I am motivated by a vast appreciation for nature and a strong desire to understand and conserve natural systems. I earned a B.S. in Natural Resource Management at Cornell University, where my academic focus was on forestry and bat biology. Afterward, I served in the Peace Corps in Mali, West Africa as an environmental educator and conservation extension agent. I then became a high school science teacher through which I endevoured to inspire students to be active and informed stewards of Earth.

Currently, I am a Ph.D. candidate at the Center for Ecology and Conservation Biology at Boston University. I study various aspects of bat physiology, behavior, ecology and conservation using traditional field and laboratory methods enriched with modern approaches such as infrared thermography , stable isotope analysis, and computerized tomography. I have focused on thermal energetics, migratory behavior, ecosystem services, and group dynamics of Brazilian free-tailed bats, Tadarida brasiliensis, in south-central Texas.I am currently studying physical, physiologcial, and behavioral effects of White-nose Syndrome on little brown bats, Myotis lucifugus, work featured in Science Magazine (29 May 2009).