BioScience Alliance: Graduate Students

I perform my research at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo under the guidance of Dr. Noah Dunham. I am interested in examining how different management styles with felids can affect their behavior, total energy expenditure, and body composition.

Prior to starting my PhD, I attended Indiana University at the Kelley School of Business and obtained a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems and Business Analytics. When I began coursework for a minor in Animal-Computer Interaction (ACI), I found a field that matches my interest in technology and analytics with my passion for animals. The summer before starting my M.S. in Informatics, I had the opportunity to intern with the Center for Zoo and Aquarium Animal Welfare and Ethics at Detroit Zoo which solidified that a career in zoo animal welfare is what I wanted to pursue. I am grateful for the opportunity that the BioScience Alliance provides as it is one of very few programs that allows me to further my education at Case Western Reserve University under the guidance of scientists at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. 

I am a first-year graduate student interested in studying how seasonal changes in light availability influence growth patterns and gas exchange traits in genus Rhododendron. I plan on narrowing this research topic as I develop ideas for my dissertation, and I hope to incorporate mathematical modeling into future projects.

I conduct my research at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo under the guidance of Dr. Pam Dennis. I’m interested in applied zoo animal welfare and how we can better understand the physical, emotional, and social needs of animals living in human care. My current research focuses on the intersection of diet, behavior, and health in zoo-housed orangutans. Specifically, I am exploring how dietary factors may influence behavior and contribute to cardiac and respiratory disease through avenues such as obesity and diabetes.

Prior to starting my PhD, I received an M.S. degree from Boston University and worked as a Research Assistant at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, where I published a comprehensive literature review on chimpanzee welfare and helped build the ChimpCARE tool—an evidence-based tool to help guide the care and management of chimpanzees in U.S. zoos and sanctuaries. As a student in the BioScience Alliance, I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from the expertise of scientists at both Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.

I perform my research at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo under the supervision of Dr. Diana Koester. My dissertation research is focused on the factors influencing the welfare of nocturnal animals in human care. Specifically, I look at the effects that reverse-light cycles have on animal health and behavior, as well as how these cycles impact the guest viewing experience. More broadly, my research interests encompass general animal welfare, with a specific focus on reptiles, including investigations into barrier-oriented repetitive behaviors, enclosure-use, and energy expenditure.

Prior to beginning my career as a graduate student, I worked as an intern at the San Francisco Zoo. It was there I was able to learn about the BioScience Alliance offered at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, which had already facilitated the education and graduate of several well-established zoo-professionals across the United States. Now, as a student in the BioScience Alliance, I am one of a select few in the country with access to the types of resources provided by the collaboration of the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo with Case Western Reserve University. This unique partnership allows for a rich academic experience where I am able to do research and obtain work experience at the zoo, while simultaneously experiencing invaluable scientific opportunities and collaborative efforts through partnering institutions. My experience in the BioAlliance program has and will continue to be an exceptionally enriching and impactful experience as I develop my skills and prepare for a future career in zoo and wildlife science.