Long-standing Schubot Research Programs
Long -standing Schubot research programs are described in more details at the following pages:
- Parrot Bornavirus & Proventricular Dilatation Disease
- Oil Spill Responses
- Disease Risks to Whooping Cranes & Sandhill Cranes
- The Ara Genomes Project
- The Macaw Society – Wild macaws ecology, health and conservation research
- Schubot Publications
Research projects funded by The Schubot Center
Spring 2025
Schubot Research Mini Grants
| Name | Position | Dept | Mentor | Tittle |
| Jenna Turpin | PhD Student | ECCB | Dr. Jessica Youzinski | Urban Animals Under Chronic Noise and Light Pollution |
| Ryland Elliott | Undergraduate | ECCB | Dr. Jessica Youzinski | Deviations in Historic Population Ranges around Urbanized Environments |
| Amanda Waugh | PhD Student | VIBS | Dr. Sarah Hamer | Investigating the ecology of avian malaria parasites in El Paso, Texas |
| Aeris Clarkson | Post Doc | Biology | Dr. Butler | Investigating Heavy Metal Contamination in American Oystercatchers |
| Kevin Perozeni | MS Student | RWFM | Dr. Ashley Long | Movement Ecology and Habitat Use of Wilson’s Snipe (Gallinago delicata) |
| Tabitha Olsen | Post Doc | EES/BIOL | Dr. Butler | An Assessment of Syntopic Divergence of Sympatric Sparrows Through Fecal Metabarcoding |
| Randall Keith Andringa | PhD Student | EEB/ECCB | Dr. Grace | Analysis of nanoplastic accumulation in liver tissue of Clapper Rails (Rallus crepitans) |
Schubot Travel Grants
| Name | Position | Dept | Mentor | Tittle |
| Meredith Anderson | PhD Student | EEB/VIBS | Dr. Hamer | Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), Portland, Oregon |
| Oluwamosope ‘Sope’ Adenji | PhD Student | BIOL | Dr. Delmore/Pepper | Evolution 2025 congress, Athens, GA, USA |
| Trevor Markwood | Graduate Student | BIOL | Dr. Butler | The Wilson Ornithological Society 2025 Meetingm, Los Angeles, CA |
| Adam Bower | PhD Student | EEB/VTPB | Dr. Brightsmith | International Psittacine Congress 2025 to be held at Copán Ruinas, Honduras |
| Flavia Termignoni-Garcia | Post Doc | BIOL | Dr. Delmore/Merlin | International Gordon Research Conference (GRC) in Lucca, Italy |
| Heather Prestridge | Staff | ECCB | NA | Biodiversity Digitization Conference, Washington DC |
Spring 2024
Schubot Research Mini Grants
| Name | Position | Dept | Mentor | Tittle |
| Kalina Eskew | PhD Student | ECCB | Dr. Jessica Youzinski | Influence of vehicle light and noise on avian hormone concentrations |
| Jenna Turpin | PhD Student | ECCB | Dr. Jessica Youzinski | Antipredator behavior in Captivity Under ALAN |
| Sope Adenijii | PhD Student | Biology | Dr. Kira Delmore | DNA methylation: impacts by hybridization and contributions to speciation |
| Fr. Steph Blain | Post Doc | Biology | Dr. Kira Delmore | Patters of introgression across and avian migratory divide |
| Lauren Doelinger | MS Student | Biology | Dr. Kira Delmore | Mitonuclear Incompatibilities in Two Subspecies of Swainson’s Thrush |
| Logan Thomas PhD | Post Doc | VTPB | Dr. Walt Cook | Pathogen Surveillance at a Domestic Poultry-Wild Turkey Interface |
| Mycha Van Allen MS. | PhD Student | BIMS | Dr. Sarah Hamer | Examination of Brown-headed Cowbirds As Potential Carriers for Ticks of Zoonotic Concern |
Spring 2023
Schubot Research Mini Grants
| Name | Position | Dept | Mentor | Tittle |
| Amanda Beckman | PhD Student | EEB | Dr. Hamer | Building the Butterball: Anthropogenic Impacts on Domestic and Wild Turkeys |
| Jenna Turpin | PhD Student | VIBS | Dr. Hamer | Systemic insecticide treatment of chickens results in mortality in Triatoma gerstaeckeri, vector of the agent of Chagas disease |
| Cassandra Durden | MS Student | VIBS | Dr. Youzinski | DNA methylation: impacts by hybridization and contributions to speciation |
| Dr. Don Brightsmith + Simon Kaicz | Faculty | VTPB | Dr. Brightsmith | Mapping the risk to the Critically Endangered Yellow-naped Parrot in Costa Rica |
| Dr. Jill Heatley + Dr. Karen Russell | Faculty | SACS | Dr. Heatly | Assay validation and reference Interval creation for cardiac troponin I in quaker parrots |
| Dr. Francisco Ferreira | Asst. Research Scientist | ENTO | Dr. Gabriel Hamer | Dynamics of malaria parasites and related haemosporidians infecting sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis): a 21-years long study |
| Jenna Turpin | PhD Student | BIMS | Dr. Yorzinski | Urban Ecology of Avian Antiredator Behavior at Night |
| Dr. Kira Delmore | Faculty | BIOL | Dr. Delmore | Developing teaching materials on the topics of migration evolution and conservation for Latin America |
Schubot Travel Grants
| Name | Position | Mentor | Dept | Destination |
| Aeris Clarkson | Undergraduate Student | Dr. Delmore | BIOL | Travel to field site in Brithish Columbia |
| Meredith Anderson | PhD Student | Dr. Sarah Hamer | EEB | Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Louisville, Kentucky |
| Hannah Justen | PhD Student | Dr. Delmore | EEB | Gordon Seminar (GRS) and Conference (GRC) – Speciation (“The origin and persistence of species”) held at the Renaissance Tuscany, near Lucca, Italy |
| Stephanie Blain | Post Doc | Dr. Delmore | BIOL | Evolution meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico |
Spring 2022
| Name | Position | Dept. | Mentor | Tittle |
| Kira Delmore, PhD | BIOL | Genome – Wide Epigenetic Regulation of Birds Migration | ||
| Elena Duran | PhD Candidate | ECCB | Jacquie Grace, PhD | Impacts of Anthropogenic Mercury on Avian Parental Health and Behavior, and Direct and Indirect Effects on Offspring Health |
| R. Keith Andringa | Graduate Student | ECCB | Jacquie Grace, PhD | A proposal for the establishment of Purple Martin (Progne subis) colonies for research and outreach |
| J. Jill Heatley DVM MS DABVP DACZM & Sonya Gordon DVM DACV IM | Clinical Associate Professor Professor | VSCS VTPB | – | Assay validation and reference Interval creation for a novel renal biomarker in quaker parrots |
| Hannah Justen | PhD Candidate | BIOL | ira Delmore, PhD | Has the microbiome the potential to influence speciation in birds? |
| Simon Kiacz | PhD Candidate | VTPB | Don Brightsmith PhD | Vocal variation and its implications in released Yellow – naped Parrots (Amazona auropalliata) |
| Jennifer Rudolf | Undergraduate | BIOL | Kira Delmore, PhD | Female Preference in Hummingbirds |
| Musfirat Shubaita | Undergraduate | BIOL | Kira Delmore P hD | Black-chinned and Ruby-throated Hummingbird Hybrid Courtship Display Sonation and Male Gorget Angle Analysis |
Fall 2019
| Name | Position | Dept. | Mentor | Title |
| Dr. Wes Brashear | Postdoc | BIOL | Dr. Kira Delmore | Study of a natural avian hybrid zone to assess temporal patterns of hybridization and genomic introgression |
| Viridiana Martinez | PhD student | WFSC | Dr. Jacquie Grace | Interactions between stress hormones and blood parasites in birds along elevation gradients |
| Dr. Abigail Kimmitt | Postdoc | BIOL | Dr. Kira Delmore | Viability selection against hybrids in a songbird migratory divide |
| Amanda Beckman | PhD student | EEB | Dr. Michael Morrison | Struttin’ with two brothers versus eight cousins: investigating how relatedness influences cooperative coalitions and parasite dynamics |
| Spencer DeBrock | PhD student | VIBS | Dr. Sarah Hamer | The role of migratory birds in the spread and dispersal of parasites |
| Hannah Justen | PhD student | EEB | Dr. Kira Delmore | Can we predict how juvenile migrants will respond to environmental changes? |
| Mariel Ortega | undergraduate | WFSC | Dr. Jacquie Grace | The Effects of Pishing and Playback on Avian Fitness |
| Randall ‘Keith’ Andringa | undergraduate | WFSC | Dr. Jacquie Grace | Stable isotope analysis of features to analyze dietary shifts in dabbling ducks |
