Andrii Kramarenko
I earned my bachelor's and first master's degrees in Environmental Studies from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine, where I worked in the field of bioremediation. Russia's invasion interrupted my studies, and I served in the Ukrainian army for eight months. After my service, I joined the Waterloo Wetland Lab as a Summer Field Technician through a student exchange program supported by Mitacs. After an intense summer of fieldwork, I decided to pursue a second master's degree in the laboratory, and I am currently a graduate student at the University of Waterloo, working under the supervision of Dr. Rebecca Rooney. My research focuses on the dynamics of changes in wetland forage value for key waterfowl species following the removal of invasive Phragmites australis from Ramsar-designated wetlands and internationally recognized birding sites at Long Point and Big Creek National Wildlife Areas on the northern shore of Lake Erie. Invasive Phragmites australis poses a significant threat to waterfowl habitats by displacing native plant species and altering the availability of high-quality forage, as its increasing dominance in the ecosystem impacts the composition of waterfowl diets. My work aims to assess these changes to inform wetland restoration and conservation strategies.