|
Than J. Boves, Ph.D.
I was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago and I became fascinated with birds and nature at an early age. I have since formalized my broad interests into a diverse research program that covers many topics within ornithology, ecology, evolution, and conservation. I also love travel, music, sports, beer, forests, mountains, and rivers. I have a wife, son, and daughter that also love travel, music, sports, and nature. |
Graduate Students
Lee Bryant
leecbryant@gmail.com
I grew up near Knoxville, Tennessee enjoying the outdoors through soccer and running. While pursuing my undergraduate degree at Rhodes College in Memphis I began to enjoy the outdoors through hiking and camping, which lead to a new appreciation for the natural world and uncovered my inner bird nerd. After graduating I taught 6th grade science for a year then worked to build my avian field experience. My first field job with Louisiana Waterthrush captivated my heart and blossomed my growing interest in species/habitat interactions. After an internship at Archbold Biological Station studying Florida Scrub-Jays I was ready to re-enter the academic world with a focus on birds and their environments. As a Master's student I am researching the potential impacts of Eastern Hemlock decline on Louisiana Waterthrush, using the bird species as a bioindicator of ecosystem health. My project incorporates citizen science through volunteer-collected data, combining my love of birds and the natural world with my passion for science education. |
Jacob Wessels
jacoblwessels@gmail.com A longstanding interest in the environment has led me to pursue a career in ecology. I am originally from Illinois but have spent most of my life in Tennessee, and earned my bachelor of science in biological sciences from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. My first fieldwork experience, and my undergraduate thesis, focused on reptiles, but I became very interested in birds after I took a course in avian ecology. My master’s thesis research will be on the breeding ecology and distribution of Cerulean Warblers in the Ozarks. In my spare time, I enjoy outdoor recreation like birding, hiking, and canoeing, as well as photography and live music. |
Emily Donahue
emilyrdonahue@gmail.com Growing up exploring Pennsylvania State Game Lands with my dad, our yellow lab blazing the trail, I developed a fascination for the organisms around me. While earning my bachelor’s degree at Penn State University, I dove into my first nature job as a guide for an outdoor orientation program, using backpacking to connect incoming freshmen with each other and the natural world. My love of ornithology sprouted while volunteering at the local bird banding station and led to a summer position as a technician for an avian research project at a remote field camp in Arizona. It was an honor to forgo many showers, chase many fledglings, and process many samples with the fellow nature-enthusiasts of Bird Camp! I am now pursuing my master’s degree while studying the winter ecology of the endearingly fierce Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus), a declining predatory songbird, and possible effects of agricultural practices across the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. Wherever my career may take me, I know my true home will always be waiting in the great outdoors. |
Joseph Youtz
joseph.youtz@smail.astate.edu I was born and raised in the sunny Southwest in the mountains of Arizona and New Mexico. My love for the outdoors started from an early age due to my experiences exploring America's vast public lands. I have always been extremely interested in animals, but my passion for birds came from my experiences managing the avian collection in a natural history museum. Once I got a taste of the diversity and beauty of birds I was hooked. I earned my B.S. in Wildlife Conservation and Management from New Mexico State University where I researched Dusky Grouse (Dendragapus obscurus) and its conservation status in the American Southwest. I have worked in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California and the forests of Arizona and New Mexico on several bird, mammal, and habitat restoration projects. I love hiking, fishing, sports, photography, and climbing high mountain peaks. My Master's project will focus on Prothonotary Warblers (Protonotaria citrea) and the restoration of Mississippi alluvial forests. |
Undergraduate Students
Cody Barnett (Fall 2017-Present)
Callie Wilson (Fall 2017-Present)
Rhett Raibley - Nest behavior of passerines; Loggerhead Shrikes in agricultural landscapes (2015-Present)
Callie Wilson (Fall 2017-Present)
Rhett Raibley - Nest behavior of passerines; Loggerhead Shrikes in agricultural landscapes (2015-Present)
Alumni
|
Graduate Students
Doug Raybuck (M.S. Fall 2016; Studied post-fledging habitat selection by Cerulean Warblers) - Currently PhD student at University of Tennessee.
|
|
|
Alix Matthews (M.S. Spring 2017; Studied avian-feather mite co-ecology and evolution) - Currently studying leaf-cutter ants and their fungal gardens at UT-Tyler.
|
|
|
Morgan Slevin (M.S. Summer 2017; Studied Prothonotary Warblers in bottomland forests) - Currently PhD student at Florida Atlantic University.
Jennifer Wilcox (M.S. Fall 2017; Studied forest management in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley) - Currently working for WEST, Inc. doing avian fieldwork.
Alex Worm (M.S. Fall 2017; Studied range expansion and hybridization of Scissor-tailed Flycatchers and Western Kingbirds) - Currently conducting fieldwork and teaching at Hendrix College.
|
|
Undergraduate Students
Emily Orfanos - Loggerhead Shrikes in agricultural landscapes (2016-17)
Kara Oliver - Loggerhead Shrikes in agricultural landscapes (2016-17)
Kassidy Richardson - Mites and warblers; Bird-window collisions (2015-16)
Sarah Wilcox - Mites and birds; Scissor-tailed Flycatchers and Western Kingbird Hybridization (Fall 2014 - Fall 2015)
Courtney Francois - Mites and birds; Physiology of biliverdin; Window collisions (Fall 2015 - Spring 2016)
Mitchell Curtis - Nest behavior of Prothonotary Warblers (Spring 2015 - Spring 2016)
Breaunna Jackson - Provisioning of Prothonotary Warblers in natural cavities and nest boxes (Fall 2014 - Spring 2015)
Luke Methvin - Effects of forest management on nest behavior (Fall 2014 - Spring 2015)
Peter Hasik - Range expansion of Western Kingbirds and Scissor-tailed Flycatchers (Summer 2014)
Arin Vann - Factors driving Bird-Window Collisions (Fall 2014)
Brent Wagner - Factors driving Bird-Window Collisions (Fall 2014)
Erica Olney - Factors driving Bird-Window Collisions (Fall 2014)
LeeVi Haas - Comparative Study of Biliverdin and Prothonotary Warbler Nest Box Project (Spring 2014)
Jennifer Reed - CORT as a mediator of carry-over effects in Cerulean Warblers (Fall 2013)
Emily Orfanos - Loggerhead Shrikes in agricultural landscapes (2016-17)
Kara Oliver - Loggerhead Shrikes in agricultural landscapes (2016-17)
Kassidy Richardson - Mites and warblers; Bird-window collisions (2015-16)
Sarah Wilcox - Mites and birds; Scissor-tailed Flycatchers and Western Kingbird Hybridization (Fall 2014 - Fall 2015)
Courtney Francois - Mites and birds; Physiology of biliverdin; Window collisions (Fall 2015 - Spring 2016)
Mitchell Curtis - Nest behavior of Prothonotary Warblers (Spring 2015 - Spring 2016)
Breaunna Jackson - Provisioning of Prothonotary Warblers in natural cavities and nest boxes (Fall 2014 - Spring 2015)
Luke Methvin - Effects of forest management on nest behavior (Fall 2014 - Spring 2015)
Peter Hasik - Range expansion of Western Kingbirds and Scissor-tailed Flycatchers (Summer 2014)
Arin Vann - Factors driving Bird-Window Collisions (Fall 2014)
Brent Wagner - Factors driving Bird-Window Collisions (Fall 2014)
Erica Olney - Factors driving Bird-Window Collisions (Fall 2014)
LeeVi Haas - Comparative Study of Biliverdin and Prothonotary Warbler Nest Box Project (Spring 2014)
Jennifer Reed - CORT as a mediator of carry-over effects in Cerulean Warblers (Fall 2013)