Marisa is a PhD student in Forestry and Environmental Conservation (expected completion December 2027). Her current work focuses on grassland and early successional bird conservation, incorporating new technologies (ARUs) in data collection methods, and evaluating the impacts of management practices using data from the National Bobwhite and Grassland Initiative’s Coordinated Implementation Program. Marisa earned her MS in Environmental Sciences and a graduate Geographic Information Systems certificate at Oregon State University, where she was a Graduate Teaching Assistant for GIS classes and researched winter wetland passerine population and landcover change in Willamette Valley, Oregon. Before that, her research focused on sandhill and whooping cranes at the University of Central Florida and the International Crane Foundation. In her free time Marisa enjoys all things outdoors, small-time acting, and reading horror novels.

Percy is a PhD student in Forestry and Environmental Conservation. They grew up along the shores of Lake Michigan in what friends dub "basically Canada", a.k.a Petoskey, Michigan. They got their undergraduate degree in Philosophy and Biology from Hobart and William Smith Colleges where they also completed their honors thesis on physiology-mediated movement behavior in Plethodon cinereus. Afterwards, Percy worked at Cornell AgriTech and NYSIPM for multiple research projects in weed science and insect pest management in fruit crop. Their MS research at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville focused on the impacts of invasive waterfowl on North America and modeling the invasion potential of the Egyptian Goose. Percy's current research focuses on population dynamics and conservation in grassland birds. In their free time, Percy enjoys reading, Dungeons and Dragons, needlework, activism, video games, and spending time with their many animals. 

Allison is a PhD student in Forestry and Environmental Conservation. She earned her BS in Environmental Science with a Marine Science minor from UNC Chapel Hill where she conducted her honors thesis on blue whale surface interval behavior through Duke University’s Marine Robotics and Remote Sensing Lab. Allison earned her MS (2023) from Oregon State University where she led the Geospatial Ecology of Marine Megafauna Lab’s long-term gray whale ecology monitoring and STEM mentorship program in Port Orford, Oregon. From whales to quails, she is passionate about investigating the environmental drivers of suitable habitat vulnerable species. As part of the National Bobwhite and Grassland Initiative's Coordinated Implementation Program, Allison’s current work investigates how land use influences grassland bird habitat connectivity and composition at landscape scales. Allison loves research, reading, watercolor painting, and outdoor adventures with her dog Ollie. 

Allison is a PhD student in Forestry and Environmental Conservation investigating individuality within bird vocalizations and has a goal to create an AI method to model populations. Partnered with Greenville Zoo, Riverbanks Zoo, and Zoo Atlanta, she collected recordings of Chilean and American Flamingos to pilot a system with known population sizes of captive birds. Coming from Ohio, where she graduated with a BS (2018) and MS (2023) from Bowling Green State University, she also brought experience from working at Toledo Zoo for seven years including work from reestablishing native prairies. She is continuing her passion for restoration by working with Piedmont prairie plants. She has passions for volunteering at zoos and Christian community service projects. She has completed four internships with Walt Disney World and has the goal of pursing work at Disney’s Animal Kingdom after completing her PhD.  

Morgan is a MS student in Forestry and Environmental Conservation. She grew up in South Carolina and earned her BS in Biology from Francis Marion University (2023). During her undergraduate years she conducted research on small mammal populations at Carolina Wildlands Foundation property. She has spent time working with the National Park Service as a sea turtle technician on Cumberland Island National Seashore. During her seasonal position there she focused on the nesting and hatching of the Loggerhead and Green Sea Turtles. Her MS research focuses on cavity-nesting songbirds, specifically Eastern Bluebirds, nesting behaviors at Carolina Wildlands Foundation in Chesterfield, South Carolina. During her free time, she enjoys traveling, spending time with her friends and family, lake days, any outdoors activity, and playing with her puppy Alfie!

Natalie is a MS student in Forestry and Environmental Conservation. She earned a BS in Biology at Southern Utah University (2024) where her capstone projects included public education on endemic prairie dogs and behavioral analysis of native squirrels. Having also worked with the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), US Forest Service (USFS), and non-profit youth conservation groups, she is interested in public outreach and ecological studies. In continuation of these interests, she now is working to assess the impacts on vegetation and birds caused by an industry’s green initiatives to recouple fire and grazing in a pine savanna. At the conclusion of her degree (expected 2027), she intends to work with the USFS or USFWS. In her spare time she enjoys cooking, being outdoors, watching movies, and working out.

Jeyda is an undergraduate researcher in Forestry and Environmental Conservation at Clemson University. She grew up in Walterboro, SC and spent much of her time birdwatching or deer hunting. Jeyda expects to get her BS in Environmental and Natural Resources in 2027 and then plans to pursue a MS in ornithology. In the Elmore lab, Jeyda is focusing on using autonomous recording units to identify birds in the Clemson Experimental Forest, with a focus on wintering bird populations. In her free time, Jeyda enjoys birding, fishing, hiking, and most all other outdoor activities.

CJ is an undergraduate student pursuing a BS in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology with a minor in both Forestry and Biological Sciences at Clemson University. CJ has lived in many different states but currently resides in Chapin, South Carolina. He is an avid hunter and fisherman and likes to spend his time out on the water or in the woods or watching sports. He worked as a UPIC intern in the Elmore Lab in the spring of 2025 inputting habitat and avian presence data for graduate student and SCDNR projects. He currently is interning with SCDNR doing wildlife management. He plans on graduating in the Spring of 2026.

Cole is currently a research technician working in the Clemson Experimental Forest (CEF), where he focuses on continuous forest inventory with an emphasis on forest carbon. In the Elmore Lab, he conducted habitat assessments for Bobwhite quail on the CEF as part of the NBGI Coordinated Implementation Program. He also assisted with Marisa Zimmerman's PhD research developing ARU methodologies and conducting point counts. Cole will soon begin a MS in Forestry and Environmental Conservation at Clemson University, where his research will explore inventory methodologies and their application in projecting future timber yields, forest carbon stocks, and other key forest metrics. 

Hayden was a UPIC intern in Forestry and Environmental Conservation at Clemson University and with the NBGI Foundation. Born and raised in Valdosta, Georgia, Hayden grew up hunting big game and waterfowl, fishing, watersports, playing sports, and farming Satsuma Mandarins on his family’s farm. Hayden is working towards his BS in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology, with minors in Forest Resource Management and Business Administration. He is involved with the Fire Tigers program, where he assists with burn operations in the Sumpter National Forest, and plans to use his passion and knowledge of fire in graduate school and future career. Hayden assisted with researching and monitoring grassland bird populations and their habitats at Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch in Texas’ Panhandle Plains.