People
Dr. David Mason
Assistant Scientist
Lisa Giencke
Senior Research Associate II
Megan Herrmann
Research Technician II
Megan Herrmann is a Research Technician in the Plant Ecology Lab at the Jones Center at Ichauway, where she oversees the conservation nursery and leads monitoring efforts for a recent population augmentation of Schwalbea americana at Ichauway. She holds a B.A. in Biology and Geology from Oberlin College and an M.S. in Environmental Science from Cleveland State University, where her thesis examined plant and soil microbial diversity across urbanization gradients in vacant lots. Megan’s research interests center on plant community ecology, including plant functional diversity, plant–soil feedback, climate change, rare plant monitoring, and restoration. Prior to joining Ichauway, she held research and field positions with the U.S. Forest Service, the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), and American Conservation Experience, gaining extensive experience in ecological monitoring and natural resource management. She is also an active member of the Georgia Plant Conservation Alliance.
Current Graduate Students
Kimi Birrer
Ph.D. Student
Kimi Birrer is a Ph.D. student in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Florida, co-advised by Dr. Marcus Lashley and Dr. David Mason. Her research examines how wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) influence plant communities through seed dispersal and how predation risk shapes these plant–animal interactions across landscapes. Kimi received her B.A. in Environmental Biology and Spanish from Hanover College (2021). She later earned an M.S. in Forestry with a concentration in Wildlife Management from Stephen F. Austin State University (2025), where she studied how habitat management for upland game birds influences bumble bee populations in East Texas. Before beginning her M.S., Kimi worked as a Biological Science Technician with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, where she monitored native wildlife and participated in habitat management in a mixed longleaf pine savanna and blackwater swamp ecosystem. Through her academic and professional experiences, Kimi has conducted extensive wildlife fieldwork, statistical work, multilingual environmental education and outreach, and research presentations in the United States, Costa Rica, and Brazil. Her broader interests include conservation, habitat management, plant–animal interactions, community ecology, ornithology, and entomology.
Lindsey Grimes
M.S. Student
Lindsey Grimes is a master’s student with the Jones Center at Ichauway Plant Ecology lab and Georgia Southern University (co-advised by Dr. David Mason and Dr. Isaac Park). Her research focuses on plant-pollinator networks in geographically isolated wetlands in the longleaf pine ecosystem and utilizing the wetlands as a study system to monitor movement of pollinators/pollen. Before becoming a master’s student, she graduated with a B.S. in Biology from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (2023). While completing that degree, she had the opportunity to participate in crop plant pathology/nematology research with the USDA, hemi-parasitic plant research with the genus Seymeria, and forensic entomotoxicology research analyzing the effects of anti-depressants on the growth rate of Sarcophagid flies. After graduating, she worked in the Jones Center at Ichauway Entomology lab where she participated in a long-term monitoring project of bees and beetles and sampled insects in and around the longleaf pine ecosystem. Now, she hopes to combine her insect and plant interests with her research project and to further the understanding of pollinator roles in unique plant systems. Outside of her work, she enjoys being outdoors, crafting, and consuming all forms of dinosaur media.
Madison Ohmen
Research Technician II
Madison Ohmen graduated in 2019 with a BA in Horticulture Science from North Carolina State University and has spent the past 5 years working in conservation. After working for the North Carolina Wildlife Federation, North Carolina Botanical Garden and Atlanta Botanical Garden, Madison joined the Plant Ecology Lab at the Jones Center at Ichauway. Her interests include conservation horticulture, rare plant monitoring, restoration and seed banking.
Stephen W. Golladay, Ph.D.
Scientist
Dr. Golladay’s interests include the ecology of streams and wetlands, the impact of human land use on water quality and aquatic invertebrates, and the impact of variation in hydrology on ecological processes and aquatic communities Recently, he has developed an interest in the ecology and conservation of rare and endangered freshwater mussel species.
Dr. Golladay has served as a technical advisor to the Sand County Foundation, Georgia EPD, DNR and Water Management districts in Florida. He has developed training activities for resource professionals in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Dr. Golladay also has assisted in the development of programs to enhance the
natural resource awareness of regional educators in cooperation with regional Georgia Youth Science and Technology.