Ann St. Amand Ph.D., CLP
President / Owner, Phycologist
Ann earned her B.S. in Ecology, Evolutionary and Population Biology from Purdue University and her Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame in Aquatic Ecology. She is PhycoTech’s founder and head of research with over 35 years of experience. Ann processes all manual algal and zooplankton samples at PhycoTech, as well as teaches our algal taxonomy workshops. In her spare time, she enjoys native gardening, reading, singing in a praise group, hiking, hunting for algae (and a billion other cool things, yes, a bit ADD) as well as hanging out with her awesome husband and kids, and 4-year-old Harry, who is the best grandkid on the planet.
Ann spends her volunteer time working with UpStream (a 6th grade hands on stream program), Salmon in the Classroom, Brown Elementary School Science Fair, and Science Olympiad at the Middle/HS level in the St. Joseph Public Schools. She also volunteers with the Fresh Start Children’s Garden, Indian Hills Garden Club, The St. Joseph Public Library, Boy and Girl Scouts and the Boys and Girls Club of Benton Harbor installing native gardens and helping with STEM activities.
Denise Clark
Lab Manager - IFCB Division, IT Manager
Denise has a B.S. Degree in Computer Science and years of experience in computer system support, and has been a part of PhycoTech since 2011. She manages our IFCB department and provides support to the team in a variety of ways including: leading the Imaging FlowCytobot project, running and analyzing data, keeping computers updated and virus free and ensuring systems are running smoothly.
Denise also spends her volunteer time working with First Lego League, Boy Scouts and Science Olympiad Mentor. She is also an advid bowler.
Kam Truhn
Lab Manager
Kam is a freshwater ecologist/ limnologist with more than 16 years of experience. Since earning his M.A. in Biology/ Freshwater Ecology at Central Michigan University, he has worked on a diverse range of water quality and research projects focusing on nutrient loading and algal, macroinvertebrate, and fish biodiversity from NY to CA. At PhycoTech he oversees lab operations, sample processing, represents us at scientific meetings, and helps with algal identification workshops.
Kam spends his volunteer time working as a Science Olympiad Mentor with the High School and Middle School teams and working with PhycoTech outreach programs.
Sarah Johnson
Office Manager
Sarah has been part of the PhycoTech family since 2018. She has earned her A.A. and handles day to day needs including: billing, overseeing contracts and bids, emails, product processing and shipping, customer service inquiries, workshop organization and other office tasks. Sarah is also our social media coordinator and web site editor. As a local photographer, she enjoys capturing memories for families as well as some of the splendid scenery around her native area, Michigan’s Great Southwest. She also has a daughter who is studying American Sign Language Interpretation at a Michigan University.
Sarah has previously volunteered with a national non-profit soccer league for 14 years, and enjoys working with the PhycoTech education and outreach programs.
Hannah Schroeder
Aquatic Ecologist
Hannah joined PhycoTech in 2019 after receiving her M.S. from Savannah State University in Marine and Environmental Sciences and dual B.S. degrees in Biology and Environmental Sciences from Alma College. Hannah’s passion for aquatic ecosystems began at a young age as she grew up on the beach in South Carolina, and continued to grow as she researched the impacts of eutrophication on fresh water ecosystems in Michigan and the impacts of climate change on coral reef ecosystems during her master's research. Her duties include: working with the IFCB, integrating technology and sample processing and analyzing. In her free time, Hannah enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, reading, paddle boarding, swimming, and camping.
Hannah’s volunteer activities include helping with the St. Joseph Science Olympiad team and working with additional outreach events through PhycoTech.
Cory Sauve
Aquatic Ecologist
Cory joined PhycoTech in January 2020. He received his B.S. in Fisheries Biology from Mansfield University of Pennsylvania and dual M.S. degrees in Environmental Science and Public Affairs from Indiana University Bloomington. His duties include sample processing, working with the IFCB, and various programming needs. Outside of work, Cory enjoys watching sports, exploring the outdoors, and developing open-source tools for environmental education and analysis.
Cory also volunteers as a Science Olympiad mentor and helps out with PhycoTech’s education and outreach programs.