Meet the Winners:

What drew you to your current research field?

Southwestern PA where I grew up was arguably the epicenter for the fracking boom in the Central Appalachian region. A short drive from my home and favorite birding spots, I watched the landscape rapidly change in a short period of time. Before and during my Masters, I conducted avian point count surveys and radio telemetry in the most contiguously forested area of north-central PA where shale gas development seemed to follow, and observed in the course of only two summers the landscape become fragmented. Trying to find point count sites to resurvey sometimes became disorienting when infrastructure like retention ponds would seemingly pop up overnight in what was once forest. When I learned of the opportunity to continue a long-term bioindicator songbird study in West Virginia undergoing the same energy development patterns, it seemed like the appropriate next step to determine how our wildlife may be affected by shale gas development.

Who most inspired and/or influenced your career?

I think like most people my current career was the result of several influences. My father was a retired, 100% disabled veteran with limited income trying to raise two children on his own- what could entertain kids all year for cheap? Fishing, camping, and an annual zoo pass. He also retired from a job he loved and claimed he would go back for free, so I was inspired to find a career where (at least most days!) it doesn’t feel like work.

I was also highly influenced by reading Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring. Since Carson was also born near Pittsburgh I think it’s some kind of local “requirement” to read or be aware of the book, but it is a prime example of how much influence the message of one individual can have, arguably resulting in the first environmental movement.

What one thing would you like the public to remember or understand about your research?

We saw across the board demographic decline in a bioindicator songbird species despite very little (<5%) forest cover habitat loss at our study site, so it does not necessarily take a lot of disturbance to negatively affect a wildlife population. We need to reevaluate if we should allow shale gas infrastructure and development as close to forested headwater streams as currently allowed. Our headwater stream ecosystems are largely overlooked for protection and regulation despite their importance to downstream life and despite being the source of our public drinking water.

If you had one piece of advice for someone who wants to pursue research in your field, what would it be?

Make the most of every opportunity that comes your way, no matter if in your field of interest, volunteering, or a paid position. There may be experiences or connections you make where their potential for a career trajectory or research won’t be realized until a decade later. Reach out to the experts for an “informational interview” and ask them how they ended up in their current position where you’d like to be. While you may not check all the boxes they have, you’ll grow character, humble yourself, and may discover what you’re called to do.