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I received my Bachelor of Science in Forestry from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2013 (GO TIGERS!). During my undergraduate, I was a teaching assistant for Learning Strategies for College Students, Forest Ecology, and Forest Health and Protection, which jump-started my interest in becoming a post-secondary educator. I also worked with Dr. Rose-Marie Muzika to study the effects of prescribed fire on ground dwelling arthropods, which encouraged me to pursue more research projects in forest ecology and forest health.
In Fall 2013, I left my home state of Missouri to complete my Master of Science in Forest Resources with Dr. Kamal Gandhi at the University of Georgia. I studied Matsucoccus macrocicatrices, a scale insect that feeds on eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) in the southern Appalachian Mountains. After graduating from the University of Georgia in summer 2015, I started my doctorate in Environmental Science under the advisement of Dr. Travis Marsico at Arkansas State University. My doctoral research focused on using biocontrol datasets to elucidate mechanisms of non-native insect invasions in natural ecosystems. My current research as a postdoc with Dr. Ruth Hufbauer at Colorado State University continues this theme of using big ecological datasets to specifically identify the drivers of non-native insect invasions in urban and rural forests. Beyond research and teaching, I enjoy reading and collecting books, gardening, crafting, and exploring and photographing nature. |
