I received my undergraduate degree in Natural Resource Management and Conservation from San Francisco State University. After taking a field course on the ecology of bats, I was officially hooked. This interest led to working with various agencies, such as National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. I had wonderful and life changing opportunities to assist in a variety of bat related research in southern Mexico, Borneo, and Madagascar. I then completed my master’s degree at Angelo State University in Texas. My master’s work included the use of molecular methods to characterize seasonal variation of the diet of cave myotis (Myotis velifer) in the Chihuahuan desert.
I am now being co-advised by Dr. Cory Suski and Dr. Joy O’Keefe at UIUC. My Ph.D. research will focus on monitoring the health of Indiana bats (Myotis sodalis) to determine whether forest management practices affect populations. Managed sites that are effective may provide bats with various roosting habitats and minimize competition with conspecifics. In addition to connecting to nature through science, I enjoy backpacking, watching live music, and consider myself a novice rock climber. I look forward to all that I will learn from both the labs I am a part of and exploring the Midwest!