I have been fascinated by bats for so long now that I can't remember what initially sparked my interest in them. It might have been just from watching them fly around my yard on summer nights, but I have been in love with bats since I was a really little girl. Of course, I have also always found all animals really fascinating, but bats took the spotlight long ago. Now, I am specifically interested in bat habitat ecology, acoustics, migration, and conservation.
I graduated with my B.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences from the University of Missouri. As an undergraduate, I got a summer job as a field technician working with Dr. Sybill Amelon, who got me into the professional world of bats. I got to help trap bats for the first time during this job, which was incredible.
I continued to work with Dr. Amelon into my graduate career. I worked with her and Dr. Frank Thompson for my M.S. degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences from the University of Missouri. My thesis focused on bat occupancy of restored savannas and woodlands versus unmanaged forests in the Ozark region of Missouri. During this time, I also had the opportunity to help trap bats in many other interesting places, like Arizona, North Carolina, and even Costa Rica.
I earned my Ph.D. in Forest Sciences at Northern Arizona University with Dr. Carol Chambers. I used acoustics to study bat use of the landscape in a post-wildfire landscape and also in areas of northern Arizona that might be suitable for wind energy development.
Now I am at the University of Illinois at Ubana-Champaign. I am working with Dr. Joy O'Keefe and the Missouri Department of Conservation to determine effects of forest management on Indiana bats in northeast Missouri. I am really excited to continue working with and researching bats. I think that they are amazing animals that need more positive attention and love from everyone.
Contact Me
Email: cstarbuc(at)illinois.edu
I graduated with my B.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences from the University of Missouri. As an undergraduate, I got a summer job as a field technician working with Dr. Sybill Amelon, who got me into the professional world of bats. I got to help trap bats for the first time during this job, which was incredible.
I continued to work with Dr. Amelon into my graduate career. I worked with her and Dr. Frank Thompson for my M.S. degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences from the University of Missouri. My thesis focused on bat occupancy of restored savannas and woodlands versus unmanaged forests in the Ozark region of Missouri. During this time, I also had the opportunity to help trap bats in many other interesting places, like Arizona, North Carolina, and even Costa Rica.
I earned my Ph.D. in Forest Sciences at Northern Arizona University with Dr. Carol Chambers. I used acoustics to study bat use of the landscape in a post-wildfire landscape and also in areas of northern Arizona that might be suitable for wind energy development.
Now I am at the University of Illinois at Ubana-Champaign. I am working with Dr. Joy O'Keefe and the Missouri Department of Conservation to determine effects of forest management on Indiana bats in northeast Missouri. I am really excited to continue working with and researching bats. I think that they are amazing animals that need more positive attention and love from everyone.
Contact Me
Email: cstarbuc(at)illinois.edu