My teaching interests focus on community ecology and habitat management. At Radford, I teach BIOL 105 (Concepts of Biology), Vertebrate Zoology (BIOL 464) and Environmental Biology (BIOL 103), the latter emphasizing wildlife ecology and management. I also plan to teach General Zoology in future years.

My research interests are broad, as I have worked in a variety of habitats (with a focus on wetlands) in a variety of locales ( Virginia, West Virginia, Indiana, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Oklahoma, Mexico) with a variety of taxa (mammals, birds, herpetofauna, plants, invertebrates). Oftentimes, a GIS (Geographic Information Systems) component was incorporated. Recent research projects have included:
     
 
  • Effect of prescribed fire on forest stand communities (mammals, herpetofauna, birds, vegetation) in the Jefferson National Forest;
  • Baseline animal surveys at Selu Conservancy, a 400-acre tract owned by Radford University;
  • Bat use of woodland vernal pools—small forested ponds that fill with snowmelt in the spring and persist throughout the summer;
  • Herpetofaunal (reptile and amphibian) distributions across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, with a focus on regional landscape limitations (habitat fragmentation, road barriers);
  • Combined effects of regional habitat fragmentation and predicted climate change on mammal communities in northern Indiana;
  • Status of the water shrew (Sorex palustris), a species of concern in Michigan.

Students interested in independent research (BIOL 491) or internship (BIOL 495) credits throughout the year (including summer months) are welcome to contact me to develop a wildlife-ecology-based project

Inquiries from regional researchers interested in developing ecological projects with vertebrate communities, using field studies and/or implementing GIS techniques, are also encouraged.