Graduate Students

Russ Bohl

Masters student, associated with the Center for Wildlife Health

Email: rbohl@utk.edu

Russ Bohl is a Graduate Research Assistant pursuing a M.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Science under the direction of Drs. Ted Henry and Richard Strange.  He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Gordon College.  Following his time at Gordon, Russ traveled to Honduras where he taught middle school math and science to bilingual students.  Immediately prior to beginning at the University of Tennessee, Russ served as an AmeriCorps volunteer for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection where he surveyed benthic macroinvertebrates in NJ’s streams and participated in environmental education. 

Russ’s thesis research will focus on evaluating the effects of electrofishing on embryos of threatened and endangered fish species native to the Southeastern United States.  Electrofishing is a commonly used fish capture technique, and fish exposed to electric fields can be injured or killed.  Embryos of isolated populations of threatened and endangered species are of special concern, as a large percentage of embryos could be exposed to electric fields during a single electrofishing event.  Russ will be investigating the effects of electric field characteristics, stage of embryonic development, and species differences on survival to hatching of embryos exposed to electric fields.  The majority of his research will take place in the laboratory, where captive adults will be spawned and embryos collected for the electroshock experiments.   The objective of the study is to evaluate the effects of electric fields on embryonic fish, as well as develop a model that allows biologists to predict the severity of effects that electric fields can cause under certain conditions.

Russ grew up in Brockton, MA, a suburb of Boston.  In his spare time, he enjoys hiking, running, fishing, and snowboarding (or surfing, depending on the location).