RESEARCH INTERESTS
My research and personal interests span a wide range of fields and subject areas. My ultimate goal as a scientist is to make contributions that enable solid, science-based conservation and management of at-risk species and ecosystems. To that end, I tend not to restrict my research to particular environments or species but rather focus on answering ecological questions that will provide valuable information for conservation. I'm particularly interested in integrating remotely-sensed data with observations of wildlife to produce maps and models of species distributions and habitat relationships. More recently, I have become involved in using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) as data collection tools for ecological research. Lastly, my lifelong enjoyment of creating art keeps me busy painting, drawing, and making, which is my way of grounding myself in an increasingly electronic/online world, and I aim to use my art to convey messages of nature appreciation and to highlight to plight of species at risk.
WILDLIFE ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
The other species we share our planet with are our most valuable resources, and protection and maintenance of wild places and beings is essential. My ecological research contributes to this end goal by answering ecological questions with empirical data collected in the field and via remote sensing.
REMOTE SENSING AND GIS
Combining remotely-sensed data with species observations is an incredibly powerful tool for mapping and modelling the distribution of species and their habitat requirements. Creating informative maps and models is a great way to convey scientific information, both to other researchers and to the public.
UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES
UAVs are becoming more popular in Canada, both as tools for scientific research and for commercial or recreational flying. Using the data generated from UAV flights presents new opportunities and challenges for researchers, and integrating UAVs safely into airspace is a top priority for their continued use.