• B.S., Zoology, Northern Arizona, Flagstaff, May 1999

• Teaching Assistantship; SU tuition scholarship

• $200 Travel Grant from Syracuse University. Summer 2005
• $1,000 Nelson Fellowship from San Francisco State University. Fall 2003
• $1,000 Field Research Grant from Wildlife World Zoo. Spring 2003
• $3,000 Research Grant from the Organization of Tropical Studies. Fall 2006
• $800 Research Grant from Sigma Xi. Summer 2006
• $1,100 Creative Summer Research Grant from Syracuse University. Summer 2006

Research Interests:

Sexual selection, Evolution, Speciation, Behavior, and Natural History.

Current Research:

There is increasing evidence that when signals used in mate choice change among different populations, members from these different populations may no longer recognize each other as potential mates. This initial isolation among groups of the same species can then set the stage for further genetic isolation and the eventual formation of two species.  While at SU, I am attempting to determine the underlying causes that change mating signals.  To address this, I am conducting research on a group of neo-tropical birds, called bearded manakins.  Manakins provide an ideal model system for this study because one important signal (color) used in mate choice varies among the different species.  Furthermore, two species differing in male color hybridize in western Panama, where the unidirectional introgression of male plumage color across this hybrid zone has been observed.  By studying the mechanisms driving these changes in mating signals, I hope to elucidate factors that promote the generation of novel species.