CONTACT INFORMATION

Center for Aquatic Ecology & Conservation
Illinois Natural History Survey
607 E. Peabody Drive
Champaign, Illinois 61820

Phone: (217) - 244 - 5059
Fax: (217) – 333 – 6294
email: epifanio@uiuc.edu

Current Appointments

2001 - Present Director and Associate Professional Scientist. Center for Aquatic Ecology and Conservation, Illinois Natural History Survey.

2004 - Present Adjunct Faculty. Department of Natural Resource and Environmental Sciences. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

2005 - Present Affiliate Faculty. Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

1997 - Present Adjunct Faculty. Department of Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University.

Research and Academic Interests

Conservation Genetics & Molecular Ecology – Examination of structure & function of genetic variation for aquatic resource management, conservation, and rehabilitation; efficacy and effects of hybridization and non-native taxa.

Resource Conservation Policy – Analyses of state and federal aquatic wildlife policies.

University Courses Taught

SPR 2002-06 Aquatic Ecology Discussion. Co-organizer, grad-level discussion course.

FA 99 Ecological Genetics. Co-instructor, graduate level lecture and discussion course.

FA 99 Conservation Biology. Co-instructor, advanced undergraduate level lecture and discussion course.

SPR 96 Advanced Concepts in Evolutionary Biology. Co-instructor, graduate level literature and discussion course.

FA 95 Conservation and Genetics. Instructor, graduate level lecture, literature, and discussion course.

SPR95 Population and Evolutionary Genetics. Co-instructor, graduate level seminar and discussion course.

FA 93 Topics in Conservation Biology. Co-instructor, graduate level seminar.

SPR 93 Topics in Fish Reproductive Behavior. Co-instructor, graduate level seminar, VCU.

Graduate Student Mentoring
Major Professor or Advisor

2005-Present Aaron Schults. Thesis Topic TBD. Department of Natural Resource and Environmental Sciences. UI.

2003-Present Kyle Hansen. Fine-scale movements of largemouth bass in northern lakes. Department of Natural Resource and Environmental Sciences. UI.

2003-Present Tasha Silich. A test of kin selection theory in colonial breeding bluegill. Department of Natural Resource and Environmental Sciences. UI.

1994-1997 Julie Weeder. Effective population size of Michigan’s chinook salmon. Degree conferred May, 1997. Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Program, MSU.

Paper published in NA Journal of Fish. Mgmt.

1994-1997 Sima Pandya. Systematics and morphological variation in the common caiman with conservation and legal implications. Degree conferred August, 1997. Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Program, MSU. Paper published in Oecologia.

Undergraduate Student Mentoring

Co-mentored Howard Hughs Undergraduate Fellow (2002; UI); Co-mentored Undergraduate Mentoring in Environmental Biology (2004; UI)

Mentored Hutton Jr. Fisheries Biology Fellowship (2004; AFS)

Current Projects

2001-2010 Database Management and Analysis of Fisheries in Illinois. Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

2006-2008 Evaluating water temperature, habitat, and fish communities in candidate coolwater streams in Illinois. IDNR.

2004-2005 A Preliminary eco-toxicological assessment of Asian carp species in the Chicago Waterway and Illinois River. Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant.

2003-2005 Development of an Illinois Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Plan and Supporting Information Systems. IDNR.