ROLLAND LAB - Wildlife Ecology
Bluebird Trail
Lab
Current Students
photo upload issue
Katelyn Huber
Pronouns: she/her
BS Student in Wildlife, Fisheries, Conservation
hub3r.kat3lyn@gmail.com
Current research and activities:
Katelyn is a junior at A-State, majoring in Wildlife Fisheries and Conservation with a focus on wildlife. She developed a keen interest in ornithology and herpetology, spending most of her free time bird watching and herp hunting. In March of 2023, Katelyn began volunteering with the Eastern Bluebird project, where she has increased her knowledge in identifying avian species by observing nest materials found in nest boxes. She is also learning about factors that can alter their nest success.
Personal interests:
Katelyn likes fishing, being outdoors, learning more about reptiles (herp hunting). And indoors, she also enjoys baking!
Future plans:
Katelyn's dedication to wildlife conservation and her love for birds and reptiles have inspired her to pursue a career in the field after graduation. She plans to work with either invasive or endangered species, contributing to the preservation of our planet's wildlife.
Past education and experience:
While an undergraduate at University of Central Florida, she conducted nesting beach surveys for Leatherback, Loggerhead, and Green Sea Turtles in the Archie Carr National Wildlife refuge. As a UCF turtle lab member, she completed a project studying Fibropapillomatosis in juvenile green sea turtles using stable isotopes and an honors thesis on the genetic structure of juvenile green sea turtle foraging aggregations on the east coast of Florida. In addition, she interned for the St. John's River Water Management District where she conducted prescribed burns and monitored Red-cockaded Woodpecker nesting. Her main research interest is in molecular ecology with an application for species conservation.
Current research and activities:
Monica joined the Rolland lab in the spring of 2021 as a Master's student to study fall dispersal and genetic diversity of the Ozark Pocket Gopher. She is in her second field season and has looked closely at lice not previously described in detail. She obtained $700 to fund her research from the Arkansas Audubon Society. Monica has left the Rolland lab but is still working on this project under Dr. Ron Johnson.
Personal interests:
Monica maintains an aquarium, searches for shells on the beach, goes for hikes, and raises her mice sons Frank and Charlie. She also likes watching awkward cringy movies like Twilight, old TV shows, and reading poetry.
Anneka Lamb
Pronouns: She (her)/They (their)
MS Environmental Science
anneka.lamb@smail.astate.edu
Past education and experience:
She graduated from Prescott College with a B.S. in Conservation Biology in 2017. She has worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on several bat projects including ongoing WNS monitoring primarily with gray bats, tricolored bats, and Ozark big-eared bats as well as a variety of acoustic surveys. She also worked as Wildlife Project Coordinator on a Tribal Wildlife Grant using acoustics to determine presence/absence and migratory trends of bat species on previously unsurveyed tribal lands in Oklahoma. Her experience has included public outreach and education, youth programs, and fundraising.
Current research and activities:
Anneka Lamb joined the lab in October 2020 as a research assistant and continued as a master’s student in January 2021, studying winter roosting ecology of tricolored bats in culverts in southern Arkansas. She completed her second field season in March 2023 and in June 2023, she started a full-time job with Environmental Research Group while working on the analyses for her thesis.
Personal interests:
Anneka enjoys food, hiking, birding, and backpacking. She generally likes exploring whatever part of the planet she is able to access. She also like reading, is interested in cephalopod evolution and intelligence, and seeks social and environmental justice. Lat, but not least, she likes Bowie the Cat!
Chase Simpson
BS Student in Environmental Science
Chase is currently a Junior, pursuing a degree in the Environmental Sciences. He entered the Rolland Lab in the fall of 2019 as part of the SUPERB (Students United in Preserving, Exploring, and Researching Biodiversity) scholarship program. In addition to normal coursework, Chase has spent this semester working in the herbarium helping to transfer a vast physical collection into the SERNEC database. In the Rolland lab, Chase will be comparing the efficacy of dissection vs DNA barcoding in determining prey from nestling fecal sacs, with data collection starting in the spring of 2019. His research will include an age effect and a species effect. The species of focus will be Eastern Bluebirds, but he will collect fecal sacs from other Tufted Titmice, Carolina Wren, and Carolina Chickadee as well.
Ty Sharrow
Pronouns: he/him
MS Student in Biology
ty.sharrow@smail.astate.edu
Past education and experience:
Ty graduated from Keystone College with a B.S. in Wildlife Biology and a minor in psychology in 2021. During his undergraduate education, he completed his Capstone project investigating the ability of garter snakes to differentiate between tail and abdomen chemical cues of salamander prey. He previously worked as a graduate field technician at Southern Illinois University conducting telemetry on Northern Bobwhites and completing biodiversity surveys in managed grasslands. Ty has also served as a waterfowl migration counter for the Mackinac Straits Raptor Watch in Michigan and has interned as a bird bander in the Poconos Pennsylvania.
Current research and activities:
Ty joined the Rolland and Boves lab in January 2022 to complete his master’s in biology studying raptors as pest control. He has built upon a nest box program for American Kestrels and Barn Owls to attract them to agricultural fields and grain mills for their pest controlling abilities. He has completed two field seasons, data from which he presented at two conferences. His research will evaluate their pest controlling abilities and breeding success in northeast Arkansas and he already obtained $1,100 from the Arkansas Audubon Society and an A-State student grant. Because of unusual observations, he has prepared two short communications almost ready for submission as of December 2023.
Personal interests:
Ty is most happy in Nature, spending his time bird watching, botanizing, hiking, kayaking, and exploring. While at home, he tends to his many plants and pets including Chipkala the leopard gecko, Chad the poison dart frog, and Tina the tarantula. He is also involved in the bands at A-State playing the saxophone and bassoon. Ty is passionate about environmentalism and social justice.
Jen Terry
Pronouns: she/her
PhD Student in Environmental Science
jen.terry@smail.astate.edu
Past education and experience:
Jen volunteered as a Junior Ambassador at the Philadelphia Zoo during high school, educating zoo guests using artifacts and activities, as well as interpreting animal behavior. She graduated from Bucknell University in 2016 with a B.A. in Animal Behavior and a minor in Environmental Studies. During the summers, Jen interned at the Philadelphia Zoo, Clyde Peeling’s Reptiland, and The Wetlands Institute. Under the mentorship of Dr. Mizuki Takahashi, Jen examined paternal care behaviors in captive Japanese Giant Salamanders. Jen served two year-long terms as the Diamondback Terrapin Husbandry AmeriCorps member at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. This position gave Jen a unique opportunity to lead a long-term monitoring and conservation effort of Diamondback Terrapins and gain experience in wildlife rehabilitation with sea turtles and other native reptiles, as well as raptors and shorebirds. In 2021, Jen graduated with a M.S. in Biology from Arkansas State University. As a member of the Neuman-Lee lab, Jen examined physiological tradeoffs in red-eared sliders for her thesis and held a research assistant position surveying Illinois Chorus Frogs.
Current research and activities:
Jen joined the Rolland lab in the Fall of 2021 as a PhD student and is co-advised by Dr. Lori Neuman-Lee. Jen is interested in exploring physiology and population dynamics in turtles for her dissertation. She is a SUPERB (Students United in Preserving, Exploring, and Researching Biodiversity) scholar and serves on the BioDiversity Committee for the Biological Sciences department. Jen also enjoys helping her peers, mentoring, and developing outreach activities. In 2023, the SUPERB program ended but Jen was accepted into the UandI-DEECoDE program for PhD students. She has also been nominated for the PEO Scholar Award.
Personal interests:
Jen enjoys caring for her plants and personal “zoo,” comprising a cat (Whiskey), tarantula (Teva), garter snake (Miss Susie), box turtle (Cornelia), and freshwater fish. She finds happiness in her 3-mile loops around Craighead Forest Park, singing, skincare, cooking, antiquing, and styling a fun outfit.
Past education and experience:
He graduated from A-State in 2019 with a BS in Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation. While an undergrad, he started a population survey of the Illinois Chorus Frog, in the Neuman-Lee lab.
Current research and activities:
Tristan joined the lab in Spring 2020 as a Master’s student to study how stress can affect the symmetry of White-tailed deer antlers. This year, he is conducting a third field season for the chorus frog survey project. He also conducted his first deer field season in the fall 2020. He is also a SUPERB (Students United in Preserving, Exploring, and Researching Biodiversity) scholar and his thesis project is co-directed by Rolland and Neuman-Lee. He finished his hormonal assays and started updating his analyses and writing his thesis while maintaining a full-time job with the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission.
Personal interests:
In the spring and summer, Tristan thoroughly enjoys fishing and going on walks with his wife (Logan) and dogs (Waylon and Bo). During the fall and winter months, he enjoys duck and deer hunting. When at home, Tristan likes grilling and smoking meats. He is also a member of the Valley View Church of Christ.
Future plans:
Upon completion of his MS degree, Tristan would like to be a manager for a wildlife refuge.
Amanda Wixson-Trusty
BS Student in Wildlife Conservation
Michael Trusty
BS Student in Wildlife Conservation
Amanda joined the lab May 2017 and has improved quickly in her first two weeks in the field, helping Sara with the Bluebird project. Amanda is a sophomore at A-State, majoring in Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation, with an emphasis in Wildlife. Her focus is in Ornithology and she tries to spend a lot of her free time bird (and other wildlife) watching at Craighead Forest and the Nature Center to sharpen her identification skills. Fall 2017, she started working on her own research project on bluebirds, on her free time, and presented her results at three meetings in Spring 2018. She worked for the Crowley's Ridge Nature Center for several years and has assisting Sara Harrod, Perry Galloway, and me with bluebird work over the years. In 2020, she even trained Olivia Sitzes with the monitoring protocol.
Michael, married to Amanda, has also recently joined the lab just before starting as a Freshman Wildlife Major with a strong interest in small nocturnal mammals like bats and flying squirrels. He enjoys exploring wildlife management areas and night-hiking in search for nocturnal mammals. Like Amanda, he assisted Sara with bluebird nest monitoring and worked on his own bluebird project. Michael is an avid outdoorsman and hiker and hopes to attain a masters after completion of his bachelors degree. He has successfully presented his research at three meetings in Feb-April 2017. For summers 2018 and 2019, he was a field technician for an Indiana Bat survey for the first month and a half and two research projects on Rafinesque's big-eared bats for the rest of the summer. Although he took a break, he returned in 2022 to work on his manuscript, which, as of December 2023, is close to being submitted.
Perry Galloway
Joe Schroeder
Pronouns: he/him
BS Student in Wildlife Conservation
Graduated Fall 2022
joseph.shroede@smail.astate.edu
Past education and experience:
Perry (formerly Caitlin de Bellis)) graduated from Paul Smith’s College in 2018 with a B.S. in Environmental Science, with her capstone evaluating the effects of different silviculture treatments on wintering wildlife populations in the northern Adirondack Park in New York. They have worked as a Teacher-Naturalist at the Ozark Natural Science Center in northwest Arkansas, where they educated 5th grade students about the scientific method, radio telemetry, chemistry, ecology and biology. They have most recently worked with the Adirondack Watershed Institute as a Decontamination Steward, where they educated boaters about aquatic invasive species and how to prevent their spread throughout the Adirondack Park in New York.
Research and activities:
Perry joined the Rolland Lab in August 2019 and is studying the effects of climate change on bird size in relation to Bergmann’s Rule for which they obtained some funding from the Arkansas Audubon Society. Perry is also a SUPERB (Students United in Preserving, Exploring, and Researching Biodiversity) scholar, which is a wonderful opportunity for them since they are passionate about educating the public about scientific concepts, exploring biodiversity through their studies and outdoor recreation, and gaining experience with and learning from natural history collections. For example, this program got them involved in georeferencing project of plant specimens. They are the President of the Outing club they created and of the Science Graduate Student Association. They are finally a member of the BioDiversity committee.
Past and Present positions:
Since 2023: Environmental Specialist 4, Washington State Department of Ecology
Environmental Compliance Supervisor, City of Memphis, Tennessee
Personal interests:
Outside of academia, Perry have recreational passions such as rock climbing, hiking and backpacking, birding, (ice) skating and snowshoeing. They also love bread making, maple syrup, homesteading, and the solitude of hammocking near a lake.
Valerie Kearny
Past education and experience:
Valerie graduated from the University of Georgia in 2016 with a B.S. in Wildlife Sciences. She worked as Backcountry Steward in the Adirondack Park assisting forest rangers with rescue missions and conducting restoration projects in the St. Regis Canoe Area. She then worked on a military base in Tennessee assisting with monitoring efforts and maintaining compliance regulations of multiple endangered bat species and leading a study on Bobwhite Quail. From there, she returned to New York to work for the State Wildlife Bureau first on Long Island studying River Otter and Northern Long-Eared Bats, then in the Adirondacks surveying the American Black Duck.
Research and activities:
Valerie joined the Rolland Lab January 2019 to work on a project identifying roost habitat and distribution of the Eastern Small-Footed Bat in the Ouachita Mountains. She collaborates with the US Forest Service, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, and the Arkansas State Parks system. She obtained over $1,000 in funding from the Arkansas Audubon Society and a scholarship from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. She has presented her work at numerous conferences and most recently won the first student oral presentation (Arkansas Chapter of The Wildlife Society meeting). Valerie has been a role model for two undergraduate field assistants and has been an intern for Carlsbad Caverns.
Future plans:
Valerie feels incredibly proud and privileged to be fulfilling her childhood dreams of researching a data-deficient species so its vulnerability status may be more effectively evaluated. Ultimately, she would love to become a Department of Interior biologist and help conserve and manage our Nation’s public lands for the benefit of the people and the persistence of our native flora and fauna.
Past and Present positions:
Since 2022: Fish Biologist, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Georgia
GIS Analyst, Kent County, Delaware
Personal interests:
In her spare time, Valerie is a huge book worm and outdoor enthusiast. she loves paddling, mountain biking, backpacking, cross-country skiing, hunting, fishing, foraging, and exploring public lands. She wants to spread her love for the natural world to others and promote human-powered travel, hunting, and other sustainable ways of life. She hopes to one day own land and delve into the world of homesteading.
Research and activities:
Joe is a senior Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation major with a minor in Spanish. He is Treasurer for both the Wildlife Club and the Red Wolves for Red Wolves Club on at AState. He joined the bluebird crew in Spring of 2021, assisting with nest monitoring and bird processing for a natural selection study. In 2022, in addition to nest monitoring and bird banding in the field this summer, he will be working on two bluebird projects. The first will be a short note about a case of structural leucism involving some genomics from blood samples. The second will be a project on bluebird philopatry. He is also a member of Dr. Gustafson’s lab, working primarily in the Arkansas State University Museum of Zoology, where he maintains historical specimens and assists in the curation of Red Wolves.
Personal interests:
Joe spends his free time reading, hiking, climbing, and playing video games. He also enjoys bird watching with his dogs, Bleu and Atlas.
Past and Present positions:
Bear safety/Wildlife technician, US Forest Service, Gardiner, Montana
Safari Animal Care Taker, Siloam Springs, Arkansas
Future Plans:
After graduation, Joe intends to work seasonal jobs, preferably with bears and/or birds, to gain experience before beginning his master’s degree. He aims to one day be a bear biologist.
Abby Barlow
Pronouns: she/her
BS Student in Wildlife Conservation
Graduated Spring 2022
abigail.barlow@smail.astate.edu
Research and activities:
Abby is a student in the Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation program, and she likes to be involved in campus organizations like Women in Science and the Environmental Club. Abby joined the Rolland lab in spring 2021 for an internship assisting Monica in trapping Ozark pocket gophers for genetic, ectoparasite, and movement data. She has also helped monitor the bluebird trail and sample snails with Taylor Fiedor for a parasite study in the Gustafson lab.
Personal interests:
Abby enjoys reading and recently, during the COVID-19 pandemic, she started crocheting. She also likes to go exploring around national parks and zoos especially when she is in Colorado where her mom lives.
Future plans:
After graduating, she hopes to become a zookeeper, but may go on to graduate school first.
Olivia Sitzes
BS Student in Wildlife Conservation
Graduated Fall 2021
Olivia was a Junior, pursuing a degree in Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation with an emphasis in Wildlife. She entered the SUPERB (Students United in Preserving, Exploring, and Researching Biodiversity) scholarship program in fall 2019 and joined both the Rolland and Newman-Lee labs. Olivia is working with the entomology collection this semester while developing her research project. She will study green and gray tree frog use of bluebird nest boxes and determine if skin patterns can be used to identify individual frogs in these two species. Her first field season will start in spring 2020.
Sam Burnett
Pronouns: They/them
BS Student in Wildlife Conservation
Sam was a student in the wildlife program who left in spring 2021. They had been part of the Rolland lab since spring 2018 when they started volunteering with the Eastern Bluebird project. They spent summer 2019 assisting Valerie on the small-footed bat project in the Ouachita Mountains, and had started an honors senior thesis on turtle population demography and diversity during the summer of 2020. They were involved in many community outreach activities and student clubs, including the A-State’s student chapter of The Wildlife Society of which they were Vice-President. They also worked for the Animal Facility of the Arkansas Bioscience Institute.
Sam had planned to pursue a Master’s degree in conservation biology, hopefully involving herps after graduation. Unfortunately, with many hardships worsening at the beginning of the pandemic, this outstanding student had to leave the institution and moved to Chicago.
Personal interest: They love talking about their three-legged cat.
Cameron Rhoden
BS Student in Wildlife Conservation
Minor in Statistics
Graduated Fall 2021
Past experience:
Cameron was first introduced to wildlife research while attending the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts where she had the opportunity to partner with the Hot Springs National Park to conduct a survey in the park for the invasive Emerald Ash Borer.
Research and activities:
Cameron is currently a junior majoring in Wildlife, Fisheries and Conservation with an emphasis in wildlife and minoring in statistics. During the summer of 2020, she assisted Valerie with the Eastern Small-footed Bat project in the Ouachita Mountains. She is also active in the Equine Club helping with equine events and chores at the campus barn.
Future plans:
After she graduates, Cameron plans to pursue a Juris Doctorate degree with hopes to practice environmental/wildlife law. However, she is also considering wildlife jobs before law school.
Sara Harrod
PhD Student in Environmental Sciences
Graduated Summer 2020
Taylor Fiedor
BS Student in Wildlife Conservation
Graduated Spring 2021
Past education and experience:
Sara graduated from Texas A&M University in 2012, with a B.S. in Zoology. She then completed her M.S. in Wildlife Ecology at Texas State University in 2014 while studying the nesting ecology of secondary-cavity nesting birds on a trail that she established with 60 nestboxes.
Accomplishments and activities at A-State:
Sara joined the Rolland Lab Fall 2015 to study the effects of climate change on Eastern Bluebird population dynamics. As part of her project, she also surveyed first-semester college students about their knowledge and attitude toward climate change. She accumulated $1,500 in avian research grant (NABS and AAS) and obtained a Randal Mathis scholarship from the AR Environmental Federation. Through her field seasons, she has mentored 10 undergraduate students. She made a public appearance during an interview with the local TV station in June 2016, presented her work at conferences and was invited to discuss her research at seminars and classes at other institutions. Sara now has four publications and several at manuscripts under review or close to submission. Finally, in 2019, she taught her own undergraduate course she designed and called Effective Science Communication.
Past and Present positions:
Since 2022: Wildlife Biologist, US Forest Service, Stevensville, Montana
Natural Resource Specialist, Army Corps of the Engineer, Colorado.
Personal interests:
Sara enjoys knitting, bird watching, photography, and horseback riding. She also loves learning about different cultures and hopes to one day travel to the British Isles, Europe, Japan, South Africa, and Australia. She generally hopes that wherever life takes her, she can impart her passion for wildlife and environmental conservation on the public and make a positive impact on our planet.
Research and activities:
Taylor is a student in the Wildlife, Fisheries and Conservation program and a SUPERB (Students United in Preserving, Exploring, and Researching Biodiversity) scholar. She joined the Neuman-Lee lab in spring 2019 and has recently joined the Rolland lab for her wildlife internship during which she assisted Anneka Lamb in the field for ground-truthing road culverts in southern Arkansas and surveying these for winter-roosting tricolored bats.
Present position:
She is (as of fall 2021) a MS student in Biology, at A-State, in the Gustafson Lab.
Shelby Moseley
BS Student in Wildlife Conservation
Graduated Spring 2020
Shelby is currently a junior at A-State, majoring in Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation with an emphasis in Wildlife and minoring in Homeland Security and Disaster Preparedness. As of Spring 2019, she is an undergrad intern for the Rolland Lab, specifically with the eastern bluebird project, assisting with nest box monitoring, chick and bird banding, and data recording. As part of her internship, Shelby wrote a short note, accepted for publication (Feb 2020) on an unusual observation made in the field. Stay tuned. Shelby hopes to gain as much hands-on experience in the field to eventually pursue mammalian reproduction research and breeding. She has been elected President for the Red Wolves for Red Wolves student club in Fall 2019. She was until end of Fall 2018, she was also Secretary for the Marine Biology club. Finally, she is working with Micah and Jenny on a case study paper about carbon sequestration under the direction of Dr. John Artim.
Jennifer Rohrer
BS Student in Wildlife Conservation
Graduated Fall 2019
Jennifer graduated with a BS in Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation (emphasis in Wildlife). She joined the lab as an intern for Stacy's project, assisting with exit counts, mist-netting, and radio-tracking of Rafinesque's and southeastern bats, as well as roosting and random tree measurements, in the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge. Fall 2019, she worked on a case study paper with Shelby and Micah under Dr. John Artim's supervision. She would like to work as a field technician for game animal studies in the Rockies. Then, she wants to attend Washington State to obtain a master's degree. Her hobbies include hunting, fishing, hiking, and anything outdoors. As long as her job involves working outdoors, she will be happy.
Micah Mitchell
BS Student in Wildlife Conservation
Graduated Spring 2020
Micah majored in Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation, with an emphasis in wildlife. She is interested in small mammals such as bats, although she would also like to be involved in bird research in the future. Micah joined the lab September 2017 assisting Stacy with a survey of tree elevation in the bottomlands before working as an intern on the fall and winter roosting ecology of Rafinesque’s big-eared and southeastern bats project. Although Micah worked for three summers under Dr. Strays at the National Aquaculture Research Center, on the age-specific effects of copper sulfate on hybrid striped bass, channel catfish, and koi, her internship with us (fall 2018) was her first experience with both fieldwork and mammals. Micah also assisted Valerie Kearny in measuring distances from small-footed bat roosts to various landscape features with GIS (fall 2019). She enjoys being out in nature and learning about the many species of wildlife that inhabit Arkansas. She is applying for master’s programs.
Former Students
Wayne Smart
MS Student in Environmental Sciences
Graduated Spring 2019
Wayne graduated from Saint George’s University, Grenada, with a BS in Biology (Marine and Wildlife Conservation Biology Track) in 2014. He conducted seabird nest monitoring on 3 islands in Caribbean and interviewing fishermen in Summer 2014, funded by EPIC (Environmental Protection in the Caribbean). Starting Spring 2015 at A-State, his objective is to estimate nest success and determine the role of alien predation and human harvest on several seabird species in the Caribbean. For his research, he has obtained grant funding from the National Geographic and BirdsCaribbean in addition to EPIC's support. He finished his degree with the Environmental Sciences student award and has published his thesis chapters in the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology and Ecology & Evolution. In his next chapter, besides some consulting contracts, he will be teaching ornithology and basic statistics at St George's University for spring 2022.
Candice Ashley
BS Student in Biology - Pre-Med
Graduated Spring 2017
Unlike all other students, Candice assisted me neither for credit nor as a field technician, but as a volunteer for fun and experience. She may have been a volunteer but she treated this experience as a job, very professionnally. She was a pre-med student taking classes year-round, maintaining a good GPA, while working for Centennial Bank and volunteering for Hospice on her spare time. She was also the treasurer of the Women in Science Club at A-State from Sept 2014 to Dec 2015. Despite her emphasis area, she realized becoming a doctor was no longer what she wanted. She applied to the Arkansas Professional Pathway to Educator Licensure program to obtain a teaching license for elementary education.
Stacy Jae Scherman
MS Student in Biology
Graduated Summer 2019
Stacy graduated in 2004 from Clemson University with a B.S. in Aquaculture, Fisheries and Wildlife Biology. She then spent over 9 years as a zookeeper in the mammal department at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in Columbia, SC. There she learned husbandry techniques and taught the public about conservation. She also did volunteer work to expand her skills, including tracking Southeastern Myotis in Congaree National Park and installing satellite transmitters on Leatherback sea turtles, in Suriname with WWF and the Sea Turtle Conservancy. In Fall 2015, she joined the Rolland lab for a preliminary field season for her MS (started Spring 2016) on the fall-winter roosting ecology of Southeastern Myotis and Rafinesque's Big-eared Bats. As of Fall 2018, she obtained a $5,000 grant, has presented her research at several local, state, regional, and international conferences. She also did an internship for the National Park Service in Summer 2018 and participated in a workshop for future conservation leaders. Stacy defended her thesis and graduated Summer 2019 and obtained a wildlife biologist position for South Carolina State Parks.
Emily Reynolds
BS Student in Biology - Pre-Med
Graduated in Fall 2018
Emily is a fast-learning, curious, and engaged student. Like Candice, in spite of being a pre-med student volunteering for Hospice, and a member of the Women in Science Club, Emily has interests in gaining experience in other fields such as wildlife research. As only a freshman, she started volunteering for Stacy in the winter 2015-2016 to track bats and survey the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge and she has been assisting Sara with bluebird monitoring and banding since March 2016, now paid through a North American Bluebird Society grant. Emily hoped to attend medical school after her undergraduate degree. However, she is now pursuing a BS degree in nursing and health professions.
Trevor Grubb
BS Student in Wildlife Ecology
Graduated Spring 2018
Trevor is a junior Wildlife Ecology and Management major whose special interests include bat as well as avian biology. He has gained experience mist-netting bats in Nicaragua through the A-State Neotropical Bats summer class (May 2016) as well as in the northwest region of the Arkansas for the highway department. He currently learns about and assists with bluebird monitoring, paid through Sara's North American Bluebird Society grant. He plans to pursue a master's degree after he completes his bachelor level work.
AC Lee
BA in Biology (Hendrix College)
Graduated Spring 2017
AC received her BA in biology from Hendrix College in Conway, AR, in May 2017. She is currently assisting Sara in bluebird nest monitoring. AC has a thirst for knowledge and her goal is to earn a MSc in ecology at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and later get a doctorate to be an animal ecology professor. Her interests lie within zoology (invertebrate and vertebrate), marine biology, and ecology. At Hendrix, she was a member of the Hendrix Biological Society and participated in a research project in Belize, studying elkhorn coral growth success in relation to environmental conditions. As of May 2018, AC has been accepted into the MS Biology program at Arkansas State University and will work in the Sikkel Lab.
Erin Langley
Former BS Student in Biology - Pre-Vet
Graduated Spring 2017
Erin was an ambitious student who graduated with a major in Biology and a minor in Animal Science. She worked on a Honors Senior Thesis titled "Genetic Analysis of Adult and Juvenile Eastern Bluebirds in Northeast Arkansas" under Dr. Johnson and. She was funded through a S.U.R.F. grant to study the genetic structuring of a local population of bluebirds. In addition to studying bluebirds, Erin also worked in the Arkansas Biosciences Institute under Dr. Lorence studying stress tolerance in Arabidopsis using high throughput phenotyping. Erin took part in a 10-week internship during the summer 2016 at the Nashville Zoo in the Behavioral Husbandry Department. She got to work with everything from Clouded Leopards to Chilean Tarantulas to Palawan Binturongs. It's no surprise that Erin got accepted in vet school to start fall 2017 to pursue her D.V.M. She would like to eventually run her own rural mixed practice clinic. In the meantime, she is part of a the study abroad program Taste of Italy. Finally, because she was looking to get experience everywhere she can as a scientist and as a leader, Erin is the President of the Honors College Association, and the American Red Cross Chair on the Volunteer Council of A-State. Erin graduated in University Honors and received the a 4.0 Scholar Award, the 2017 Best Pre-Professional Biology student, and one of eight 2017 Distinguished Service Award.
Tyler Foster
Former BS Student in Wildlife Ecology
Graduated Spring 2017
Tyler graduated from A-State with a BS in Wildlife Management and Ecology. He enjoys anything that is outdoors and wildlife-related whether it is work or play, which shows through his active participation in the Wildlife Club. He did his internship radio-tracking bats with Stacy and Karen and hopes to gain employment for the Arkansas Game and Fish commission thereafter.
Patrick Moore
Former MS Student in Biology
Graduated Spring 2016
Patrick graduated from A-State with a BS in Wildlife Ecology and Management in 2010. He became a project leader for the Inventory and Monitoring of the Indiana bats. Because of his knowledge of bat biology and his skills in mist-netting, tracking, and cave censusing, he was recruited in the Rolland lab in August 2012 to work on a gray bat research project. He completed two seasons radiotracking reproductive females from a plane, and he is now writing up his thesis. He presented his research at the Southeastern Bat Diversity Network and obtained their 2015 award to travel to the North American Society for Bat Research. Patrick also won the Best MS Biology graduating student 2015-2016 award. He now works for Environmental Solutions and Innovations.
Erica Olney
Former BS Student in Wildlife Ecology
Graduated Dec 2016
Erica changed her major Fall 2013 to Wildlife Ecology and Management. She assisted with nest box monitoring and chick banding through a Special Problem course. She was also the 2015 Vice President of the Wildlife Club. Erica graduated Dec. 2015, but she took a Neotropical Bat summer course in Nicaragua (May 2016) and continues assisting with bat fieldwork every summer in Arkansas and Virginia.
Daniel Istvanko
Former MS Student in Environmental Sciences
Graduated Spring 2015.
Rhett Raibley
Former BS Student in Wildlife Ecology
Graduated Spring 2017
Rhett graduated from A-State in May 2017 with a BS in Wildlife Management and Ecology. His main interest is in avian biology, and he hopes to continue to work with birds throughout his career. Quiet but efficient, he just finished assisting Sara with the bluebird nesting season. After a training period, Sara felt confident and Rhett started running the trail by himself. By the end of the season, he had banded 105 chicks. Rhett also previously volunteered in the Avian Ecology Lab run by Dr. Than Boves, participating in a bird-window collision project and an internship on the decline of Loggerhead Shrikes in agricultural landscapes. He also participated in Christmas Bird Counts. Through his activities, he gained skills in surveys, mist netting, and data entry; and has kept a county log of the birds he saw, totaling about 200 bird species in Arkansas alone. Rhett hopes that his wealth of experience will help him land a permanent job working with birds, ideally with organizations such as the Audubon Society or the Institute for Bird Populations. For the moment (2017-18), he works for the Boves Lab on multiple avian projects, assists Sara when possible, and will start working for the Crowley's Ridge Nature Center.
Gunnar Muckelberg
Former BS Student in Wildlife Ecology
Graduated Spring 2017
Gunnar graduated with a BS in Wildlife Management and Ecology in May 2017. He as a keen interest in birds and his skills in resighting and nest-based species identification, and nest monitoring are a perfect match. He assisted Sara with bluebird nest monitoring for his internship. He was fast-learning, and showed problem-solving skills. He was enthusiastic with all activities, coming prepared, and taking initiatives without having us to prompt him to do something. He soon had a section of the study site he ran independently. In parallel, he helped me create the nest monitoring page of this website. Gunnar was also an active member of the A-State Wildlife Club and he served on the quiz bowl team for the Southeastern Student Wildlife Conclave at Mississippi State University, March 16-19, 2017. He has been hired as an environmental manager by FEMA (October 2017) to work on environmental compliance with endangered species in Florida.
Karen Wright
Former BS Student in Wildlife Ecology
Graduated Spring 2017
Karen was a quiet but bright and inquisitive student who graduated with a BS in Wildlife Management and Ecology. She has a wide variety of interests in wildlife including mammalian, avian, and reptilian ecology. She went to Nicaragua to gain hands-on experience with mist-netting bats through a study abroad course. She assisted Stacy with radio-tracking bats to roost trees for her internship. Through this internship, she also learned how to use a harp trap, take vegetation measurements, and survey tree elevation. She quickly became a valuable intern. Karen ended Magna Cum Laude with a 3.86 GPA. Finally, she was the treasurer of the A-State Wildlife Club for the 2016-2017 school year. She was actually the captain of the quiz bowl team and made the Club win against all other Arkansas university wildlife clubs at the 2017 Arkansas Chapter of The Wildlife Society and ranked 8 at the 2017 Southeastern Student Wildlife Conclave quiz bowl. She would like to work as a wildlife biologist.
Gracie Orfanos
Former BS Student in Wildlife Ecology
Graduated Spring 2017
Gracie was an energetic student who graduated with a BS in Wildlife Ecology and Management. Like Trevor, her interests are as much in bats as in birds, and she also took the Neotropical Bat summer class (May 2016). She assisted Sara with bluebird nest monitoring and bird banding, as part of her Internship, before working for Dr. Than Boves on a loggerhead shrike project. Gracie would like to pursue a PhD and teach wildlife ecology.
Morgan Tripod
Former Pre-Vet/Pre-Med Student
Graduated Spring 2016
To broaden her experience with animals, Morgan sampled prey availability as well as Eastern Bluebird nestlings' diet. Trained by Brandi, she collected data to determine prey water content and diet composition.
After a family event, Morgan changed her career track from a pre-vet to a pre-med. degree. She has been working in Dr. Maureen Dolan lab and has won the Best BS Zoology graduating student 2015-2016 award. Finally, Morgan has been accepted at UAMS to pursue her medical career.
Brandi Cansler
Former BS Student in Wildlife Ecology
Graduated Spring 2015
Brandi graduated with a BS in Wildlife Ecology and Management from A-state in May 2015. For her wildlife internship in 2013, she chose to sample the diet of Eastern Bluebirds using the ring-collaring technique. She determined the water content of prey items and observed the frequency of trips made by parents to their nests. She analyzed her data to present her results at the 2014 Arkansas Academy of Science meeting and create@astate. She also trained her successor Morgan Tripod Spring 2014. We are currently working on a manuscript with her results. After some time working for Crowley's Ridge Nature Center in Jonesboro, she became the Director of the for San Angelo Nature Center in San Angelo, Texas, from January 2016 to August 2016. She also got married and is now Brandi Gibson. She was the graduation coordinator at A-State while pursuing a masters degree in science education, but is now the animal facility manager at the Arkansas Bioscience Institute.
Daniel graduated in Fall 2011 with a BS in Natural Resource Management from the University of Tennessee at Martin. He was originally hired in August 2012 to work on a bobwhite quail project. Even though funds did not fall through, he defended a new research project within a couple months. He studies sexual segregation in foraring and roosting habits in Evening bats. Starting with no field experience, he successfully lead his crew during two seasons and won 3rd place at the 2014 wildlife conclave telemetry contest. February 2015, he defended his thesis. March 2015, he won the best oral student presentation award at the North American Bat Conference, St. Louis, and now works as a Wildlife Diversity Inventory Manager for the TN Wildlife Resources Agency. He presented his thesis research again at the Tennessee Bat Working Group Meeting, Knoxville, TN on Nov. 18, 2015, and appeared briefly in a TN's wild side episode on PBS.
Jessica Fowler
MS Student in Environmental Sciences
Graduated Summer 2014.
Jessica graduated from University of North Texas with a BS in Biology in 2010 and started her masters at A-State in January 2012. June 2014, she defended her thesis on winter roosting habits of Eastern Bluebirds, after running two nesting and two winter field seasons of box monitoring, banding, and blood sampling. She also reported the first case of brood parasitism of House Sparrows by Eastern Bluebirds (now published). Since she got married, she goes by Jessica Fowler Neal. Now mother a son, she is a science teacher at Stony Point high School in Texas.
Ashley Hart
Former student in Wildlife Ecology
Graduated Dec 2014
Ashley graduated with a BS in Wildlife Ecology and Management from A-State in Dec. 2014. She assisted me in nest box monitoring and bird banding during the 2014 nesting season as part of her internship, bringing along her toddler Carter a couple times. She then conducted nest box maintenance and repair through a Special Problem course. She was a very dependable student whom I could trust running the trail and enter data without my supervision. She is now a mother of two. After being a desk clerk at the Davidsonville Historic State Park, AR for a few years, she has moved back to Florida.
Emily Mizell
Former student in Wildlife Ecology
Graduated May 2013
Emily graduated with a BS in Wildlife Ecology and Management from A-State in May 2013. She assisted in nest box monitoring and bird banding during the 2012 nesting season and part of the 2013 season. She also entered substantial data collected under Dr. Tom Risch in 2003-2005 to initiate a study of mate and site fidelity in Eastern Bluebirds. She now studies environmental law at the University of Arkansas School of Law. Juris Doctor since May 2016, she passed the bar exam in July 2017. She worked as an associate attorney in the litigation section at Rose Law Firm in Little Rock until Spring 2018, but is moving to Fayetteville to work for Conner & Winters.