Dr. Samuel Lane

NSF post-doctoral fellow

Email: samuel.lane@ndsu.edu

I am an integrative organismal biologist interested in how animals’ response to rapid environmental change through the lens of neuroscience, endocrinology, and animal behavior in both captive and free-living animals. Broadly, I am interested in mechanisms of animal behavior, and my research usually centers around parental care, behavioral tradeoffs during the breeding season, and behavioral interactions between social pairs. As an NSF postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Heidinger’s lab I will be investigating the endocrine and neurogenomic mechanisms of avian paternal care across a latitudinal gradient in North America.

Hailey Wimberly

MS Student

Email: hailey.r.wimberly@ndsu.edu

My background and interest started with Prolactin and brood patch size in Downy Woodpeckers. This research opportunity allowed me to discover that I am passionate about hormones, how and when they are produced, and the effects of their production in avian species. As well, as how they can modulate the expression of behaviors and the pathways they belong to. I am currently researching IGF-1, growth hormone, and plasticity along a longitudinal gradient and will manipulate temperature and IGF-1 to see if there are effects on body size and shape. I will also examine local IGF-1 receptors in specific tissues.

Rachel Bockrath

PhD Student

Email: rachel.bockrath@ndsu.edu

I am interested in how birds change, both physically and behaviorally, in response to shifting environments. I obtained a Master’s degree from Cal Poly Pomona where I investigated how avian community structure and avian behavior differed between natural, agricultural, and urban habitats. Here at NDSU I am investigating how House Sparrows’ body size has changed over the last several decades in response to climate change through both phenotypic plasticity and heritable mechanisms. I am also looking to investigate how both nestlings and adults alter their physiology and behavior in response to changes in temperature and extreme weather events. I love field work and learning about the natural world!

Isaac Rush

PhD Student

Email: isaac.rush@ndsu.edu

I am interested in the preservation of historical museum collections and their use to answer questions about mechanisms of evolution and life histories of birds. Previously, I assisted in preparing loan material and collection management at the University of Kansas Natural History Museum. Inspired by field research and these collections, my current studies focus on the effects of rapid environmental change on the body size and plumage characteristics of the broadly distributed House Sparrow utilizing historical specimens from the 1960s and contemporary specimens that have been collected from similar sites. I am also working to restore the NDSU bird and mammal specimen collection to be used for teaching and research.

Bethany Bespoyasny

MS Student

Email: bethany.bespoyasny@ndsu.edu

I am currently working on a literature review and taking photos of feathers under a microscope to determine barb and barbule density. I'm excited to see how feather structure has changed in the last 50 years in response to climate change, and also how it varies across a latitudinal gradient. 

Former NSF funded Research and Mentoring for Postbaccalaureates (RaMP) participant