I received my doctorate from Florida International University in the Marine Community Ecology Lab of Deron Burkepile. My dissertation research was based in the Florida Keys where I studied the cascading consequences of top predator removal in coral reef ecosystems. Specifically I studied how herbivore foraging and reproductive decisions are altered as their predators decline in abundance as a result of overfishing and how these alterations may in turn modify community structure. With my research I hope to address some of the causes of reef degradation and how the establishment of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) can facilitate in their recovery.
I received my BS in Biology with a Psychology minor from Canisius College in Buffalo, NY. There I studied differential migration, comparing the age and sex distribution and the timing of migration of the Red-Eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus) based on 29 years of television tower mortality. I worked for several years at the Edinboro University of Pennsylvania in Edinboro, PA where I studied the thermoregulatory significance of basking behavior and the applicability of a cost-benefit model of thermoregulation on a northern population of common map turtles (Graptemys geographica). My overall research interest is to understand the role of trade-offs in shaping the behavior of species and how these trade-offs may be transmitted through the community.
I received my BS in Biology with a Psychology minor from Canisius College in Buffalo, NY. There I studied differential migration, comparing the age and sex distribution and the timing of migration of the Red-Eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus) based on 29 years of television tower mortality. I worked for several years at the Edinboro University of Pennsylvania in Edinboro, PA where I studied the thermoregulatory significance of basking behavior and the applicability of a cost-benefit model of thermoregulation on a northern population of common map turtles (Graptemys geographica). My overall research interest is to understand the role of trade-offs in shaping the behavior of species and how these trade-offs may be transmitted through the community.
In addition to research I am interested in public outreach and in raising scientific literacy in classrooms and to the broader public. I have a strong background in science education and teaching experiences with students that span a variety of age groups and backgrounds, in a diversity of settings. I believe it is imperative that society has an appreciation for science and the ability to critically examine its products. By equipping people with the skills necessary to understand science I hope to raise awareness of the importance of our natural systems.