Madeleine Babcock is a Biology major and Marine Science minor in the class of 2026. She is part of the urban waterbird project which aims to study how an urbanization gradient affects the distribution of shore birds. She is also beginning research for her honors thesis in morphological plasticity in fiddler crab burrows in response to an invasive reed, Phragmites australis.

I am a Biology major and Marine Science minor in the Class of 2026. I am part of the larval salamander research project, which examines the ecological drivers of local salamander distribution and abundance in various streams around Williamsburg. Outside of the lab, I am a member of the William & Mary Sustainability Advisory Committee and enjoy hiking and fishing with friends in my free time. 

Grace Grenn is a Biology major in the class of 2027 from Alexandria, VA. She is studying barred owls through point counts and road mortality surveys in the Williamsburg area. The aims of this research are to prevent vehicle-owl collisions and to become more informed about owl habitat usage in relation to urbanization. Outside of lab, Grace is involved in the IHSA equestrian team on campus.

Benjamin is a Biology and Biochemistry major in the class of 2027. He is a researcher in the ACER lab, working on the BADO Project, which investigates Barred Owl (Strix varia) mortality rates in urban and non-urban environments. His research focuses on understanding how landscape factors influence owl populations, with an emphasis on anthropogenic impacts on mortality trends. In addition to fieldwork, Benjamin is analyzing ecological and spatial data to assess the potential risks urban environments pose to Barred Owls.

Hans Kraaimoore is a biology major and kinesiology minor. He is currently working on his second semester with the salamander research group in the ACER lab, and previously worked with Dr. Cristol investigating the optimal conditions for Zebra Finch incubation. His work with salamander research involves sampling local streams for Two-lined, Three-lined, and Dusky salamanders and analyzing their presence in different locations. 

Emma Lankford is a Biology and Integrative Conservation major in the class of 2025. She is studying crayfish with the ACER lab in conjunction with the salamander research group for her Honors thesis in Biology. This research involves field sampling streams in the Williamsburg area for crayfish, aquatic invertebrates, and water quality metrics. The data will be used to determine how local crayfish species respond to changes in environment and landscape factors, both in distribution and abundance.  

Ellie Ramsey is a Biology and Environmental Sciences major in the class of 2027. She leads the larval salamander research group, which investigates the ecological drivers of local salamander distribution and abundance, including the three-lined salamander (Eurycea guttolineata), the southern two-lined salamander (Eurycea cirrigera), and northern dusky salamander (Desmognathus fuscus). In addition to fieldwork, Ellie is also using GIS to measure landscape factors that impact salamander dispersal. 

Claudia Rickels is a Biology and Environmental Sciences major in the class of 2026. She is part of the larval salamander research group that is investigating the ecological drivers of larval salamander populations in local streams. This team is working to generate a long-term data set to study these local populations and stream conditions over time. 

Grant Reiter is a biology major and chemistry minor graduating in the Fall of 2025. He is currently in his fourth semester working on the larval salamander research group within the ACER lab. He joined the lab through Dr. Chambers and the Keck Lab being driven by engaging in conservation research and wanting the unique opportunity of being able to do lab work out in the field. Outside of the lab, he is currently studying for the MCAT with the hopes of continuing his education in medical school after graduation.  

Brendan Tingley is a junior biology major in the class of 2026. He will participate in studying Barred Owls in and around Williamsburg and Richmond, Virginia. Owl populations are examined through a combination of mortality surveys, call back assessments, and GPS tracking. Ultimately, his study group hopes that assessing Barred Owl populations will provide a framework to protect them and their habitat. 

Bobby Welsh is a freshman biology major in the class of 2028. He participates in the larval salamander research group which examines salamander prevalence in the Williamsburg area. It is his second semester working with the ACER lab team.  

Leah Weinraub is a Biology and Integrative Conservation major in the class of 2026. She will begin surveying adult salamander populations for her honors thesis as an extension of ongoing larval salamander study. Through field work, GIS, and statistical modelling, she will investigate the environmental factors driving salamander abundance and distribution across their life history.