CURRENTLY I’m a Wildlife Ecology MS student in the Zuckerberg Lab at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. My thesis work employs species distribution models trained on participatory science datasets to characterize recent avian range-shifts in the Upper Great Lakes region; I’ll evaluate whether the protected area approaches of state, federal, & NGO partners create robust refugia for breeding birds under rapid climate change. A North American Banding Council songbird banding trainer, I’m available for certification sessions.

RESEARCH INTERESTS include movement, plasticity, demography, & phenology through the lens of conservation, global change, spatial, & field ecology; particularly intriguing to me are avian systems: boreal communities, disjunct & range-edge populations, irruptive species, &—chronically understudied—female individuals. I champion (& teach!) the use, maintenance, & growth of collections to supplement studies on wild birds. Thanks to fieldwork I belong to many landscape contexts: as such my ecologist ethic centers practical, accessibile, co-created research for managers & the public alike. Equitable conservation demands multi-disciplinary, diverse perspectives—full-stop.

PREVIOUSLY I researched Least Tern thermal biology and oology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington (Audubon NC, Wilson Ornithological Society). To date, I’ve banded more than 190 bird species across the USA—building project design & reporting competencies in the process—& prepped specimens for several institutions (sparrows, hummers, & hawks—oh my!). Because words matter, I’ve poured 12+ years into environmental education as well as other interpretive roles within & beyond ecology.