2022
July
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I presented part of my dissertation work in the Warner Clyde Allee Session for Best Student Paper Competition at the annual meeting of the Animal Behavior Society in San Jose, Costa Rica. I won first prize, and really enjoyed meeting the other finalists and learning about everyone's amazing work!
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June
I presented part of my dissertation work in the W. D. Hamilton Award Symposium at the Evolution meeting (joint annual meeting of the American Society of Naturalists, the Society for the Study of Evolution, and the Society of Systematic Biologists) in Cleveland, OH.
March
I joined Dr. Nancy Chen's lab in the Biology Department at the University of Rochester as a Postdoctoral Research Associate.
February
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I presented a public seminar on my doctoral dissertation work in the E3B Department at Columbia University. The seminar was also recorded on Zoom; email me if you would like a link to the recording.
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The first paper from my doctoral dissertation, titled Prenatal environmental conditions underlie alternative reproductive tactics that drive the formation of a mixed-kin cooperative society, is now out in Science Advances.
2021
December
I defended my doctoral dissertation! Pending minor edits, I will receive my degree in February. While almost everything about the day itself was different than I had imagined back in 2016, given the ongoing global pandemic, I feel incredibly grateful to have had the luck and support that got me to the finish line.
May
I was selected to participate in the first Professional Development for Animal Behavior Graduate Students workshop sponsored by the Animal Behavior Society. I learned so much and met some amazing people over two days. A huge thanks to the organizers for the excellent workshop and for introducing me to my awesome peer-mentoring group!
April
I gave a talk in the Evolution, Ecology, Genetics, and Genomics (E2G2) seminar series at University of Rochester. Thank you for the invitation and fun day of meetings and discussion!
2020
November
I gave a talk in the Ecology, Evolution, Behavior, & Organismal Biology (EEBOB) seminar series at Kennesaw State University. Thank you for the invitation and great discussion!
October
I gave a talk in the Long Term Animal Research seminar series organized by colleagues at Duke University. The session also featured a talk by my Ph.D. advisor, Dr. Dustin Rubenstein, and both talks were followed by a great discussion on the environmental drivers of social behavior in superb starlings and other cooperative societies.
August
My presentation at the North American Ornithological Congress' 2020 meeting received a Student Presentation Honorable Mention!
I attended the North American Ornithological Congress' online meeting, where I
- presented my research in a talk titled Alternative Reproductive Tactics in a Cooperatively Breeding Bird with Low Kin Structure
- Led the organization of the student-mentor meetup event along with a group of Student Affairs Committee members
- Co-organized a workshop titled Promoting Diversity and Inclusion: Minidiscussions
July
I gave a talk – titled Alternative Reproductive Tactics in a Cooperatively Breeding Bird with Low Kin Structure – at the American Behavior Society's online meeting. While the COVID-19 pandemic put a damper on in-person conferences this year, it was a treat to be able to watch pre-recorded talks on my own time instead of running between conference rooms!
2019
October
I wrote a blog post summarizing the main takeaways from our workshop at the American Ornithological Society's 2019 meeting – Writing Successful Proposals for Small Grants – for the society's blog, Wing Beats.
July
I presented my poster – Alternative Male Reproductive Tactics in a Plural Cooperative Breeder – at the Animal Behavior Society's 2019 meeting at the University of Illinois (Chicago). It was a jam-packed four days with some really exciting research presentations as well as a bit of obligatory Chicago sight-seeing!
June
I presented my poster – Alternative Male Reproductive Tactics in a Plural Cooperative Breeder –at the American Ornithological Society's 2019 meeting in Anchorage, AK. Additionally, as a member of and subcommittee chair on the Student Affairs Committee, I:
- Led a workshop on Writing Successful Proposals for Small Grants
- Organized the Student-Mentor Lunch for 237 participants
- Volunteered at other student-led events such as the Quiz Bowl and Silent Auction
May
I received a travel grant for the Animal Behavior Society's 2019 meeting in Chicago, IL to present my work on alternative male reproductive tactics in superb starlings.
I received the following grants for my project on the ecological basis of dispersal decisions in superb starlings. Can't wait to get started on the lab work for ddRAD sequencing!
- Van Tyne Research Award from the American Ornithological Society
- Chapman Grant from the American Museum of Natural History
- Grant-in-Aid of Research from Sigma Xi Society
April
I finished the last field season for my Ph.D. work; collected the last blood sample for my project on the ecological basis of dispersal decisions in superb starlings on February 20th, TA-ed Biology of African Animals and Ecosystems for Princeton + Columbia in Kenya in March, and then travelled around for a couple of weeks in Kenya. I will miss the savanna and the people at Mpala Research Centre dearly!
March
I received a travel grant for the American Ornithological Society's 2019 meeting in Anchorage, AK to present my work on alternative male reproductive tactics in superb starlings.
February
Stefanie Siller (Columbia University) and I received Outreach Grants from the Animal Behavior Society and the Society for the Study of Evolution to write and illustrate a children's book on cooperative behavior in superb starlings for the Northern Kenya Conservation Clubs. The book will accompany an interactive game developed Stephanie Wheeler (University of Florida) and me.