STUDENTS
Get to know us and our research ...
Name: Samantha Aguilar (she/her)
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Advisor: Martha Desmond
Thesis: Post-fledging ecology of Western bluebirds and Ash-throated flycatchers.
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Description: I am collaborating with Los Alamos National Laboratory to study the survival and movement ecology of juveniles and its implications regarding land management.
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About: I grew up in Gatesville, Texas and received my B.S. in Wildlife Sustainability and Ecosystem Sciences from Tarleton State University. My interest in wildlife began with the local 4-H plant ID team and continued to grow as I worked as a technician on a variety of projects during undergrad. My undergraduate research investigated biparental incubation in House sparrows across a temperature gradient, and following graduation I was a technician for an Eastern wild turkey study in South Carolina.
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Personal Interests: Birding, hiking, plant ID, and reading!
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Contact Info: sam1604@nmsu.edu
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Expected Graduation: Spring 2026
Name: Ashley Evans (she/her/hers)
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Advisor: Jimmy Cain
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Thesis: The Effects of Wildland Recreational Disturbance on Desert Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) in Western Colorado
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Description: I will be examining the effects of recreation on desert bighorn sheep in Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area in west-central Colorado. My project objectives are to:
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Determine activity budgets and foraging efficiency for desert bighorn exposed to varying levels of human disturbance
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Estimate seasonal levels of stress hormones in subherds exposed to different levels of human disturbance.
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Calculate seasonal home range size, daily displacement distance, and total movement rates of desert bighorn in relation to human recreational disturbance
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Observe the differences in desert bighorn resource selection and space use when subjected to human recreation at varying intensities
About Ashley: I grew up in rural upstate New York and received a B.S. in Wildlife Science from Paul Smith's College in the Adirondack Mountains. During my undergraduate years, I gained field experience banding raptors, collecting black bear genetic samples, rehabilitating primates, and other work in various ecosystems. After graduating, I worked in the Great Basin and Mojave Deserts monitoring desert bighorn at California Department of Fish and Wildlife. In my free time, I enjoy backpacking, canoeing, horseback riding, Nordic skiing, playing board games, and baking.
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Contact Info: adevans@nmsu.edu
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Expected Graduation: Spring 2023
Name: Sam Martinez (he/him)
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Advisor: Jimmy Cain
Thesis: Kill Rates and Prey Composition of Mountain Lions and Mexican Wolves
Description: Sam is investigating prey composition and kill rates of Mexican gray wolves and mountain lions in the Southwest.
About Sam: I grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico and attended New Mexico State University where I received my B.S. in Wildlife Ecology. After graduating, I worked as a technician on various research projects throughout the country including desert bighorn sheep surveys, mountain lion abundance monitoring, raptor estimates and wildland firefighting. I then began work on a NMSU elk research project examining the effects of Mexican gray wolf reintroduction on elk survival.
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Contact Info: smarti12@nmsu.edu
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Expected Graduation: Fall 2023
Name: Alex Merchlinsky
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Advisor: Martha Desmond
Thesis: Impacts of Energy Development on Bendire's Thrasher Movement and Breeding Ecology
Description: I will be using the Motus Wildlife Tracking System to evaluate the effects of transmission line construction on territory selection, survival, and dispersal of Bendire's thrasher, as well as studying the species' natural history unrelated to energy development.
About Alex: I grew up in Germantown, MD, just outside of Washington, DC, and received a BS in Wildlife Ecology and Management from Auburn University in 2020. As an undergraduate, I ran a research project studying the effects of soil and air warming on forest ant communities in the southeast. Following graduation, I spent 3 years working as a technician on a variety of projects throughout the country, focusing mostly on birds and small mammals. In the future, I hope to conduct research focused on conservation and the mediation of coexistence between humans and wildlife.
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Contact Info: amerch@nmsu.edu
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Expected Graduation: Spring 2026
Name: Julia Olson (she/her)
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Advisor: Jimmy Cain
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Thesis: Impacts of predation risk on elk foraging behavior
Description: Prey species respond to predation risk through numerous avenues, and the non-lethal impacts of predators on prey can be equal to lethal effects. Elk in New Mexico and Arizona are subject to predation from wolves, mountain lions, and humans, and these predators likely influence elk populations through non-lethal dynamics. My project will focus on how varying levels of predation risk affect the foraging behavior of elk as Mexican wolves expand their home ranges in the Southwest.
About Julia: I completed my BS in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior at the University of Minnesota in 2019 where I completed an honors thesis on giraffe identification from camera trap images. Since graduating, I have worked on a number of large carnivore research projects, mainly in the Great Lakes region of the Midwest. My research interests lie primarily in predator-prey dynamics and spatial ecology. In my free time, I love hiking and backpacking, reading fantasy novels, babying my houseplants, and IDing wildlife.
Contact Info: jolson5@nmsu.edu
Expected Graduation: December 2023
Name: Dylan Osterhaus
Advisor: Martha Desmond
*Co-advised by Timothy Wright
Dissertation: Light Pollution and Climate Change: Potential Impacts on Avian Migration
Description: Using acoustic analysis and weather radar, I am examining how artificial light at night may be impacting avian migration under various lighting strategies and weather conditions. Additionally, using long-term weather radar data, I am tracking how avian migration has shifted in response to climate change.
About Dylan: I grew up in eastern Kansas and received a B.S. in Ecology from Emporia State University in 2019. Immediately following graduation, I began my M.S. research at Iowa State University, working with a federally listed fish species, the Topeka Shiner. My research at Iowa State helped to inform management decisions as to how and where habitat should be restored for this endangered species. For my PhD, I am shifting my focus from aquatic to avian! Over the past five years I have become very interested in birds and am very excited to pursue them as a research subject. In my free time I enjoy birding, hiking, bird photography, and spending as much time as possible outdoors.
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Contact Info: dylano@nmsu.edu
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Expected Graduation: Fall 2025
Name: Iona Rohan (she/her)
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Thesis: Effects of Wind Energy Development on Terrestrial Mammals
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Description: I will be using camera traps and occupancy modeling to compare terrestrial mammal communities on wind farms pre and post development and in control areas in central New Mexico.
About Iona: I grew up on Whidbey Island in Washington State and spent a lot of time outdoors, which sparked my interest in conservation and wildlife from a young age. I attended the University of Washington where I studied Environmental Science with a focus on wildlife conservation. My senior year of undergrad I volunteered in a wildlife genetics lab which led my undergraduate research project, estimating coyote population density in eastern Washington. I then worked as a field technician on the Washington Predator-Prey Project, investigating wolf GPS clusters and monitoring ungulates using radiotelemetry. Next, I worked for two seasons as a wildlife technician for the US Forest Service, mainly monitoring northern spotted owls using ARUs. My goal is to work for a state or federal agency in the future as a large mammal biologist.
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Contact Info: irohan@nmsu.edu
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Expected Graduation: Spring 2025
Name: Maret Smith-Miller (she/her)
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Advisor: Zach Klein
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Thesis: Population dynamics and life-history characteristics of Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout in the upper Rio Costilla watershed, New Mexico
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Description: I will be evaluating habitat suitability of high mountain lakes, adfluvial behavior, and population persistence of Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout in the face of stochastic events and metapopulation dynamics (migration and supplemental stocking).
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About Maret: I grew up in New York City and received a B.A. in Integrated Environmental Science from Colorado College in Colorado Springs, Colorado. At Colorado College, I joined Dr. Miroslav Kummel's lab and conducted research on the migration of tree line in response to the regionally changing climate. After I graduated, I moved out to California and worked as a wetland restoration intern for the Central Coast Wetland Group, an environmental nonprofit. There I meet AmeriCorps members that were a part of the Watershed Stewards Program. I ended up applying to the program and I was placed at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in Big Sur. After my AmeriCorps term ended I was hired on by the Department working to quantify the status and trends of Big Sur's Steelhead population. During the off seasons for the Department I worked for Monterey Peninsula Water District rescuing and rearing juvenile Rainbow Trout and adult Steelhead. Future goals of mine are to work on improving the interface where fish populations and human infrastructure meet.
Contact Info: maretsm@nmsu.edu
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Expected Graduation: Spring 2024
Name: Whitney Watson (she/her)
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Advisor: Abby Lawson
*Co-advised by Tim Wright
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Dissertation: Inferring rosy-finch demography and breeding distribution trends from long-term wintering data in New Mexico
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Description: I am studying multiple aspects of rosy-finch (Leucosticte spp.) ecology using a long-term wintering dataset collected in the Sandia Mountains outside Albuquerque. My work includes demographic modeling using mark-recapture data, evaluation of RFID technology as a tool for rosy-finch population monitoring, and using hydrogen stable isotope analysis of feathers to infer breeding origins of rosy-finches captured on wintering grounds.
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About Whitney: I grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota
and received a B.A. in Biology from Macalester College in St. Paul, MN where I developed an interest in ecology and evolutionary biology. After graduating, I worked in forestry and wildlife management at Three Rivers Park District in Minnesota and subsequently assisted on several ecological research projects across the US including studies on prairie plants, ground squirrels, flying squirrels, deer, and owls. I received my master's degree in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2022 where I studied bioacoustic occupancy and natal dispersal of invasive barred owls in coastal California. I am broadly interested in avian population and movement ecology. In my free time I enjoy hiking, kayaking, exploring new places, birding, knitting, video games, baking, and cuddling my cats.
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Contact Info: wwatson@nmsu.edu
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Expected Graduation: Fall 2026
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Name: Holly Whited (she/her/hers)
Advisor: Theresa Laverty
Thesis: Nightly foraging movements and diet phenology of Lesser long-nosed bats (Leptonycteris yerbabuenae) in the Sonoran Desert, USA.
Description: My project will be using MOTUS wildlife tracking to determine the nightly foraging movements of L. yerbabuenae, a migratory nectar-feeding bat in the Sonoran Desert of Southern Arizona. Additionally, I will be collecting data on the phenology of flowering columnar cacti and agave that these bats feed on and comparing it to pollen and fecal samples of captured bats to determine if the availability of these plants on the landscape is equally reflected in their dietary choices throughout the summer and amongst demographic groups.
About Holly: I grew up next door to Great Smoky Mountains National Park in East Tennessee and discovered my passion for wildlife and the outdoors while growing up in a rural area. I’ve traveled across most of North America and always kept my love of the wilderness and wild things close wherever I have gone. My traveling inspired me to go back to school in my late 20s and I received my B.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Management from the University of Tennessee in 2022. While an undergraduate there, I worked as a biodiversity intern for Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, a lab research assistant, as well as doing field work under several graduate student-led projects where I developed a fondness for bats and bat research (although I have experience with a variety of species). After graduating I worked for a consulting company doing surveys for bats across the Eastern US before moving across the country and starting my Master’s in Fish, Wildlife & Conservation Ecology at NMSU in August 2023. In my free time I enjoy live music concerts & festivals, reading, hiking, camping, kayaking, bird/wildlife watching, and traveling!
Interests/Experience: Bat ecology and conservation, movement ecology, radiotelemetry, avian ecology, habitat management, anthropogenic change, Diversity Equity & Inclusion, mentorship, field skills.
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Contact Info: hwhited@nmsu.edu
Expected Graduation: Fall 2025
Name: Heather Zimba (she/her/hers)
Advisor: Abby Lawson
Thesis: Movement Patterns and Habitat Selection of Translocated Bolson Tortoises (Gopherus flavomarginatus) in Southern New Mexico
Description: I am collaborating with the Turner Endangered Species Fund, Turner Institute of Ecoagriculture, and United States Fish and Wildlife Service to study the ecology and reintroduction potential of Bolson tortoises in New Mexico. Specifically my research is focused on understanding the movement patterns and habitat selection of translocated juvenile Bolson tortoises. I hope through my research to provide recommendations for future Bolson tortoise translocations in New Mexico.
About Heather: Heather grew up in Cooperstown and Jamestown, New York. She first completed a B.S. in Criminal Justice and Sociology at SUNY Fredonia in 2013. After working for a few years, Heather decided to go back to school and completed first an associate degree in Environmental Science at SUNY Jamestown Community College in 2017, and then earned a second B.S. in Conservation Biology from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in 2019. She has worked for several universities and the U.S. Geological Survey on a variety of research projects studying various flora and fauna, including the New England cottontail, Greater Sage-grouse, and desert tortoise.
Interests/Experience: hiking, climbing, herping, kayaking, and going on nature walks!
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Contact Info: hzimba@nmsu.edu
Expected Graduation: Spring 2025