For many years the Terrestrial Wildlife Ecology Lab (TWEL) in the School of Environment and Natural Resources has had a strong presence at The Wildlife Society annual conference. This year was no exception.
Boasting one of the largest gatherings of wildlife professionals and supporters in North America, this year's conference was held in Baltimore, MD. Over five days participants engaged in workshops, meetings, oral and poster sessions, field-trips, and networking.
From left to right: Ashlyn Halseth-Ellis (Spring 2024 MS SENR/TWEL graduate, pursuing a PhD at Texas A&M University-Kingsville), Bill Peterman (SENR/TWEL faculty), Abby Thiemkey (Summer 2024 SENR/TWEL MS graduate now pursuing a PhD at University of Maryland), Grant Ravary (Summer 2024 MS SENR/TWEL graduate), Xinzhu Zhang (PhD student in the EEOB department at Ohio State), Courtney Anderson (PhD student in SENR/TWEL), Andrea Spurck (MS student in SENR/TWEL), Olivia Ruppert (PhD student in SENR/TWEL), and Allison Williams (PhD student in SENR/TWEL).
Broadening the reach of TWEL research
TWEL leads the way in addressing critical wildlife science needs and educating future wildlife scientists, managers, and the public with a focus on ecological modeling of wildlife populations and landscape dynamics, enhancing conservation management, urban wildlife ecology, human-wildlife interactions, conflict management, and applying quantitative analyses in wildlife science.
Naturally presenting posters and oral talks at the annual conference is an excellent opportunity to showcase this leadership and broaden the reach of their research, make new connections, seed new ideas and catch up with colleagues.
SENR Associate Professor Bill Peterman presenting "Prioritizing Management Through Functional Connectivity" at the conference.
"I always find that TWS annual conferences are a great opportunity to network with new people, including others in academia, state and federal government workers, and other agencies," said Allison Williams, a PhD student in the SENR, who presented An Analysis of the Genetic Structure of the North American Barn Owl Across the Mid-Atlantic and Midwestern United States at the conference. "This is a very diverse, large conference that really shows the different paths we could all take once we graduate from OSU. I always feel so motivated after attending and have many new ideas to explore in my research."
SENR graduate student and TWEL member Allison Williams presenting at TWS.
During one of the poster sessions, Olivia Ruppert, a PhD student presented on habitat suitability modeling for the gray fox in Ohio. "Once further developed, my preliminary results could help provide a framework for management for a species heavily affected by habitat fragmentation," Olivia said. "Attending The Wildlife Society conference every year allows me to practice science communication and network with other researchers who help me grow as a professional."
Olivia Ruppert (current SENR/TWEL PhD student) giving her poster presentation "Habitat Suitability Model Development for the Gray Fox in Ohio."
Catching up with recent alumni
Not only are new connections made, but attending annual conferences offers an opportunity to catch up with old friends and colleagues, who may have worked or studied together in the past. "This year, current members in TWEL were able to reunite with recent graduates, Abby Thiemkey and Ashlyn Halseth-Ellis, who are both now pursuing PhDs at University of Maryland and Texas A&M University-Kingsville respectively, which was really wonderful!" Allison said.
Back row: Andrea spurck (current SENR/TWEL MS student), Abby Thiemkey (Summer 2024 SENR/TWEL MS graduate, currently pursuing a PhD at University of Maryland), Marissa Roseman (PhD student in SENR/TWEL). Front row: Grant Ravary (Summer 2024 MS SENR/TWEL graduate), Courtney Anderson (PhD student in SENR/TWEL), Allison Williams (PhD student in SENR/TWEL).
Poster Presentations:
Living Fast and Furious: A Survival Analysis of Long-tailed Weasels in Cook County, Illinois - Courtney Anderson Co-authors: Chris Anchor and Stanley Gehrt
The Hazard Acceptance Model: Predicting Tolerance for Carnivores - Rachel Henry
Habitat Suitability Model Development for the Gray Fox in Ohio - Olivia Ruppert; Co-author: Bill Peterman
Oral Presentations:
Quantifying individual differences in coyote movement and resource use behaviors across a gradient of urbanization - Abigail Weber, Nicole Gorman, Stanley Gehrt, Hance Ellington, Guillaume Bastille
Drivers of Sarcoptic Mange Infestations among an Urban Coyote Population - Ashlyn Halseth-Ellis; Co-authors: Stanley Gehrt and Chris Anchor
Prioritizing Management Through Functional Connectivity - Bill Peterman; Co-author: Grant Ravary
Neutral and Functional Genomic Consequences of Multiple Bottlenecks in a State-Endangered Snake - Marissa Roseman; Co-authors: Andrew Mason, Samarth Mathur, Bill Peterman
Modeling Changing Winter Duck Distribution in the Great Lakes Region - Andrea Spurck; Co-authors: Brendan Shirkey, Robert Gates
Assessing differences in stable isotope signatures between wild and domestic prey species in carnivore diets - Abigail Thiemkey; Co-authors: Courtney Anderson, Charlotte Milling, Stanley Gehrt
An Analysis of the Genetic Structure of the North American Barn Owl Across the Mid-Atlantic and Midwestern United States - Allison Williams; Co-author: Bill Peterman