OUTREACH & SERVICE
Outreach​
  • Public lecture: Lecture on lakes and the challenges they face for the Madison community. Butts, T.J. “Lake Mendota: A Living Laboratory for Limnology” Marquette Neighborhood Association (Madison, WI, USA).
  • Interview with Great Lakes climate solutions reporter Izzy Ross from Interlochen Public Radio: (https://news.wisc.edu/an-up-close-look-at-climate-coverage/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=wordpress_insideuw&utm_campaign=facstaff_comms&utm_content=2024_10_24)
  • Discussion of career opportunities and current research for the Strategies for Ecology Education, Diversity and Sustainability Program (SEEDS) at UW-Madison
  • Hasler Lab Open House: Experimental mesocosm demonstration
  • Environmental Studies 101 Interview: Discussed limnology and the history of Lake Mendota with a focus on conservation issues and the plants and animals native to Madison's lakes. 
  • University of Wisconsin Biocore 181: Provided a lab tour and discussion of what a 'day in the life of a limnologist' looks like for UW undergraduates taking Biocore 181. 
  • Mauston High School/iLEAD Charter School 7th - 9th graders: Traveled to Mauston, WI to give a talk about careers in aquatic sciences and some of the challenges aquatic ecosystems face with a focus on what individuals can do to improve sustainability 
  • Interview with The Daily Cardinal: Was interviewed by a student journalist working for the University of Wisconsin publication, The Daily Cardinal, about winter limnology (https://www.dailycardinal.com/article/2024/02/ice-core-will-the-heart-of-madison-winters-keep-melting) 
  • Radio interview on 'A Public Affair': Discussed winter limnology and the changing dynamics of ice cover and what that means for the wildlife and water quality of lakes and rivers in Wisconsin (https://www.wortfm.org/fingers-crossed-for-annual-frozen-lake-festival/)
  • Grandparent's University: Led boat tours of Lake Mendota for University of Wisconsin-Madison Alumni and their grandchildren discussing limnology and research conducted at the Center for Limnology. Madison, WI, July 2023. 
  • Hasler Lab Open House: Presented on zooplankton biology and taxonomy in addition to leading boat tours at the Center for Limnology. Madison, WI, June 2023. 
  • Clean Lakes Alliance - Frozen Assets Festival: Discussed the biology and chemistry of Madison area lakes to the Madison community in a booth at the annual Frozen Assets Festival. Madison, WI, February 2023. 
  • Georgia O'Keefe Middle School Outreach Event: Interacted with a 7th grade science class at O'Keefe Middle School showcasing the diversity of macroinvertebrates and macrophytes in the Yahara River adjacent to the school. Madison, WI, October 2022. 
  • Garden Club of America Outreach Event: Discussed and taught leaders of various chapters of the Garden Club of America about zooplankton, phytoplankton, and lake food webs. Specifically focused on how eutrophication will affect food webs within lakes. Madison, WI, September 2022. 
  • Grandparent's University: Led boat tours of Lake Mendota for University of Wisconsin-Madison Alumni and their grandchildren discussing limnology and the research conducted at the Center for Limnology. Madison, WI, July 2022. 
  • Edgewood Summer Camp - Limnology Outreach: Discussed the research process and demonstrated the tools limnologists use to understand lakes to a group of eight high schoolers. Madison, WI, July 2022
  • Hasler Lab Open House: Presented on zooplankton and macroinvertebrate biology and taxonomy using microscopes and aquaria at the Center for Limnology. Madison, WI, June 2022. ​
  • Pond Exploration Day – McKee Farms Park: Collected zooplankton and macroinvertebrates and showcased the diverse organisms found in urban ponds of Madison. McKee Farms Park, Fitchburg, WI, June 2022.
  • Pond Exploration Day – Elver Park: Collected zooplankton and macroinvertebrates and showcased the diverse organisms found in urban ponds of Madison. Elver Park, Madison, WI, May 2022. 
  • Lake Wingra Watershed Gathering: Participated in the Center for Limnology’s table demonstrating the connections between our land and our water using interactive tools to visualize watersheds. Vilas Park, Madison, WI, May 2022.    
  • Edgewood Middle School 7th Grade Class: Planned, organized, and executed a teaching event for Carly Ziegler’s middle school science class discussing water quality, food webs, and threats facing freshwater fishes in Madison lakes. Edgewood Middle School, Madison, September 2021. 
  • Neighborhood House Community Center: Planned, organized, and executed two afternoon teaching events for kids aged 7-12 discussing lake water quality and land stewardship as well as demonstrating classic limnological sampling techniques with the kids. University of Wisconsin, Madison. July & August 2021.
  • WikiProject Limnology & Oceanography (WP L&O): Reviewer. Review Wikipedia articles submitted by undergraduate aquatic science students under the WP L&O which was developed to support post-secondary instructors using Wikipedia as a teaching tool in aquatic science classes. University of Wisconsin, Madison. April 2021.
  • State Science & Technology Fair of Iowa: Volunteer judge. Judge student research projects submitted by junior high and high school students from across Iowa. Virtual, March 2021
  • Resume/CV workshop: Mentor. Met with individually students in the STEM Scholars, a program for historically excluded populations in STEM. Provided advice and editing to their resumes and CV. Iowa State University, Feb. 17, 2021
  • Public Presentation: Why is Green Valley Lake so Green? Green Valley State Park, Creston, IA, USA, Dec 03, 2019
  • Public Presentation: Poster, Iowa State Sustainability Symposium on behalf of the Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology Graduate Student Organization, (November) Ames, IA, USA, Feb 19, 2019
  • Public Presentation: Poster, Green Bay Conservation Partners Spring roundtable, Green Bay, WI, USA, Apr 19, 2018
  • Public Presentation: Poster, Green Bay Conservation Partners Spring roundtable, Green Bay, WI, USA, Apr 25, 2017

Service
  • Committee Member: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee helping plan and run the inaugural Rising Tides Seminar series designed to bring researchers at the forefront of incorporating DEI issues into their research and service to the CFL as part of the regular seminar series. Currently serving as the subcommittee chair for drafting a DEI Action Plan  
  • Seminar Committee Chair: Co-chair of the Center for Limnology seminar committee. Organized logistics and recruited speakers for seminars in fall 2022 and spring 2023. 
  • Committee Member: Center for Limnology 101 Committee, assist in updating software and hardware in the 101 biology lab in the Center for Limnology, including the acquisition of 4K monitors and cameras for teaching and research use. Madison, WI. 2021
  • Committee Member: Center for Limnology Outreach Committee, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Plan and facilitate various outreach events at both Hasler Lab and Trout Lake Station. Madison, WI. 2021
  • President: Graduate Research in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Iowa State University. Ames, IA. 2019 - 2020
    • Led the graduate student body and planned, organized, and executed the 27th Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Spring Symposium
  • Committee member: Great Plains Limnology Conference Organizing Committee, Ames, IA. 2019
  • Session moderator: Moderated the "Food webs & Connectivity" session of the Great Plain Limnology Conference. Ames, IA. 2019
  • Trip leader:  Turning Responsibility into Powerful Service, led a group of 4 students from various departments on a 5-day trip into the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan to camp, do service with the U.S. Forest Service and Nature Conservancy, and lead reflections on sustainability and conservation of natural areas. De Pere, WI. April 2016. 
  • Committee member:  St. Norbert Green Initiative Fund, allocated funds to sustainability and conservation projects on campus. De Pere, WI. 2014 - 2016. Projects I was involved with:
    • Secured funding for three solar-powered picnic tables to provide outdoor study spaces with charging ports
    • Worked with campus safety to create and fund a bid to double the fleet of campus bikes available to students
    • Secured funding for three new water bottle filling stations in first-year dormitories​