Background
Born and raised in Michigan by an outstanding family, I have always harbored an exceptional love for animals, adventure and writing, which matured into a love for all of nature, conservation and science. I obtained my bachelor's degree in zoology from Michigan State University's Lyman Briggs College in 2012, and my doctorate degree in ecology from Colorado State University's Graduate Degree Program in Ecology and Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology in 2021. Throughout my undergraduate studies and following graduation from Michigan State, I worked with Dr. Kay Holekamp and her lab conducting research on spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) and African lions (Panthera leo). I then worked for Michael Ravesi, M.S., and Dr. Sasha Tetlaff of Dr. Bruce Kingsbury's lab researching eastern massasaugas (Sistrurus catenatus). I enrolled as a PhD student in Dr. George Wittemyer's lab in 2016, where I completed my dissertation on African elephants (Loxodonta africana) in Kenya. My PhD research specifically focused on physiological differences between wild orphan and nonorphan elephants, and the effects of lowered orphan survival on population growth. I am currently a postdoctoral researcher funded by the National Science Foundation, affiliated with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and Colorado State University. I am continuing research on wild African elephant orphans while also conducting research toward the successful rewilding of African elephant orphans brought into captivity because they were too young to survive in the wild without a mother. My passion is research that advances conservation and inspires awe at wildlife and all of nature.
My Latest Research
Together with colleagues and collaborators, I am studying microorganisms living in the gut of wild African elephants. Our goal is to contribute to the newfound understanding of wildlife organisms as ecosystems in themselves, one with the microorganisms they host. I am also continuing research on the endocrine function and gastrointestinal nematode loads of African elephant orphans, but now younger orphans brought to an elephant orphanage in Kenya. I hope this research will assist with successful reintroduction of the orphans to natural ecosystems.
Microbiome: Using longitudinally-collected dung samples from wild elephants in the Samburu and Buffalo Springs National Reserves, we are investigating how the composition of an individual's gut microbiome varies according to factors such as behavior, family, seasonality, age, and orphan status.
Endocrinology and Parasites: For the endocrine and parasite research, we are collecting and using monthly dung samples from elephant calves at the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary (RES) as they move through rehabilitation, soft release into the Sera Wildlife Conservancy (Sera), and throughout the process of full reintroduction. The parasites we are looking at are gastrointestinal nematodes, and the endocrine hormones include stress hormones (glucocorticoids) and thyroid hormones related to nutrition (T3 and T4). We are also collecting dung samples from age- and sex-matched wild elephant calves in the Samburu and Buffalo Springs National Reserves, where a long-term monitoring project of elephants takes place. The wild elephant dung will be used to assess whether reintroduced orphans can develop nematode resistance and endocrine function similar to wild individuals.
Importance
Our microbiome research will increase understanding of how animals exist as living things containing a multitude of other living things, and our research on the physiology of elephant orphan calves brought into captivity may increase their survival and successful reintroduction into the wild.
I expect to exchange knowledge with several early career Kenyan researchers who will be collaborating with me throughout this project. I hope to improve their abilities to collect and analyze data exploring physiological and behavioral aspects of wildlife conservation and publish scientific papers. I anticipate Kenyans will continue to improve my field research abilities, including navigating the bush for optimal data collection and observing wildlife. Ultimately this exchange and continued communication among researchers of various backgrounds and cultures will further research that is maximally applicable to conservation of megafauna in Kenya and elsewhere.
