An invasive plant species, yellow floating heart (Nymphoides peltata), has successfully colonized Lake Carl Blackwell. Stephen's research is a management-based approach studying the efficacy of herbicide treatment targeting this invasive species over time. His monitoring methods include using unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imagery and multispectral satellite imagery to track the spatial extent and health of yellow floating heart. UAVs allow for very fine resolution imagery for improved detection accuracy, while satellite data allows for normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) calculation. The objective of the research is to use these remote sensing tools to determine how the infestation is temporally changing, which will then aid in management decisions moving forward.

Stephen Angle received his B.S. in Environmental Science from Oklahoma State in Spring 2017. His favorite activities are fishing, kayaking, hunting, and watching Thunder games. Stephen’s career interests include water quality monitoring, watershed planning and restoration, and geographic information systems (GIS) of natural resources. Stephen is an active volunteer in the Oklahoma Conservation Commission’s Blue Thumb stream monitoring program and the current president of the Society of Environmental Scientists.