Student Profiles

Jacob Botkins

Jacob Botkins received his Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science with an Ecological Concentration and Associates Degree in Chemistry from Thomas More College. His interests include stream ecology, water quality, and field biology. He is currently working on his research project titled “Pawpaw Patch Genetic Diversity and Clonality and its Impact on the Establishment of Invasive Species in the Forest Understory”.

Brandan Burfict

Brandan Burfict holds a Bachelors of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky.  His research interests include air quality, permitting, sustainability, and energy management.  He is currently a Sustainability Engineer.

Jon Cambron

Jon Cambron holds a Bachelors of Science in Agriculture (Agronomy) with a Minor in Biology from Western Kentucky University.  His research interests include alternative energy, organic farming, biofuel production, local food production, as well as impacts of each on the environment.  He is currently working on farm biofuel production with alternative feedstock crops (sweet potato and sweet sorghum). 

Adam Gerughty

Adam Gerughty holds a Bachelors of Science degree from Coastal Carolina University in Marine Science, where he also minored in Mathematics.  He is currently researching the morphological effects of damming on Bluegill and freshwater drum in the Ohio River.  After KSU he hopes to obtain a PhD in ocean conservation and to perform research that will help form protocols and policy.  He would like to become a professor to inspire others to study and protect the environment.

Irina Howard

Irina Howard holds a Bachelors Degree from Tuskegee University in Wildlife Biology where she also minored in Animal Science.  Currently she is a Wildlife Biologist.  Her research interests include the mapping of Port-au-Prince, Haiti using GIS technologies.  In the future she would like to implement sustainability practices in Haiti and developing nations.

Jeannie Jenkins

Jeannie Jenkins holds a Bachelors Degree in Geology from Mercyhurst College.  Her research interests include environmental ethics, geographic information systems (GIS), entomology, and writing.  She is currently the web administrator of this page.  Her future plans include environmental research and teaching.

Joni Nelson

Joni Nelson holds a B.S. in Agriculture from Auburn University.  Currently, she is a Graduate Assistant who works on organic and sustainable agriculture.  Her research includes the comparison of plastic and hay mulch on organic farms and mapping and quantifying the response of Garlic Mustard, Alliaria petiolata, and Deer Exclusion in public parks Located in Frankfort, KY.  In the future she hopes to develop a sustainability program for local after-school programs that can be incorporated into the school year curriculum and to develop an educational garden on local school grounds that can also be used to supplement cafeteria cuisine.

Rodney Ripberger

Rodney Ripberger holds a B.S. in Biology from Kentucky State University.  His research interests include water quality and plants.  Currently, he is a research assistant here at KSU and is working on nonpoint source pollution of water.  In the future he hopes to conduct further environmental research.

Kiah Rodriguez

Kiah Rodriguez holds a Bachelors of Science in Biology from Kentucky State University.  Her interests include environmental justice, energy conservation, GIS, and sustainable practices.  Her areas of expertise include GIS and energy conservation.  She is currently a student intern and working on an energy savings plan for KSU, energy conservation, and GIS digitizing.