Ryan is working with the Oregon Coastal Management Program and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to maximize the searchability and availability of the Nearshore Ecological Data Atlas.  Ryan has a background in watershed restoration and education, and currently leads OSU Extension Service’s StreamWebs program (www.streamwebs.org).

Adam is a Water Resources graduate student in the Professional Science Master’s Program at OSU. He is interested in urban water conservation projects and informing policy makers on the implementation of water conservation measures. Before starting the Professional Science Master’s Program he recently completed a water research internship for an urban sustainability pilot project in Denver, CO.

Andrew is a graduate student in the Water Resources Science program and he is interested in modeling future scenarios to better understand the impacts of land management on nutrient dynamics in agricultural watersheds. Andrew splits his time developing online content for INR, IWW, and Oregon Explorer. Prior to starting at OSU, Andrew worked as a GIS intern for a number of organizations in the Willamette Valley. Outside of school, he can be found playing wing for the Corvallis Rugby Football Club, drumming, or reading about zombies.

Abbie completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Pittsburgh where she majored in Environmental Studies with a focus on late Holocene climate change in Greece and Kazakhstan.  After graduation, she worked at an environmental testing facility as a water and soil chemist.  In the fall of 2009, Abbie quit her job and moved to rural China to teach English.  Currently, Abbie is finishing up her Master's degree in Public Policy.  She is studying community forests in rural America.

Zachary Bolick has been working in natural resource management and environmental policy for approximately six years.  He has interned and held positions for a variety of land management agencies including the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Forest Service. 

Currently Zach is pursuing a Master’s degree in the school of Public Policy at Oregon State University where his emphasis is in environmental policy and issues.  In the future he hopes to pursue a federal or international career as a natural resource manager, policy analysis, or environmental planner.

Zachary enjoys hiking, traveling, mountaineering, and reading.

Mika Yasuo has been working in resource development for five years.  From 2006 to 2008, she volunteered for the U.S. Peace Corps in Kazakhstan and organized community development projects funded by the U.S. State Department, European Commission, UNICEF, International Organization for Migration, and International Labour Organization.  From 2009 to 2011, she worked at a Boys and Girls Club in Bellevue, WA as a Resource Development Coordinator and managed corporate and government grants for education and youth development programs.

Mika enjoys cycling, traveling, hiking and playing her violin.

Luca De Stefanis joined the Institute for Natural Resources in the summer of 2012 after fourteen years of experience in the areas of environmental and conservation analysis, planning and design having worked throughout North America and Europe.  Currently, he is working on his Master's degree at Oregon State University in the Professional Science Management program studying Environmental Policy with a minor in business and a Master's in Natural Resource Management specializing in Water Conflict Management.  Luca's natural resource policy interests are water resources, climate change, land use development, collaborative governance and conflicts over natural resources.  Luca enjoys global travel when the opportunity lends itself and when at home in Oregon he prefers road biking, backpacking in the Cascades, Italian rustic cooking and exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

Ruth Vondracek joined the Oregon Explorer team in 2007. Her early experiences as an archaeologist spurred a keen interest in natural and cultural resource issues. In addition to working with Oregon Explorer, she is responsible for the Archives natural resource collection.

Rob began working at INR in late 2010 developing the Ecosystem Commons, an online community focused on Ecosystem Services.  Rob’s background includes habitat restoration, vegetation dynamics, and native plant materials development.  Prior to joining INR, Rob worked with the Institute for Applied Ecology, the US Forest Service, and the National Park Service.

Maria has a joint appointment with the OSU Institute for Water and Watersheds (IWW) where she is the coordinator for the Willamette Water 2100 project.  In the past she has managed websites, edited newsletters and written technology transfer material for INR, Oregon Explorer and other OSU research programs.  She has a background in geology and geomorphology and worked as a hydrologist for the USGS in Columbia, Missouri before coming to OSU in 2001.