THE FUNDULUS NOTATUS SPECIES COMPLEX
3rd Place Tie. Shawn Patrick Settle and Rebecca Blanton Johansen, IDENTIFICATION OF FISH HOSTS OF PARASITIC GLOCHIDIAL LARVAE OF FRESHWATER MUSSELS (MOLLUSCA: UNIONIDAE) FROM THE DUCK RIVER, TENNESSEE
3rd Place Tie. Erin Bloom, Rebecca Blanton Johansen, John W. Johansen, Mollie Cashner, A SYSTEMATIC EVALUATION OF ORCONECTES CR. BARRENENSIS FROM THE RED RIVER SYSTEM (CUMBERLAND RIVER) OF TENNESSEE AND KENTUCKY
2011 Annual Meeting Student Awards (1st $150.00; 2nd $100.00; 3rd $50.00)
Oral Presentations1st Place. Loren Stearman, University of Central Arkansas. Life history of the redfin darter, Etheostoma whipplei, in central Arkansas (with Ginny Adams).
2nd Place. Brook Fluker, University of Alabama. Spring-adapted species as a model for understanding the genetic consequences of aquatic habitat fragmentation (with Bernard R. Kuhajda and Phillip M. Harris).
3rd Place. Mark Hoger, Austin Peay State University. Inter-seasonal movements of Etheostomatinae darters in Yellow Creek and Whiteoak Creek, Tennessee (with Rebecca Blanton).
Poster Presentations
1st Place. John Johansen, Tennessee Tech University. Development of species-habitat models to inform conservation planning for freshwater species covered by the Cumberland Habitat Conservation Plan (with Hayden Mattingly).
2nd Place. Laura Stewart, University of Southern Mississippi. Body shape and burst-swimming performance in the F. notatus complex: a tale of two tails (with Nathan R. Franssen and Jake Schaefer).
3rd Place Tie. Zachary Martin, University of Florida. A preliminary investigation of the morphological diversity of genital papillae in Etheostoma and its association with spawning behavior.
3rd Place Tie. Matthew Wagner, Austin Peay State University. Utility of amplified fragment length polymorphisms in a phylogeographic study of the redband darter, Etheostoma luteovinctum (with Rebecca Blanton).
3rd Place Tie. Christopher Yates, Kennesaw State University. The effects of urbanization on food sources and gut morphology in largescale stoneroller (Campostoma oligolepis) (with Troy Mutchler and William Ensign).
2010 Annual Meeting Student Awards (1st $150.00; 2nd $100.00; 3rd $50.00)
Oral Presentations1st Place. James Roberts, Virginia Tech. Extensive dispersal of Roanoke logperch inferred from genetic marker data (with Paul L. Angermeier and Eric M. Hallerman).
2nd Place. Andrea Fritts, University of Georgia. Development of a nonlethal approach for assessing stress in freshwater mussels (with James T. Peterson and Robert B. Bringolf).
3rd Place. Brook Fluker, University of Alabama. Genetic divergence and sympatric occurrence of the spring inhabiting coldwater darter (Etheostoma ditrema) and an undescribed stream inhabiting form (E. sp. cf. ditrema) (with Bernard R. Kuhajda).
Poster Presentations
1st Place. Kerstin Edberg, Saint Louis University. Genetic isolation as a result of dam construction: a look at the effects on two species of darters (with Philip Lienesch, Jeffrey Marcus and Robert Wood).
2nd Place. Jane Argentina, Virginia Tech. Genetic structure and diversity of variegate darters (Etheostoma variatum) in the Big Sandy River Drainage (with Paul L. Angermeier, Eric M. Hallerman and Joanne E. Printz).
3rd Place. Andrew Taylor, University of Georgia. Dispersal of non-native smallmouth bass in the Chattahoochee River (with Douglas L. Peterson).
2009 Annual Meeting Student Awards (1st $150.00; 2nd $100.00; 3rd $50.00)
Oral Presentations1st Place. Brook Fluker, University of Alabama. Comparative phylogeography of Etheostoma boschungi and E. tuscumbia: assessing habitat preference and dispersal ability (with Bernard R. Kuhajda, and Phillip M. Harris)
2nd Place. Mollie Cashner, Tulane University. If you build it, who will come? Differences in spawning assemblage structure between Nocomis micropogon and Semotilus atromaculatus
3rd Place. Clint R. Johnson, University of Central Arkansas. Population ecology and habitat use of the invasive northern snakehead (Channa argus) near Brinkley, Arkansas (with Reid Adams, and Ginny Adams)
Poster Presentations
1st Place. Daniel J. Farrae, University of Georgia. Evidence of a source-sink population of shortnose sturgeon in the Altamaha and Ogeechee rivers, Georgia (with Douglas L. Peterson)
2nd Place. Robert A. Bahn, University of Georgia. Sturgeon bycatch in the Altamaha River shad fishery, Georgia (with Douglas L. Peterson, and Joel Fleming)
3rd Place. Audrey M. Richter, Morehead State University Bioassessment of a recently restored headwater stream in Rowan County, Kentucky (with D. J. Eisenhour)
2008 Annual Meeting Student Awards (1st $150.00; 2nd $100.00; 3rd $50.00)
Oral Presentations1st Place. Brianna Zuber, Tennessee Tech University, Cookeville, TN. Fluctuating asymmetry and condition in fishes exposed to varying levels of environmental stressors (with Jake Schaefer)
2nd Place. Rich Harrington, Yale University, New Haven, CT. Phylogeographic analysis of the Barrens Darter, Etheostoma forbesi
3rd Place. Rachel Katz, University of Georgia, Athens, GA. Estimating darter survival and temporary emigration in a Piedmont bedrock shoal during record low-flows (with Mary Freeman)
Poster Presentations
1st Place. Jennifer Schade, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL. Investigations into the Relationship between the Steroid Hormone 11-ketotestosterone and Reproductive Status in the Fish Lythrurus fasciolaris (with Bruce Stallsmith and Amy Bishop)
2nd Place. Ben Keck, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN. A new species of Nothonotus darter from the Caney Fork River and paraphyly in its sister clade of N. microlepidus and N. sanguifluus (with Thomas Near)
3rd Place. Tyler Black, Tennessee Tech University, Cookeville, TN. Ecology and Conservation of the Blackside Dace, Phoxinus cumberlandensis, a Threatened Stream Fish in Kentucky and Tennessee, USA (with Jason E. Detar, Brena K. Jones, and Hayden T. Mattingly)
2007 Annual Meeting Student Awards
(1st $150.00; 2nd $100.00; 3rd $50.00)
Oral Presentations1st Place. Mollie Cashner, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans.
Genetic Characterization of the hybrid zone between Notropis chiliticus and N. chlorocephalus in the Catawba River system.
2nd Place. Brook Fluker, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa.
The influence of historical gene flow and contemporary population translocations on genetic diversity in the endangered watercress darter, Etheostoma nuchale, inferred from multiple microsatellite DNA markers (with B. R. Kuhajda and P. M. Harris).
3rd Place. Michael Sandel, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa.
Conservation genetics of metapopulations: A case study of the spring pygmy sunfish (Elassoma alabamae).
Poster Presentations
1st Place. Kevin McAbee, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens.
Spatially realistic models aid management decision-making for a federally threatened species (blackside dace) in the face of geographically varying stressors (with N. P. Nibbelink and J. L. Long).
2nd Place. Gregory Anderson, Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens.
Reproductive aspects of three darter species (Percidae) within the Etowah River Basin (with M. M. Hagler, S. J. Wenger, and B. J. Freeman).
3rd Place. A. Karen Persons, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg.
Ecomorphological shape variation within the darter subgenus Nothonotus.
Note: SFC Judges acknowledge the tradition of including academic mentors on presentations; however, the body of work is assumed to be that of the student.