I study potential threats to animal populations, especially amphibians and reptiles, including disease and habitat alteration from forest management. I also study general ecology such as species distributions, habitat associations, movements, and breeding.
My most important assets in my research are that I am an achiever, learner, writer, and I have a knack for creativity. As an achiever and writer, I am driven to complete my work successfully and then tell the story. I love to learn and am open to new ideas.
How do amphibians (both living in the stream and living on the bank) respond to different widths of streamside buffer zones with upland forest thinning?
We use battery-operated devices called data loggers to automatically collect temperatures of amphibian habitats. Examples of amphibian habitats are streambeds or within the center of logs in forests. These data enable us to understand the microclimates within these areas to see if conditions change with forest management treatments such as thinning.
I was part of a team that identified a new salamander species called the Scott Bar Salamander (Plethodon asupak). We were surveying to find its sister species, the Siskiyou Mountains Salamander (P. stormi) at the edge of its range, and discovered a new species instead: a thrilling discovery!
I knew in high school I wanted to go into biology. In college, my first biology class opened my eyes to broader possibilities in animal ecology. I signed up to help with graduate student research, and I got hooked.
