WILD MENTORSHIP
Connecting undergraduates with graduate mentors...
The goal of the WILD mentorship program is to pair undergraduate students interested in agriculture, fisheries, wildlife, botany, and biological sciences with graduate student mentors. We believe that one-on-one mentoring will provide advice and support to undergraduates as they seek to achieve their career aspirations and graduate school goals. In turn, this relationship provides valuable leadership experience for graduate students. By encouraging and fostering a passion for biological sciences, we aim to prepare the next generation of biologists to enter and enrich the field.
Graduate Mentors
Meet our mentors!
Kelley Boland (she/her)
Degree: Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Ecology (MS)
Thesis Title: Quantifying Avian Mortality on the White Sands Missile Range
Thesis Summary:
My thesis is a response to the large migratory bird mortality event that occurred in Fall 2020 and is one piece to a larger project, which also includes the work Dylan Osterhaus is doing. My project revolves are carcass surveys to try to estimate how many birds are dying (and why!) on the missile range.
About Kelley:
I am from San Diego, CA, where I grew up hiking, birding, tide-pooling, and generally cultivating a love of nature. I earned my B.S. in Field & Wildlife Biology at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA, where I took many rigorous field classes (which were always my favorites), including ornithology, herpetology, mammalogy, and field botany. While in school, I joined Dr. Clint Francis's lab and spent the next 5 years working with him studying how songbirds respond to their acoustic environment. This research resulted in a poster I presented at a research symposium and a publication I co-authored. I gained more research experience while at the Morro Bay National Estuary Program, an environmental nonprofit. I was part of a multidisciplinary team studying the causes of the drastic decline of the local eelgrass population and restoration methods. I was involved in all aspects of the project from study design, field monitoring, data analysis, and report writing. Outside of research, I have worked in other biology-related areas. I worked in outdoor education, leading nature hikes for 6th grade students. Just before starting at NMSU, I worked full-time in a wildlife rehabilitation clinic for 3 years, where I performed exams and routine care for the injured wild animals brought to the clinic, including songbirds, raptors, seabirds, and terrestrial mammals. I spent more than 5 years trying out different areas of biology after graduating with my B.S. before coming to NMSU to start my M.S. degree. I am so glad to have gotten that experience because it showed me how many possible kinds of jobs there are in this field and helped narrow my interests! Now I'm excited to be back in school and figure out my next steps after NMSU.
Professional Interests:
Conservation ecology, avian ecology/ornithology, sustainability, climate action, science communication, education & outreach
Personal Interests:
I love to be outside: hiking, running, biking, climbing, birding, and generally exploring! I also love to cook, bake, read, and play games
Contact Info:kcboland@nmsu.edu
619-398-5829
Expected Graduation: Fall 2023
Emily Embury (she/her)
Degree: Biology (MS)
Thesis Title:Fungal Communities in the Changing Vegetation Regime of the Chihuahuan Desert
Thesis Summary:
I am researching how the shift from a grass-dominated ecosystem to a shrub-dominated ecosystem impacts fungal communities. The Chihuahuan desert has experienced a lot of shrub encroachment so I am studying the repercussions of that in microbial communities.
About Emily:
I have lived in New England my entire life. I grew up in Maine and went to Wheaton College in Massachusetts for my undergraduate degree. I earned a BA in Biology from Wheaton and I minored in Education and Environmental Studies. I moved to New Mexico to complete my master's degree and I love it here! My past research experience has entailed a lot of bioinformatics work as I have done data processing for long-term ecological research data collected from various Harvard Forest studies. I really enjoy the bioinformatics side of research and I am integrating that into my NMSU research alongside lab/fieldwork. After my master's degree, I plan to get a PhD and stay in academia to teach and research.
Professional Interests:
Mycology, soil microbiology, community ecology, soil carbon sequestration
Personal Interests:
Kayaking, knitting/crocheting, painting, hiking, and general nature exploring
Contact Info: embury@nmsu.edu
207-350-6687
Expected Graduation: 2024
Dylan Osterhaus
Degree: Biology / Fish, Wildlife, & Conservation Ecology (PhD)
Dissertation Title: The Impacts of Light Pollution and Climate Change on Avian Migration in the American Intermountain West
Dissertation Summary:
Will be relying on acoustic analysis of nocturnal avian migration, as well as the analysis and weather radar data to quantify avian migration within the American Intermountain West. Working in collaboration with individuals from NMSU, White Sands Missile Range, Colorado State University, and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
About Dylan:
From Topeka, Kansas. B.S. in Biology with a concentration in Ecology and Biodiversity from Emporia State University (2019). M.S. in Fisheries Science from Iowa State University (2021). Designed and led multiple research projects during my undergrad resulting in publications. Have held various technician positions and have hired and managed technicians for my own research. Future goals are to operate my own lab of graduate students using emerging technologies to monitor avian migration.
Professional Interests:
Conservation ecology, ornithology, ichthyology, emerging technologies, inclusivity, writing
Personal Interests:
Birding, wildlife photography, hiking, camping
Contact Info: dylano@nmsu.edu
785-338-0800
Expected Graduation: Fall 2025
Paige Harman (she/her)
Degree: Biology (MS)
Thesis Title: How changes in land use impact the diversity and abundance of mosquitos in Panama.
Thesis Summary:
I am going to be analyzing mosquito abundance and diversity relative to palm oil plantations or mining sites.
About Paige:
I am an alumnus of Missouri State University with a degree in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology and a minor in Chemistry. I have had a multitude of field jobs working with small mammals, plants, and insects. The field jobs and experiences I have gained because of them have helped me to make my decision in continuing my education. I am just starting my master’s in biology at NMSU focusing on mosquitos. More specifically I will be concentrating on understanding arboviruses and their spillover pathway from wildlife to humans, resurgence and, spread. For my thesis, I would like to investigate how changes in land use impact the diversity and abundance of mosquitos in Panama.
Professional Interests:
spillover pathways and spread of disease, small mammals
Personal Interests:
Fishing, hiking, cooking, reading
Contact Info: prh2799@nmsu.edu
417-770-5186
Expected Graduation:
Maret Smith-Miller (she/her)
Degree: Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Ecology (MS)
Thesis Title: Population dynamics and life-history characteristics of Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout in the upper Rio Costilla watershed, New Mexico
Thesis Summary:
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).
About Maret:
hometown, undergrad degree, career history, future goals, etc. Whatever you would like to share:
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.
Professional Interests:
Fisheries climatology, aquatic population dynamics, and native fish habitat requirements
Personal Interests:
Playing rugby, climbing, yoga, trying new recipes in the kitchen, and hanging out with friends
Contact Info: maretsm@nmsu.edu
646-671-3601
Expected Graduation: Spring 2024
Iona Rohan (she/her)
Degree: Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Ecology (MS)
Thesis Title: Effects of Wind Energy Development on Terrestrial Mammals
Thesis Summary:
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.
Professional Interests:
Mammalogy, predator-prey relationships, conservation
Personal Interests:
Hiking, skiing, cooking, backpacking
Contact Info: irohan@nmsu.edu
360-969-2736
Expected Graduation: Spring 2025
Holly Whited (she/her/hers)
Thesis Title:
Nightly foraging movements and diet phenology of Lesser long-nosed bats (Leptonycteris yerbabuenae) in the Sonoran Desert, USA.
Thesis Summary:
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
Leah White (she/her)
Degree: Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Ecology (MS)
Thesis Title: Forest restoration treatments and wildfire impacts on large mammal distribution & interactions
Thesis Summary:
Using photos collected by 145 remote cameras to investigate impacts of disturbance on wildlife habitat use and interspecific interactions in the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico, via multi-species occupancy models
About Leah:
Got my bachelor's degree in biology from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. Spent five years post-grad chasing field technician jobs across the West. Learned a lot about getting and performing in these types of jobs and keen to share those lessons with the newest members of the workforce!
Professional Interests:
Wildlife ecology, large mammals, fire ecology, landscape management, quantitative methods, federal employment (NPS, USFS)
Personal Interests:
Backcountry skills, social and environmental justice, coffee, motorcycles
Contact Info: leahw42@nmsu.edu
910-391-5155
Expected Graduation: Spring 2023
Reach out with any questions regarding
events, mentorship, or joining our program:
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