I am an aquatic ecologist with specific focus on fluvial ecosystems and benthic invertebrate ecology. I am interested in assessing and understanding the effects of human landscape alteration on river ecosystems. A large part of my work has been to develop landscape-based models of riverine condition using biological indicators and regression-based models that predict expected condition for rivers of Michigan and Wisconsin. I am also interested in using causal models to investigate the direct and indirect causal effects of natural variation and human activities on nutrient loading and trophic structure in streams. I have been involved in numerous projects in the past nine years including a development of a detailed GIS-based habitat model and assessment of productivity in the lower portion of the Muskegon River. More recently I have been involved in EPA sponsored monitoring of the Great lakes benthos and am interested in exploring how the benthic community has changed with invasion of zebra and quagga mussels.