Storm Crews, MS student
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Vast herds of Elk traverse the varied terrain of Colorado in their seasonal migrations, with each herd's collective movement decisions determined by a myriad of factors. Given the increasingly fragmented nature of Anthropocene landscapes, successful conservation decision-making regarding migratory fauna requires a detailed movement ecology perspective. Analyses of habitat and space use afforded by multi-year tracking of different herds provides location-specific information vital to effective preservation of Elk populations and their large-scale phenological movements
Brooks Pitman, MS student
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I joined the lab in August 2020 as a Masters student studying the fine-scale movement and distribution of the North American beaver (Castor Canadensis) in southern Illinois. Growing up in southeastern Kentucky, I spent much of my time outdoors with a considerable amount of time spent exploring the Appalachia’s. Over time, this fostered a love for nature and a desire to conserve our natural environment and the species that inhabit it. Before beginning here at SIU, I worked on several other projects with varying species including Greater Sage-grouse, Mexican gray wolves, black bears, coyotes, bobcats, and white tailed-deer. In my free time I enjoy backpacking, fishing, hunting, rock-climbing, and kayaking.
Nicole Gorman, MS student
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Nicole is a Master’s student in the Cooperative Wildlife Research Lab at Southern Illinois University. Growing up in western Pennsylvania and northern Indiana, she has always been fascinated with wildlife, deciding to turn that interest into a career. Before beginning at SIU, she studied a wide range of mammals, including numbats, small mammals, prairie dogs, and mule deer. She joined the lab in November 2019 and is studying the movement and spatial ecology of bobcats and coyotes in southern and central Illinois. She enjoys hiking, traveling, fishing, and fencing in her free time.
Hannah Manninen, MS student
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Hi, I’m Hannah! I’m a Master’s student in the Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory and Dr. Clay Nielsen’s lab at SIU. Though technically not a student of Dr. Bastille-Rousseau’s, I work closely with the SWEL Lab. My study analyzes adult mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) movements throughout the Navajo Nation in Arizona and New Mexico to determine migration routes, stopover locations, and arrival and departure dates of spring and fall migrations. Using this information, we can determine what habitats and corridors are of most importance to mule deer and implement the results into the first Mule Deer Management Plan for Navajo Nation. My dog, Chuska, mostly runs the show, and we enjoy biking, rollerblading, camping in the Prius adventure mobile, and consuming dairy products.
Tiana Daniels, Undergradute student
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My name is Tiana Daniels, and I am a Certified Veterinary Technician with 10 years of clinical experience and 4 years in veterinary behavior medicine. I am a senior at SIU and work under Dr. Guillaume Bastille-Rousseau with the Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory at SIU. My current study is analyzing how white-tailed deer change their movement and space-use on SIU campus in response to fluctuation in human presence during and in between semesters. As a recipient of the McNair Scholarship and the REACH award, gaining lab and field research experience during my undergraduate career will prove valuable as I move forward to graduate school. My current interests are behavior movement ecology, urban ecology, and anthro-zoology. Outside of school and work I enjoy training with my cockapoo and mini bernese mountain dog.
Sadie Edwards, Undergraduate student
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Hello, my name is Sadie, and I am an undergraduate student in Guillaume Bastille-Rousseau’s lab at SIU! My interests include conservation, ornithology, and ecology. My current study involves analyzing bison space use at Dunn Ranch Prairie in Missouri. This study, which is done in association with The Nature Conservancy, aims to help future researchers gain a more in depth understanding of how bison interact with their environment, specifically in tallgrass prairie ecosystems. Seasonal and daily variance in bison activity will be analyzed with data collected from individuals that were fitted and tagged with GPS collars. During my time at SIU, I have had many opportunities to gain experience in lab and field positions. During my junior year, I was given the chance to travel to Yellowstone National Park to study the effects of artificial beaver dams on freshwater ecosystems. In my free time I enjoy painting, hiking, and cooking.