Current Research

Elephant Governance and Human-Elephant Conflict
My PhD research is focused on the human side of issues surrounding the management and conservation of elephants (Loxodonta africana) in Uganda. Through document analysis and qualitative interviewing, I am investigating the system across geopolitical scales (local, park-level, national, and international).  This study aims to critically examine the colonial historic and present influence on global wildlife conservation through the lenses of governance and power typologies.

Environmental Stewardship Volunteer Happiness and Retention
I am employed as a research assistant for Dr. Rebecca Niemiec in Colorado State University's Human Dimensions of Natural Resources department. WIth Dr. Niemiec, I am the co-Principal Investigator on a study investigating best practices for volunteer retention in environmental stewardship organizations, with Colorado's Poudre Wilderness Volunteers as a case study organization. For this study, I conducted and transcribed 33 interviews as well as disseminating an online survey; coded and analyzed the data trends; and produced a manuscript for publication.

Past Research

Disease Ecology
During 2017, I was a research assistant at the Cary Institute for Ecosystem Studies on Dr. Rick Ostfeld's longitudinal study on disease ecology through the relationships and interactions between acorn masting, white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus), black-legged ticks (Ixodes scapularis), and Lyme disease transmission. I spent every day trapping, tagging, and processing mice, eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatas), eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis), and Virginia opossums (Didelphis virginiana). I took biological samples from the mice (blood, saliva, tissue, urine, and feces), gained experience cleaning and processing ticks in a sterile lab, and also got a few tick bites and Lyme disease myself during the field season.

Hamadryas Baboons
I spent six months in Ethiopia in 2016 and 2017 studying the behavioral ecology of and collecting fecal samples from hamadryas baboons (Papio hamadryas) at the beautiful and hot Filoha field site in Awash National Park. The only longterm study observing wild, non-hybridized hamadryas baboons, I contributed data for Dr. Larissa Swedell by following baboons and collecting a processing their fecal samples for DNA and endocrine analyses. I loved working with these beautiful, exciting animals and gained invaluable experience in an incredibly isolated and high-temperature field site. I also got to bathe in natural hot springs every day :)

Human Disturbance on Costa Rican Watersheds
My undergraduate senior thesis analyzed heavy metal pollutants the waters and soils western Costa Rican coastal watersheds. Based at the Firestone Reserve near the town of Dominical, I collected samples from 8 watersheds and produced a scientific article on the results, focusing on the implications for Costa Rican wildlife.