Biology

Hello! My name is Mack White, and I was fortunate enough to complete my M.S. in Biology at Tennessee Tech University under the advisement of Dr. Kit Wheeler in May 2020. The Biology Department at Tennessee Tech was a home away from home. Both the students and professors made my time in TN extremely special. The comradery amongst graduate students is unmatched and the willingness for professors in the department to work with students outside of their lab (and even expertise) was amazing — they really do care about the students and their success.
 
I am currently a Ph.D. student at Florida International University working in the Coastal Fisheries and Fish Ecology Lab. My research aims to further understand how animals move energy throughout the different environments they occupy over the course of their life, as well as how different abiotic and biotic conditions may mediate the magnitude and ecological importance of those energy subsidies. To answer these questions, I use a combination of traditional fisheries techniques, stable isotopes, and acoustic telemetry. Most of my work is conducted in the Coastal Everglades, which is one of 28 sites in the National Science Foundation's Long Term Ecological Research Network. 
 
Though I left the mountain streams in Tennessee for mangrove-fringed tidal creeks in South Florida, I hope to keep strong ties to the university and all the wonderful individuals I met at Tennessee Tech. My time spent at Tennessee Tech holds a special place in my heart and is a chapter of my life I am extremely thankful for!