Field trip to the top of Cerro Jeffe outside Panama City, Panama.
(L:R) Fernando Faria, Julian Garcia-Walther, Nathan Senner, Luke Wilde, Jennifer Linscott, and Maina Handmaker.
(L:R) Fernando Faria, Julian Garcia-Walther, Nathan Senner, Luke Wilde, Jennifer Linscott, and Maina Handmaker.
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Nathan Senner, Assistant Professor
Nathan started studying birds at the age of 14. After earning a B.A. from Carleton College, he was awarded a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship to follow Hudsonian Godwits on their annual migration from the Arctic to the southern tip of South America and back. He continued this research while pursuing his PhD at Cornell University with Dr. John Fitzpatrick. From there, he traveled across the Atlantic for a postdoc with Dr. Theunis Piersma at the University of Groningen studying the flexibility of Black-tailed Godwit annual cycles. Following that, he was a postdoc at the University of Montana with Dr. Zachary Cheviron investigating the population dynamics of high-elevation deer mice. In his free time, Nathan trains with his running partner, Oliver (three-time canine champion of the Snow Joke Half Marathon and inarguably Montana's fastest dog). |
Graduate Students:
Fernando Faria, PhD Student
Fernando earned his B.A. in Biology and an MSc. in the Biology of Continental Aquatic Environments from the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil. For his PhD, Fernando is studying the ecological relationships and population dynamics of shorebirds in Southern Brazil - including resident, Austral, and Nearctic migrants - and helped to organize our recent simultaneous surveys of the entire Southern Cone of South America. His research makes use of a range of tools, such as satellite telemetry, remote sensing data, stable isotope analyses, and population models. Fernando is pursuing his PhD at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul and is co-advised with Dr. Leandro Bugoni.
Fernando's ResearchGate Profile
Fernando earned his B.A. in Biology and an MSc. in the Biology of Continental Aquatic Environments from the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil. For his PhD, Fernando is studying the ecological relationships and population dynamics of shorebirds in Southern Brazil - including resident, Austral, and Nearctic migrants - and helped to organize our recent simultaneous surveys of the entire Southern Cone of South America. His research makes use of a range of tools, such as satellite telemetry, remote sensing data, stable isotope analyses, and population models. Fernando is pursuing his PhD at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul and is co-advised with Dr. Leandro Bugoni.
Fernando's ResearchGate Profile
Julián Garcia-Walther, PhD Student
Julián earned a B.S. in Biology from the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Mexico and an MSc. in International Nature Conservation from Gottingen University in Germany and Lincoln University in New Zealand. As a part of his MSc. work, he authored the Atlas de las aves playeras de Chile. For his PhD, Julián is studying the little-known shorebird Calidris canutus roselaari, the rarest of all Red Knot subspecies. Every year, roselaari Red Knots spend the winter on the warm coasts of western Mexico then migrate thousands of kilometers to breed on Wrangel Island, Russia and in Western Alaska. Climate change is causing the Arctic to warm faster than any other region of the planet and Julian will investigate how these changes are influencing the development and survival of young knots.
Julian is supported by the Grace Jordan McFadden Future Professors Program and a CONACYT Fellowship from the Government of Mexico.
Julian's ResearchGate Profile
Julián earned a B.S. in Biology from the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Mexico and an MSc. in International Nature Conservation from Gottingen University in Germany and Lincoln University in New Zealand. As a part of his MSc. work, he authored the Atlas de las aves playeras de Chile. For his PhD, Julián is studying the little-known shorebird Calidris canutus roselaari, the rarest of all Red Knot subspecies. Every year, roselaari Red Knots spend the winter on the warm coasts of western Mexico then migrate thousands of kilometers to breed on Wrangel Island, Russia and in Western Alaska. Climate change is causing the Arctic to warm faster than any other region of the planet and Julian will investigate how these changes are influencing the development and survival of young knots.
Julian is supported by the Grace Jordan McFadden Future Professors Program and a CONACYT Fellowship from the Government of Mexico.
Julian's ResearchGate Profile
Maina Handmaker, PhD Student
Maina earned her B.A. in Environmental Studies and Visual Arts from Bowdoin College. She joined the Senner Lab from the Manomet Shorebird Recovery Program team, where she worked as the Communications Specialist for the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN). For her MSc. research, Maina is studying the role nocturnal roost sites play in the stopover ecology and migratory performance of Atlantic flyway Whimbrel. By tracking Whimbrel movements during and after their spring stopover on the coast of South Carolina, she is investigating how individuals select foraging and roosting sites and working to better understand how those choices influence their entire annual cycle. Maina hopes this new information about Whimbrel migratory behavior can inform targeted conservation action to help turn the tide for this declining species.
Maina is supported by an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship.
Check out Maina's Personal Webpage and Whimbrel story map!
Maina earned her B.A. in Environmental Studies and Visual Arts from Bowdoin College. She joined the Senner Lab from the Manomet Shorebird Recovery Program team, where she worked as the Communications Specialist for the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN). For her MSc. research, Maina is studying the role nocturnal roost sites play in the stopover ecology and migratory performance of Atlantic flyway Whimbrel. By tracking Whimbrel movements during and after their spring stopover on the coast of South Carolina, she is investigating how individuals select foraging and roosting sites and working to better understand how those choices influence their entire annual cycle. Maina hopes this new information about Whimbrel migratory behavior can inform targeted conservation action to help turn the tide for this declining species.
Maina is supported by an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship.
Check out Maina's Personal Webpage and Whimbrel story map!
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Jenny Linscott, PhD Student
Before becoming a biologist, Jenny received a B.A. in English from Hendrix College and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Mississippi. She was a Science Reporting Intern at Louisiana State University, where she interviewed researchers in the field. Now Jenny's PhD research is focused on the migration of Hudsonian Godwits through mid-continental North America. She is hoping to understand how habitat quality and abiotic conditions encountered during migration affect godwit stopover behavior, migratory performance, and reproductive success. Jenny won the inaugural Wesley Lanyon Award from the American Ornithological Society in 2021. |
Lauren Puleo, MSc Student
Lauren earned her B.S. in Biology from the University of Central Florida. During her undergraduate studies, she was a part of the Wild Symbioses Lab at UCF. In the Wild Symbioses Lab, she used bird banding data to investigate phenological change of migratory Gray Catbirds and assisted with the UCF Purple Martin Project. She was also the president of UCF's Audubon on Campus Chapter where she did outreach on her campus and in her local community. For her MSc. research, Lauren is studying the flexibility of individual Hudsonian Godwits in their migratory timing and reproductive strategies in response to climate change. She hopes her research will shed light on how climate change is impacting long-distance migratory shorebirds and inspire future conservation efforts.
Lauren earned her B.S. in Biology from the University of Central Florida. During her undergraduate studies, she was a part of the Wild Symbioses Lab at UCF. In the Wild Symbioses Lab, she used bird banding data to investigate phenological change of migratory Gray Catbirds and assisted with the UCF Purple Martin Project. She was also the president of UCF's Audubon on Campus Chapter where she did outreach on her campus and in her local community. For her MSc. research, Lauren is studying the flexibility of individual Hudsonian Godwits in their migratory timing and reproductive strategies in response to climate change. She hopes her research will shed light on how climate change is impacting long-distance migratory shorebirds and inspire future conservation efforts.
Undergraduate Students:
Matt Duggan
Matt is a senior pursuing a double major in Computer Science and Biological Sciences. His passion is in exploring animal behavior and ecological change with respect to anthropogenic pressures. In the Senner Lab, Matt was awarded the Magellan grant from the UofSC to work on an machine learning approach to inferring reproductive success in Black-tailed Godwits breeding in the Netherlands with remote tracking data. His prior experiences include working in the Duke Marine Remote Sensing Lab to autonomously detect marine debris in coastal environments and with the Mousseau lab at UofSC implementing machine learning techniques in camera trap studies in Chernobyl and Fukushima to examine the effects of chronic radiation on wildlife. After graduating, he plans to pursue a PhD in computational biology in order to help solve present and future ecological problems.
Matt is supported by a Goldwater Scholarship and was awarded an NSF GRFP!.
Matt is a senior pursuing a double major in Computer Science and Biological Sciences. His passion is in exploring animal behavior and ecological change with respect to anthropogenic pressures. In the Senner Lab, Matt was awarded the Magellan grant from the UofSC to work on an machine learning approach to inferring reproductive success in Black-tailed Godwits breeding in the Netherlands with remote tracking data. His prior experiences include working in the Duke Marine Remote Sensing Lab to autonomously detect marine debris in coastal environments and with the Mousseau lab at UofSC implementing machine learning techniques in camera trap studies in Chernobyl and Fukushima to examine the effects of chronic radiation on wildlife. After graduating, he plans to pursue a PhD in computational biology in order to help solve present and future ecological problems.
Matt is supported by a Goldwater Scholarship and was awarded an NSF GRFP!.
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Sara Padula
Sara is a senior pursuing a B.S. in Biological Sciences. She discovered a passion for ecological research after getting hands-on experience in the Senner Lab. Since beginning in the lab, she has been awarded UREP and Magellan Grants from the UofSC to fund a project focused on Red Knot spring migration through coastal South Carolina on which she is collaborating with Julián, Jenny, and Maggie, as well as Felicia Sanders from South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. After her graduating, she plans to continue ornithological research in an MSc or PhD program with the hope of making a positive environmental impact wherever she goes. Sara is supported by a Magellan Grant. Read Sara's Red Knot research. |
Maggie Pelton
Maggie is a senior from Greenville, SC pursuing her B.S. in Marine Science. She is currently working with Sara, Julián, Jenny, and Felicia Sanders from the South Carolina Deparment of Natural Resources to research the stopover duration of red knots on the coast of South Carolina during spring. This research combines her love for birds and marine ecosystems. She has previously researched the effect of feeding frequency on an invasive species of freshwater jellyfish (Craspedacusta sowerbii) with the Stone Lab at UofSC. Before beginning her research at the UofSC, Maggie was an Artificial Reef Intern with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, where she gained many experiences including artificial reef monitoring, educational outreach, and bottom and vertical-long line surveys (including the exciting task of tagging sharks!). She hopes to carry her research interests into a future career in either research and/or education.
Maggie is supported by a Magellan Grant. Read Maggie's Red Knot research.
Maggie is a senior from Greenville, SC pursuing her B.S. in Marine Science. She is currently working with Sara, Julián, Jenny, and Felicia Sanders from the South Carolina Deparment of Natural Resources to research the stopover duration of red knots on the coast of South Carolina during spring. This research combines her love for birds and marine ecosystems. She has previously researched the effect of feeding frequency on an invasive species of freshwater jellyfish (Craspedacusta sowerbii) with the Stone Lab at UofSC. Before beginning her research at the UofSC, Maggie was an Artificial Reef Intern with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, where she gained many experiences including artificial reef monitoring, educational outreach, and bottom and vertical-long line surveys (including the exciting task of tagging sharks!). She hopes to carry her research interests into a future career in either research and/or education.
Maggie is supported by a Magellan Grant. Read Maggie's Red Knot research.
Lab Graduates:
- Rose Swift, PhD 2018 from Cornell University, coadvised with Amanda Rodewald, now a researcher with USGS
- Mo Verhoeven, PhD 2020 from the University of Groningen, coadvised with Theunis Piersma, now a postdoc at NIOO-KNAW
- Luke Wilde, MSc 2021 from the University of South Carolina, now a PhD student at the University of Wyoming
Collaborators:
- Fernando Angulo-Pratalongo, Centro de Ornitología y Biodiversidad
- Zachary Cheviron, University of Montana
- Jorge Gutiérrez, Universidad de Extremadura
- Jose Masero, Universidad de Extremadura
- Johnnie Moore, University of Montana
- Juan Navedo, Universidad Austral de Chile
- Theunis Piersma, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen
- Brett Sandercock, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research
- Felicia Sanders, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
- Maria Stager, University of South Carolina
- Benjamin Winger, University of Michigan
