RESEARCH

Undergraduate

My honors thesis dealt with the Prothonotary Warbler. I worked with Dr. Charlie Blem at VCU. Dr. Blem would say this about that research: "Long-term study of the conservation, ecology, and demographics of a Neotropical migrant, the Prothonotary Warbler.  We have constructed a 30-k nest box transect within which we are investigating annual changes in clutch size and reproductive behavior.  Over the 18 years of the study we have found that climate changes have led to earlier nesting and larger clutch sizes.  During conservation aspects of this study, more than 25,000 individuals of this declining species have fledged from our nest boxes." I worked with two graduate students looking at nestling development, tail-spot patterns, and parasite load.

Masters

My project here dealt with the River Continuum Concept. I worked with Dr. Len Smock at VCU. I looked how habitat heterogeneity changed along a large river scale. The two major rivers involved were the Tye and James Rivers. The ultimate goal was to compare biodiversity along the river continuum to the habitat heterogeneity and test Vannote et al.'s predictions.

PhD

My current research deals with the Black-throated Blue Warbler. I will be studying a population here (Mt. Lake) and trying to determine if certain aspects of their habitat affect their stress levels and how, in turn, do stress levels affect reproductive success. Still in the early stages of this work.

Other Research

Other research I have participated in include human genetics research (regulation of the gamma-globin gene in adults), oncology research (role of the proto-oncogene c-kit in the development of endometrial carcinoma), long-term BTBW work in Hubbard Brook, NH, and agricultural research.