Vertebrates

I am a wildlife biologist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst with over 25 years of field experience, both in the US and abroad, and have been working as Collections Manager for the Natural History Collections since 1996.  I received my B.S. and M.S. in Wildlife Biology from the Environmental Conservation Department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. As Collections Manager, I am responsible for the organization, preparation, and care of all vertebrate and non-insect invertebrate specimens held in the Biology Department. In addition, I teach the labs for Biol 548, Mammalogy, and coordinate the use of specimens for teaching, research, outreach, and exhibits.

My interest in collections started out small. While working on my graduate research, I learned how to prepare shrew skins and skeletons. Since then, I have worked with a wide range of taxa, from invertebrates barely visible to the naked eye to whales over 50 feet long. My research background is also diverse, focusing on wildlife-habitat relationships of small mammal communities and protected species in Massachusetts and, more recently, the extreme ecosystems of the high Andes of South America. As lead mammalogist for eight international expeditions to Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina, I conducted rapid biodiversity assessments for small mammals. Currently, I am involved with camera trap surveys in the Cordillera Vilcanota, Peru to document carnivore species, work that will contribute to research on the impacts of climate change and glacial retreat on mammal communities.