Tom Berson: Tom is a PhD student whose primary interest lies in American environmental history. His dissertation will likely compare the cultural and environmental histories of two or more freshwater springs. He is interested in not simply the environmental impact of development in the 19^th and 20^th centuries, but how springs shaped the image of a place and of a people. Tom was previously a newspaper staff writer.

Bridget Bihm-Manuel: Bridget completed her MA at the University of Florida and is now working on a PhD. She plans to expand her MA research on public policy and health related to human waste into a PhD dissertation. Bridget is especially interested in how peculiar ecological conditions in Florida shaped and frustrated public-health policy.

Matt Brackett: Matt arrived at the University of Florida in 2005 with an MA and an interest in the natural environment, society, and public health. He plans to write his dissertation on the intersection between class and race on the one hand with public-health policy and tuberculosis in the American South on the other. Matt has a journal article and conference presentations to his credit.

Leslie Kemp Poole: Leslie is currently an adjunct instructor in environmental studies at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. She previously worked in newspaper and magazine journalism. Arriving at UF with an MA, she plans to explore as a dissertation topic the important role of women and the dynamics of gender in the history of the environmental movement in Florida. Leslie has published widely in newspapers and magazines, with much of her work dealing with the natural environment of Florida.

Dan Simone: Dan came into the history program with an MA and an interest in the history of motorsports. As a dissertation topic, he plans to focus on some aspect, including environmental, of the history of NASCAR. Dan has presented at major national conferences, including the AHA, and has published book reviews. He currently works in the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program.

Maury Wiseman: Maury holds an MA in history. His research engages the history of Jews in Florida. At the moment he is leaning toward writing a dissertation on historical memory and David Levy Yulee, the first Jew elected to the US Senate and a leading politician and businessman of antebellum Florida. Maury has presented his work at conferences.