Thesis topic: To estimate the population parameters of a native predator, the Marianas monitor (Varanus tsukamotoi) (or ‘hilitai’ in CHamorro), and assess its threat to the endangered Guam rail on Cocos Island, Guam.

Advisor: Dr. Daniel Barton

Undergraduate Degree/Institution: Biology with a concentration in Ecology, Oregon State University

I’ve grown up in the Pacific northwest, and am quite happy to be back for my graduate education here at Humboldt. After I finished my degree at Oregon State, I worked with king cobras in Thailand, tortoises in the Mojave desert, and with various herpetofauna in the southeastern US. Most recently, I have begun working for the Institute for Wildlife Studies, where I worked on the monitor lizard project that will become my master’s thesis. Ultimately, I’d like to work in a position where I am studying and/or managing wildlife populations, particularly reptiles and amphibians, though I enjoy wildlife of all sizes and shapes. I also like to juggle more hobbies than I can actually keep up with– recently, I’ve been enjoying ultimate frisbee, jiu jitsu and chess, though I’ve been hoping to get more into mushroom foraging and insect collection while here in Arcata.