Christopher Boehler

Christopher Boehler earned a Master of Science from Bowling Green State University while researching the elemental ratios found in fish otoliths, commonly known as ear-stones, of Lake Erie Steelhead trout. Employing otolith chemistry, he was able to determine where fish from different state fish hatcheries would return to spawn. Christopher has also earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Water Resources from Heidelberg University. Currently, he is pursuing a doctoral degree in biogeochemistry from Kent State University in the department of Biological Sciences. He is researching the importance of cyanobacteria and their role in processing nitrogen (i.e., nitrogen-fixation) within the overall microbial nitrogen cycle of Lake Erie along the conditions that may lead to the production of toxic harmful algal blooms. Nitrogen-fixation rates were quantified with the acetylene reduction assay (ARA).  He also employed the use of nutrient diffusion substrata (NDS) by submerging enriched agar cups into lakes to investigate benthic microbial community composition.