Gompper Lab - New Mexico State University
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Greetings! The Gompper Lab at New Mexico State University is broadly interested in fundamental and applied questions associated with vertebrate ecology and biodiversity conservation. Our research and teaching focuses on themes such as animal disease ecology, the ecology and conservation of mammals, and the ecology of free-ranging domestic animals. These themes often bridge one another. Our work combines data from field experiments and natural history observations, from laboratory analyses that may include molecular ecology, macroparasite identification, and serological assessments, and from statistical and mathematical approaches to facilitate predicting outcomes.
Greetings! The Gompper Lab at New Mexico State University is broadly interested in fundamental and applied questions associated with vertebrate ecology and biodiversity conservation. Our research and teaching focuses on themes such as animal disease ecology, the ecology and conservation of mammals, and the ecology of free-ranging domestic animals. These themes often bridge one another. Our work combines data from field experiments and natural history observations, from laboratory analyses that may include molecular ecology, macroparasite identification, and serological assessments, and from statistical and mathematical approaches to facilitate predicting outcomes.
News:
News:
February 7 2022
February 7 2022
Congratulations to Colton Padilla on his receipt of a Biodiversity Scholarship from the New Mexico chapter of The Wildlife Society, and congratulations to Anna Kirby on her receipt of a small grant from T&E Inc.
Congratulations to Colton Padilla on his receipt of a Biodiversity Scholarship from the New Mexico chapter of The Wildlife Society, and congratulations to Anna Kirby on her receipt of a small grant from T&E Inc.
February 4 2022
February 4 2022
Time for the Joint Annual Meeting of the NM & AZ chapters of TWS & AFS. Presentations today by MS student Anna Kirby on lagomorph population abundance in southern New Mexico, and by BS student Bethany Bridges on botfly parasitism in black-tailed jackrabbits.
Time for the Joint Annual Meeting of the NM & AZ chapters of TWS & AFS. Presentations today by MS student Anna Kirby on lagomorph population abundance in southern New Mexico, and by BS student Bethany Bridges on botfly parasitism in black-tailed jackrabbits.
December 10 2021
December 10 2021
Excited to have MS student Jacob Croft joining the lab. Jacob will be working on the interaction of trout (rainbows, brown and brooks) and parasitic Salminicola copepods .
Excited to have MS student Jacob Croft joining the lab. Jacob will be working on the interaction of trout (rainbows, brown and brooks) and parasitic Salminicola copepods .
August 16 2021
August 16 2021
The new semester is exciting. Carleen Silva joins us to start her PhD (NSF GRFP funded) and Dr. Jess Martin (USDA AES funded) joins us as a Post-doctoral Associate. Both will be working on interesting disease ecology themes here in the Southwest
The new semester is exciting. Carleen Silva joins us to start her PhD (NSF GRFP funded) and Dr. Jess Martin (USDA AES funded) joins us as a Post-doctoral Associate. Both will be working on interesting disease ecology themes here in the Southwest
July 26 2021
July 26 2021
A trio of new carnivore papers! Spotted skunk phylogenetics, tayra ecology, & weasel conservation. Fun, fun, fun...
A trio of new carnivore papers! Spotted skunk phylogenetics, tayra ecology, & weasel conservation. Fun, fun, fun...
June 15 2021
June 15 2021
Two new papers in Integrative and Comparative Biology on domestic dogs and their applied evolution ecology. Contributions to a SICB symposium on the emerging field of Canine Science
March 19 2021
March 19 2021
Come join us! We are excited to start searching for a new Post-doctoral Researcher to join the lab. Check out the post-doc link (under Opportunities) for more details!
Come join us! We are excited to start searching for a new Post-doctoral Researcher to join the lab. Check out the post-doc link (under Opportunities) for more details!
January 14 2021
January 14 2021
The new year brings 2 new MS students! Colton Padilla will be examining the effects of forest fire on the parasites of wildlife. Anna Kirby will be looking at the impacts of RHDV2 of cottontails and jackrabbits! Welcome to NMSU!
The new year brings 2 new MS students! Colton Padilla will be examining the effects of forest fire on the parasites of wildlife. Anna Kirby will be looking at the impacts of RHDV2 of cottontails and jackrabbits! Welcome to NMSU!
October 28 2020
October 28 2020
Our preprint on spotted skunk phylogenetics is now up on bioRxiv. Check it out - its really cool
Our preprint on spotted skunk phylogenetics is now up on bioRxiv. Check it out - its really cool
September 17 2020
September 17 2020
Gompper, former visiting student and visiting postdoc Dr. Rita Bianchi, and former student Dr. Natalie Olifiers collectively represent less than 1% of the authors on this new paper detailing a new data set on Neotropical carnivore distributions. The data set includes nearly 100,000 entries from 35,000 locations collected between 1818 and 2018.
Gompper, former visiting student and visiting postdoc Dr. Rita Bianchi, and former student Dr. Natalie Olifiers collectively represent less than 1% of the authors on this new paper detailing a new data set on Neotropical carnivore distributions. The data set includes nearly 100,000 entries from 35,000 locations collected between 1818 and 2018.
August 17 2020
August 17 2020
New USGS White Paper overviewing approaches to surveying hares and rabbits
New USGS White Paper overviewing approaches to surveying hares and rabbits
August 4 2020
August 4 2020
Excited to receive NSF support for a new study of how rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV2) spillover into wild cottontail & jackrabbits will impact these species & the broader ecological community
Excited to receive NSF support for a new study of how rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV2) spillover into wild cottontail & jackrabbits will impact these species & the broader ecological community
July 7 2020
July 7 2020
June 30 2020
June 30 2020
A long time ago in a galaxy far far away (ok, it was New York), Amber Wright became one of my 1st grad students. My good luck! Amber just received tenure at the University of Hawaii. Congratulations Amber!
A long time ago in a galaxy far far away (ok, it was New York), Amber Wright became one of my 1st grad students. My good luck! Amber just received tenure at the University of Hawaii. Congratulations Amber!
June 17 2020
June 17 2020
A new MethodsX paper from Dr. Aniruddha Belsare's CWD post-doc work with us in Missouri
A new MethodsX paper from Dr. Aniruddha Belsare's CWD post-doc work with us in Missouri
April 6 2020
April 6 2020
Two new papers are out today!
Two new papers are out today!
Dr. Rita Bianchi spent a year with us - first in Missouri, then travelling with us to New Mexico - and the first of the papers to come from her visit is out! Activity patterns of domestic dogs & native carnivores across the states of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
Dr. Rita Bianchi spent a year with us - first in Missouri, then travelling with us to New Mexico - and the first of the papers to come from her visit is out! Activity patterns of domestic dogs & native carnivores across the states of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
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Summer Higdon's 2nd paper is out. Long-term trends in spotted skunk - cranial worm (Skrjabingylus) infection based on a century of museum specimens
Summer Higdon's 2nd paper is out. Long-term trends in spotted skunk - cranial worm (Skrjabingylus) infection based on a century of museum specimens
March 19 2020
March 19 2020
First of Summer Higdon's papers on eastern spotted skunk work is now officially out. Several more still coming!
First of Summer Higdon's papers on eastern spotted skunk work is now officially out. Several more still coming!
February 15 2020
February 15 2020
Such a cool new job! Congrats to former MS student (now Dr) Morgan Wehtje on her new position as park ecologist at Dinosaur National Monument.
Such a cool new job! Congrats to former MS student (now Dr) Morgan Wehtje on her new position as park ecologist at Dinosaur National Monument.
February 6 2020
February 6 2020
Also, great to see Aniruddha Belsare's work on CWD getting some attention from F1000Prime!
Also, great to see Aniruddha Belsare's work on CWD getting some attention from F1000Prime!
December 9 2019
December 9 2019
Wow! The move from Missouri to New Mexico is underway. Sorry to leave great colleagues in Missouri, but very excited to work with great colleagues at New Mexico State University!
Wow! The move from Missouri to New Mexico is underway. Sorry to leave great colleagues in Missouri, but very excited to work with great colleagues at New Mexico State University!
July 26, 2019
July 26, 2019
Nice to see three new papers come out on Asian carnivore work. Two are from Hemanta Kafley's work in Nepal (tigers and leopards!) and the third is Rukhsana Khatoon's second paper (leopards and leopard cats!) based on work in Pakistan.
Nice to see three new papers come out on Asian carnivore work. Two are from Hemanta Kafley's work in Nepal (tigers and leopards!) and the third is Rukhsana Khatoon's second paper (leopards and leopard cats!) based on work in Pakistan.
July 3, 2019
July 3, 2019
What a great visit to Washington, DC for the American Society of Mammalogists meeting. Great presentations by Summer Higdon (skunk parasitism), Rita Bianchi (dogs in protected areas) and Lauren Toivonen (the brains behind Gompper's presentation on red wolves). Wonderful to see friends and colleagues! Even if Gompper did have to endure 4 changed flights and visit the airport on 4 different days.
What a great visit to Washington, DC for the American Society of Mammalogists meeting. Great presentations by Summer Higdon (skunk parasitism), Rita Bianchi (dogs in protected areas) and Lauren Toivonen (the brains behind Gompper's presentation on red wolves). Wonderful to see friends and colleagues! Even if Gompper did have to endure 4 changed flights and visit the airport on 4 different days.
March 29, 2019
March 29, 2019
Nice to see several new papers come to fruition! Harith Al-Warid's work on visceral leishmaniasis in Iraq is out in Tropical Biomedicine and the first paper from Rukhsana Khatoon's PhD work with the carnivores of Murree, Kotli Sattian and Kahuta National Park, Pakistan is out in Mammal Research.
Nice to see several new papers come to fruition! Harith Al-Warid's work on visceral leishmaniasis in Iraq is out in Tropical Biomedicine and the first paper from Rukhsana Khatoon's PhD work with the carnivores of Murree, Kotli Sattian and Kahuta National Park, Pakistan is out in Mammal Research.
January 23, 2019
January 23, 2019
What a year 2018 was! We had great visits from Rukhsana Khatoon (leopards!) and Daiana Polli (giant anteaters!). Lauren Toivonen defended a great thesis (red wolves!). Summer Higdon spent time in Brazil (tayras!). What will 2019 bring? It brings Dr. Rita Bianchi from the Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho"! Rita will spend a year with us as a visiting scholar. Welcome Rita!
What a year 2018 was! We had great visits from Rukhsana Khatoon (leopards!) and Daiana Polli (giant anteaters!). Lauren Toivonen defended a great thesis (red wolves!). Summer Higdon spent time in Brazil (tayras!). What will 2019 bring? It brings Dr. Rita Bianchi from the Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho"! Rita will spend a year with us as a visiting scholar. Welcome Rita!
December 23, 2018
December 23, 2018
A great way to wrap up a year is to squeeze a study-abroad planning trip in between finals and Christmas. Spent the past 2 weeks with Drs. Nilon & Weegman planning a South Africa - Swaziland program to start in late 2019 or early 2020. Stay tuned!
A great way to wrap up a year is to squeeze a study-abroad planning trip in between finals and Christmas. Spent the past 2 weeks with Drs. Nilon & Weegman planning a South Africa - Swaziland program to start in late 2019 or early 2020. Stay tuned!
News:
News:
November 15, 2018
November 15, 2018
What is the Thanksgiving holiday without desserts? The Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences Graduate Student Organization bake sale is more than just a bake sake - its an opportunity for lab greatness! This year the Gompper lab took home the Cupcake Trophy for raising the most money. We overcame the insidious subliminal advertising of the Weegman lab. Great job (and great snacks)!
What is the Thanksgiving holiday without desserts? The Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences Graduate Student Organization bake sale is more than just a bake sake - its an opportunity for lab greatness! This year the Gompper lab took home the Cupcake Trophy for raising the most money. We overcame the insidious subliminal advertising of the Weegman lab. Great job (and great snacks)!
November 5, 2018
November 5, 2018
A great trip to Minneapolis to visit with Gompper lab alum Aniruddha Belsare (University of Idaho), Meghan Mason (St Catherine University) and Claudia Muñoz-Zanzi (University of Minnesota). Four excellent days discussing leptospirosis and working on an agent-based model to understand management outcomes for controlling the pathogen.
A great trip to Minneapolis to visit with Gompper lab alum Aniruddha Belsare (University of Idaho), Meghan Mason (St Catherine University) and Claudia Muñoz-Zanzi (University of Minnesota). Four excellent days discussing leptospirosis and working on an agent-based model to understand management outcomes for controlling the pathogen.
October 16, 2018
October 16, 2018
Another excellent meeting of The Wildlife Society, this time in Cleveland (Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!). Summer, Daiana and Matt were able to make the trip. Great to catch up with colleagues new and old. Plus, lots of great spotted skunk talks. Here are the mandatory photos of a presenter from the lab.
Another excellent meeting of The Wildlife Society, this time in Cleveland (Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!). Summer, Daiana and Matt were able to make the trip. Great to catch up with colleagues new and old. Plus, lots of great spotted skunk talks. Here are the mandatory photos of a presenter from the lab.
September 3, 2018
September 3, 2018
A new semester brings a new visiting student. Welcome Daiana Polli! Daiana arrives from UNESP, Brazil where she works under Rita Bianchi. Diana will be in Missouri for several months working on her giant anteater foraging ecology data.
A new semester brings a new visiting student. Welcome Daiana Polli! Daiana arrives from UNESP, Brazil where she works under Rita Bianchi. Diana will be in Missouri for several months working on her giant anteater foraging ecology data.
April 14, 2018
April 14, 2018
A warm welcome to Ms. Rukhsana Khatoon, a visiting doctoral student from PMAS-University of Arid Agriculture, Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Rukhsana PhD research examines the carnivore community of Murree, Kotli Sattian and Kahuta National Park in Punjab. During her time here she will be working with us and the Eggert Lab to use genetic approaches to better understand the make-up of the community, the diet and distribution of its members, and human-wildlife conflicts in the region.
A warm welcome to Ms. Rukhsana Khatoon, a visiting doctoral student from PMAS-University of Arid Agriculture, Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Rukhsana PhD research examines the carnivore community of Murree, Kotli Sattian and Kahuta National Park in Punjab. During her time here she will be working with us and the Eggert Lab to use genetic approaches to better understand the make-up of the community, the diet and distribution of its members, and human-wildlife conflicts in the region.
March 15, 2018
March 15, 2018
We are looking for several field technicians for our study of feral hog habitat occupancy in the Missouri Ozarks. This link contains the details
We are looking for several field technicians for our study of feral hog habitat occupancy in the Missouri Ozarks. This link contains the details
February 5, 2018
February 5, 2018
Congratulations to Summer Higdon for receiving the Missouri Chapter of The Wildlife Society's Graduate Fellowship at the annual Missouri Natural Resources Conference. The fellowship is awarded annually to MU students who are actively involved in The Wildlife Society, and whose work will enhance the future of wildlife in Missouri.
Congratulations to Summer Higdon for receiving the Missouri Chapter of The Wildlife Society's Graduate Fellowship at the annual Missouri Natural Resources Conference. The fellowship is awarded annually to MU students who are actively involved in The Wildlife Society, and whose work will enhance the future of wildlife in Missouri.
January 22, 2018
January 22, 2018
Congratulations to John Falco on his competitive selection by MU’s Office of Graduate Studies to attend the AAAS Catalyzing Advocacy in Science and Engineering (CASE) Workshop in Washington, DC in March. The multi-day workshop is designed to enhance graduate student training in, and understanding of, US science and technology policy, the federal budget process and effective science communication.
Congratulations to John Falco on his competitive selection by MU’s Office of Graduate Studies to attend the AAAS Catalyzing Advocacy in Science and Engineering (CASE) Workshop in Washington, DC in March. The multi-day workshop is designed to enhance graduate student training in, and understanding of, US science and technology policy, the federal budget process and effective science communication.
November 30, 2017
November 30, 2017
Great to see this volume come out from Oxford University Press. An excellent researcher team put a lot of energy into producing synopses on the biology of the small carnivores. Thanks to David, Chris and Lauren for all their hard work in seeing this through. We have two chapters in the volume - one on coatis (with Ben Hirsch) and one on spotted skunks
Great to see this volume come out from Oxford University Press. An excellent researcher team put a lot of energy into producing synopses on the biology of the small carnivores. Thanks to David, Chris and Lauren for all their hard work in seeing this through. We have two chapters in the volume - one on coatis (with Ben Hirsch) and one on spotted skunks
November 21, 2017
November 21, 2017
Do you know what a tayra is? Summer can answer your question! Congratulations to Summer Higdon who has received a Brown Graduate Research Fellowship to visit Dr. Rita Bianchi's research team in Sao Paulo, Brazil to work on a study of tayra habitat ecology based on camera trap data. Here is a beautiful specimen who triggered a selfie several years ago from one of our Pantanal camera traps.
Do you know what a tayra is? Summer can answer your question! Congratulations to Summer Higdon who has received a Brown Graduate Research Fellowship to visit Dr. Rita Bianchi's research team in Sao Paulo, Brazil to work on a study of tayra habitat ecology based on camera trap data. Here is a beautiful specimen who triggered a selfie several years ago from one of our Pantanal camera traps.
November 16, 2017
November 16, 2017
Nice job Lauren Toivonen! Lauren presented on Wolves: Social Media vs Real Life at Science on Tap CoMo. A great presentation (and if you poke around on their Facebook site you can watch the talk) at the Craft Beer Cellar on 9th Street in Columbia. Science on Tap is a great monthly outreach program that focuses on stimulating public engagement in science and technology, while offering STEM graduate students an opportunity to improve communication skills.
Nice job Lauren Toivonen! Lauren presented on Wolves: Social Media vs Real Life at Science on Tap CoMo. A great presentation (and if you poke around on their Facebook site you can watch the talk) at the Craft Beer Cellar on 9th Street in Columbia. Science on Tap is a great monthly outreach program that focuses on stimulating public engagement in science and technology, while offering STEM graduate students an opportunity to improve communication skills.
October 1, 2017
October 1, 2017
Another productive meeting of The Wildlife Society, this time in Albuquerque. Great presentations by current and former students (Aniruddha Belsare, Summer Higdon, Damon Lesmeister) and by undergrads Jena Staggs and Rachel Williams who presented an update on their carnivore grassland study.
Another productive meeting of The Wildlife Society, this time in Albuquerque. Great presentations by current and former students (Aniruddha Belsare, Summer Higdon, Damon Lesmeister) and by undergrads Jena Staggs and Rachel Williams who presented an update on their carnivore grassland study.
September 23, 2017
September 23, 2017
Prior to the MU-Auburn football game (blowout), a discussion of MU's and Auburn's potential roles in tiger conservation took place. Both schools look to take on students to conduct tiger research next year. Among the attendees pictured below: Gompper, Carolyn Henry (Interim Dean, MU College of Veterinary Medicine), Garnett Stokes (MU Provost), Bruce Loewenberg (MU Alum and Tigers for Tigers Champion and Benefactor), Shannon McKinley (MU Student and President, Mizzou Tigers for Tigers), Timothy Boosinger (Auburn Provost) and Shibu Jose (Director, MU School of Natural Resources).
Prior to the MU-Auburn football game (blowout), a discussion of MU's and Auburn's potential roles in tiger conservation took place. Both schools look to take on students to conduct tiger research next year. Among the attendees pictured below: Gompper, Carolyn Henry (Interim Dean, MU College of Veterinary Medicine), Garnett Stokes (MU Provost), Bruce Loewenberg (MU Alum and Tigers for Tigers Champion and Benefactor), Shannon McKinley (MU Student and President, Mizzou Tigers for Tigers), Timothy Boosinger (Auburn Provost) and Shibu Jose (Director, MU School of Natural Resources).
July 30, 2017
July 30, 2017
Nice article touching on our tiger work and the role of MU and other academic institutions in tiger conservation.
Nice article touching on our tiger work and the role of MU and other academic institutions in tiger conservation.
July 5, 2017
July 5, 2017
We're looking for a postdoc to work on bat - WNS issues. Please see the Post-doctoral Research page
We're looking for a postdoc to work on bat - WNS issues. Please see the Post-doctoral Research page
June 23 2017
June 23 2017
After eight (maybe more?) years here as a doctoral student and then as a postdoc, Dr. Aniruddha Belsare moves on this week to take up a position at the University of Idaho's Center for Modeling Complex Interactions. Good luck Aniruddha!
After eight (maybe more?) years here as a doctoral student and then as a postdoc, Dr. Aniruddha Belsare moves on this week to take up a position at the University of Idaho's Center for Modeling Complex Interactions. Good luck Aniruddha!
June 10 2017
June 10 2017
May 14 2017
May 14 2017
Congratulations to Abby Williams who completed her undergraduate degree! Abby is heading to the Marine Biology MS program at Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi.
Congratulations to Abby Williams who completed her undergraduate degree! Abby is heading to the Marine Biology MS program at Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi.
May 5 2017
May 5 2017
Welcome Sal Shaw and Rachel Williams as undergraduate researchers. Sal will be working with Summer Higdon on the Arkansas Spotted Skunk Project. Rachel will team up with Jena Staggs to continue work on the Prairie Fork Carnivore Community Project.
Welcome Sal Shaw and Rachel Williams as undergraduate researchers. Sal will be working with Summer Higdon on the Arkansas Spotted Skunk Project. Rachel will team up with Jena Staggs to continue work on the Prairie Fork Carnivore Community Project.
May 3 2017
May 3 2017
It has been a busy few weeks for research presentations. Members of the lab presented nine posters at the University of Missouri’s Life Sciences Week, at the Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievements Forum, and at the School of Natural Resources Research Day.
It has been a busy few weeks for research presentations. Members of the lab presented nine posters at the University of Missouri’s Life Sciences Week, at the Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievements Forum, and at the School of Natural Resources Research Day.
Nice!
Nice!
April 30 2017
April 30 2017
Check out Matt’s op-ed on the value of a scientific perspective in today’s Columbia Tribune.
Check out Matt’s op-ed on the value of a scientific perspective in today’s Columbia Tribune.