I am a first year M.S. student in the Nelson Institute’s Environment and Resources Program. My research interests include restoration of grassland communities and the conservation of birds and other wildlife. Working in partnership with the International Crane Foundation, my research will specifically focus on the restoration and management of Tram Chim National Park in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. Once a part of the vast “Plain of Reeds” ecosystem, Tram Chim is now one of only a handful of locations in the Mekong where native habitat persists and is home to a variety of unique wildlife including the endangered Eastern Sarus Crane. Through the use of remotely sensed imagery and on the ground surveys I hope to evaluate the current and historic status of the park’s bird, wetland and grassland communities.

Before attending UW, I majored in biology at Lawrence University in Appleton, WI. Since graduating from Lawrence I have worked in a variety of roles including as a prairie restoration technician for Audubon Chicago-Region, a field ecology intern for the International Crane Foundation, the coordinator of a fundraising campaign for the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin and finally as a part of the team that administers Wisconsin’s statewide energy efficiency program “Focus on Energy”.

Awards and Grants: