Our Team

Principal Investigator: Dr. Jennifer Uehling (she/her/hers)

I am starting my first year at WCU in Fall 2023! I received my Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Cornell University in spring 2023 and my B.S. in Biology and B.A. in Environmental Studies from the University of Chicago in 2015. A native of the Philadelphia area, I graduated from Springfield Township High School in Montgomery County. I am passionate about teaching, mentoring students in research, and making science accessible to everyone.

When I'm not pondering bird behavior or working with students, I enjoy running and eating ice cream. I am a diehard Phillies fan.

View my C. V. here.

Lab Members

Chris Smith holding a nestling bird in a field.

Chris Smith: I am an environmental biology undergraduate student with a double major in marine science at West Chester University. I started in the lab in April of 2024 and have since had the pleasure to study and band eastern bluebirds and tree swallows! In addition to this work, I am also taking part in a national study on the biomass distribution of insects across the United States. I am currently interested in learning about the neurobiology of invertebrates and hope to continue onto graduate school after completing undergrad. Outside of school I enjoy camping, fishing, surfing and prolonging hikes by trying to identify everything I can see.

Maddie standing in front of a waterfall.

Maddie Vile: I am a Biology M.S. student at WCU, particularly interested in ornithology, ecology, and wildlife health. Before starting at WCU, I received my B.S. in Wildlife Conservation from DelVal. After graduating, I worked as a zookeeper, then a biology technician, and now as a necropsy technician at PennVet Wildlife Futures. I am excited to grow as a scientist during my time with Dr. Uehling at WCU, and to work more hands-on with my favorite group of animals - songbirds! Outside of school and work, I love reading fantasy novels, going to Longwood Gardens, and playing the violin.

A close-up of a chocolate-colored rabbit's face. The rabbit is in the grass. He has short ears and lighter-colored brown around his nose and mouth.

Hazelnut and Willie: We love birds, but we also love mammals. Our lab mascots are Hazelnut the bunny and Willie the dog. Hazelnut appreciates the role birds play in pest control so that his favorite food, lettuce, can grow. Willie appreciates birds by barking at them.

A dog smiling as she is petted. Her face is black with a white blaze down the middle. Her legs are white with black spots.

Interested in joining the lab?

I am excited to hear from prospective lab members! Please email me if you are interested in learning more about opportunities. Note that I anticipate hiring students for paid research positions in avian ecology every year from late April through late June. I may have other opportunities available during the academic year.

Lab alumni

Sharlene Jensen: Sharlene is a master's student at WCU. She is interested in researching wildlife diseases with a special interest in mange. For her master's capstone project, she is working on a review article on current knowledge of knemidokoptic mange, also known as scaly leg and face disease, in birds. This work includes investigating the taxonomic and geographic distribution of this disease in birds around the globe.

Cornell Undergraduate Mentees

Before starting my position at WCU, I mentored a number of amazing undergraduate students at Cornell University!

Audrey Su sits with her hands on her lap. She is smiling and wearing a gray sweater.

Audrey Su: Audrey (B. S. '24) started as an undergraduate field assistant on the Vitousek Lab tree swallow project in 2022, and she stayed on to do research for credit during the 2022-2023 academic year. Many banded birds and microbiome DNA extractions later, Audrey has mastered both field and lab work skills. In 2023, she returned as a tree swallow field crew leader to perform the research for her honors thesis, co-advised by myself and Maren Vitousek. Audrey's thesis explores whether cold snaps, which swallows experience more frequently due to climate change, affect female incubation behavior. She is also investigating whether glucocorticoids mediate how females respond to cold snaps during incubation. In addition to performing independent research, Audrey holds leadership roles in the Herpetological Society, Birding Club, and Hurlbert Ecology House at Cornell.

Olivia Rooney holds a nestling tree swallow. Olivia is wearing a gray hat and smiling.

Olivia Rooney: Olivia (B.S. '22) was an Entomology and Animal Science double major. Olivia started as my research assistant during the 2021 tree swallow field season. Olivia was supported by funds from my Sustainable Biodiversity Fund grant from the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability and co-advised by Colleen Miller. Over the course of the field season, Olivia managed a network of four malaise insect traps across our main swallow research sites, collecting insects and identifying them to the family level (no easy feat!). She continued this work as a student doing research for credit in the Vitousek Lab during the 2021-2022 school year, and her work was published as part of a continent-wide effort to explore insect phenology and response to temperature. While at Cornell, Olivia was also a member of the varsity softball team.

Paige Becker in a black shirt holding a baby bird.

Paige Becker: Paige (B.S. '21) started as an undergraduate field technician and as my mentee during the 2019 tree swallow field season. She stayed on to do research for credit during the academic year and became a powerhouse in the lab, doing a series of fecal sample and microbiome DNA extractions. In 2020-2021, Paige wrote her honors thesis in the Vitousek lab, co-advised by myself and Maren Vitousek. Her thesis explored tree swallow parental investment patterns, and specifically how tree swallow females distribute high-quality food between themselves and their nestlings. For her honors thesis work, Paige applied for and was awarded the Einhorn and Undergraduate Research funding! Paige was also a member of the Cornell varsity women's volleyball team.

Raquel Castromonte in a pink jacket holding an adult bird.

Raquel Castromonte: Raquel (B.S. '22) joined the lab as an undergraduate field technician for the 2019 tree swallow field season. She also did research for credit in the lab during the 2019-2020 academic school year, becoming an expert at fecal sample and microbiome DNA extractions. In 2019, Raquel was selected for the prestigious McNair Research Scholar program! Though COVID-19 put a damper on her original 2020 summer research plans associated with the McNair program, she made the best of the situation and worked with myself and other lab members to enhance her R skills and explore tree swallow diet using existing DNA metabarcoding data. While at Cornell, Raquel was also the secretary of Cornell's SACNAS chapter and involved in various Cornell dance organizations.

Emma Regnier in a black jacket holding a baby bird.

Emma Regnier: Emma (B.F.A. & B.S. ’19) discovered her fascination with bird migration and movement ecology as my mentee. During the spring 2018, she surveyed, banded, and assisted with radio tagging migratory shorebirds in the Delaware Bay. She also worked as an undergraduate field technician for the tree swallow project where she trapped, bled, and banded adult and nestling tree swallows. During the 2018-2019 academic year, she assisted me with a comparison of stress hormone levels from migratory birds around the world retrieved from the online database, HormoneBase. During her time at Cornell, Emma was an active member of the Cornell Raptor Program, helping to care for raptors and leading educational outreach programs.