ESE Graduate Student Organization
The Ecological Sciences and Engineering Interdisciplinary Graduate Program Graduate Student Organization (ESE GSO) is an organization that consists of all students engaging in research or pursuing an advanced degree in the Ecological Sciences and Engineering Interdisciplinary Graduate Program (ESE) at Purdue University. The organization focuses on social interactions, professional development, academic endeavors, and community involvement. The purpose of the ESE GSO is to provide ESE graduate students with opportunities to enhance and enrich their graduate career at Purdue; to promote academic and social communication among ESE students and faculty; to provide a forum for ESE students to voice concerns and expectations.
Emily Spicuzza, President
Emily joined ESE and Environment Ecological Engineering seeking her MS degree in August of 2023.
Sarah Grimes, Vice President
Sarah joined the ESE program as a PhD student in Fall of 2023. She is a second-year PhD student in the Forestry and Natural Resources department where she is advised by Dr. Bryan Pijanowski. Her research is centered broadly upon applying soundscape ecology to land management. Sarah’s major projects involve using acoustics to model habitat selection of threatened birds and investigating sustainability and biodiversity in vineyards. She graduated in 2023 from Hope College with a B.S. in Biology and a B.A. in Psychology
Adebola Ester Adeniji, Secretary
Adebola Esther Adeniji started her Ph.D. program in the fall of 2023 in the Ecological Sciences and Engineering interdisciplinary program with Forestry and Natural Resources serving as her home department. Her primary advisor is Dr. Bryan Pijanowski and her research focuses on Soundscape and Spatial Ecology. She holds a master's degree from the Federal University of Technology Akure in Wildlife Ecology and Range Management. Adebola enjoys singing, cooking, and playing table tennis outside of work.
Ayomide Adepeju, Treasurer
My name is Ayomide Adepeju. I started my doctoral studies in the Ecological Sciences and Engineering program in the fall of 2023, with Agricultural and Biological Engineering as my home department. My research focuses on strengthening wild rice resilience in the great lakes under the supervision of Dr. Keith Cherkauer and Dr. Laura Bowling. Aside from what I do at Purdue, I love cartography or mapmaking, having earned my Masters degree in Geographic Information Science and Geoenvironment from Western Illinois University, and I enjoy spending quality time with loved ones and friends at leisure.
Carly Frank, GSO Student Activities Coordinator
Carly joined to ESE GSO in January of 2023. She is a second-year PhD student in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences. Her research focuses on the intersection between coproduction, heat stress in West Africa, and the resulting socio-economic impacts and equitable distribution of these impacts. She has her B.S. in Natural Resources and Environmental Science from Purdue University and a M.Sc. in Quaternary and Climate Studies from the University of Maine.
AJ Inanc, GSO Outreach Activities Coordinator
AJ is an ESE student seeking a PhD with the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
Srilani Wickramasinghe, Mentoring Chair
I’m a third year PhD student in the ESE program affiliated with the Department of Earth, Atmospheric & Planetary Sciences. I study anthropogenic impacts (mainly agricultural) on large river basins using multi-isotope analysis in Dr. Frisbee’s Hydrogeology Lab. I obtained my bachelor’s degree in green technology from University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka, followed by a master’s degree in environmental sciences & engineering from Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, before I joined the ESE 2022 cohort. During the course of my two years in the ESE program my research interests have expanded to a more interdisciplinary niche; now I’m also interested in using hydro(geo)logical modelling to facilitate water management, decision making & policy formulation.
Ariana Lazo, ESE Senator for PGSG
Ariana is a third-year Ph.D. student in the Ecological Sciences and Engineering Interdisciplinary program and is housed in the Department of Agronomy. Ariana graduated with her Bachelor's degree in Plant & Environmental Soil Science from Texas A&M University in 2022. Under the direction of Dr. Linda S. Lee, Ariana's research focuses on the plant uptake of Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in biosolid-applied agricultural systems.
