People

Colin Studds

I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Systems at UMBC.  I also have a research appointment at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, where I collaborate with Peter Marra and Scott Sillett on long-term demography of migratory songbirds. Prior to coming to UMBC, I was a Postdoctoral Fellow working in Richard Fuller’s Biodiversity and Conservation Lab at the University of Queensland.

 

 

Graduate Students

Mer Mietzelfeld – PhD student

My research interests are threatened species conservation and over-wintering ecology of migratory songbirds.  Currently, I am studying the effects of habitat degradation and climate change on migratory birds in Jamaica as well as migratory connectivity in these birds to their breeding grounds in the US and Canada.  I am also interested in the interaction and competition between migrant and resident birds.  My past research projects include migratory bird use of agricultural areas in Belize and Nicaragua as well as reproductive success and nest site selection of painted buntings in inland South Carolina..

 

Undergraduate Students

Eileen Connell – URA Scholar

My research focuses on the population genetics of American redstarts.  I am analyzing mtDNA in blood samples collected throughout the non-breeding range to develop new inferences about the migratory connectivity of this species.  Combining information on mtDNA, stable isotopes, and morphological trait variation will enable us to more accurately assign birds sampled in the non-breeding period to their origin on the breeding grounds.

 

Julia Gow – NSF REU Student

I am investigating the role that vocal communication plays in mediating competitive interactions between American redstarts and resident Yellow warblers in Jamaica.  I am comparing the timing and structure of vocalizations in sites where both species co-occur and in areas where reciprocal experimental removals have reduced competition.  This work is being done in collaboration with Luke Powell, a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute.

 

 

Postdoctoral Researchers

Mike Hallworth