I am a graduate student in the Zoology & Physiology Master’s Program at University of Wyoming. Since I began working with wildlife in 2013, most of my career has been spent researching threatened or endangered species, including Steller’s Eiders in the North Slope of Alaska, grizzly bears in the Cabinet-Yaak Ecosystem of Montana, and the Lesser Prairie Chicken in the tall grass prairie of Kansas.
I was born and raised in Montana in the sagebrush prairie. I took every opportunity I could to visit the mountains while growing up, and eventually I sought a degree in Wildlife Biology so that I could spend the rest of my life exploring wild landscapes. I received my undergraduate degree from the University of Montana in 2015 and completed a thesis project on bat use and selection of bridges as summer habitat.
For several years I spent every free weekend exploring, researching, and mapping subterranean (cave) ecosystems across the United States. I served as vice president for the Northern Rocky Mountain Grotto, a caving group which advocates for caves and bat conservation in the Rocky Mountains, from 2015-2019.
When I am not working on a research project, I am usually still outdoors cross-country skiing, mountain biking, or caving. My other hobbies include walking my cat on a leash (or at least attempting it), keeping some house plants alive, and watching nature documentaries at home with my significant other.