Background: From growing up in eastern Nebraska, I've always been interested in the relationship between wildlife and agriculture. My first research experience at the University of Nebraska involved nest survival of songbirds on conventional and organic farms. After graduating, I moved to Texas to pursue a M.S. in wildlife biology. My research there examined nest survival and predation of White-tipped Doves (a gamebird) in the Lower Rio Grande Valley along the U.S.-Mexico border. My time in Texas was spent largely on research of White-tipped, Mourning, and White-winged Doves but I've also spent time on Northern Bobwhite and non-game species such as Green Jays and Clay-colored Thrush. I've been a teaching assistant for GIS and Wildlife Management Techniques courses and taught Wildlife Conservation and Management as an adjunct instructor. I've presented my research at several regional, national, and international conferences.
Current Research: Within the STRIPS project, I'm investigating the impact of STRIPS on avian density and occupancy. I will be examining the impacts of landscape characteristics on avian communities with an emphasis on surrounding land cover of STRIPS sites.
