Directors
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Dr. William F. Porter
Director, Boone and Crockett Quantitative Wildlife Center Professor; Boone & Crockett Chair of Wildlife Conservation porterw@anr.msu.edu Dr. Porter's research explores population dynamics and the behavioral ecology of wildlife in relation to habitat, emphasizing the application of ecological knowledge to management and conservation policy. Current studies focus on the fundamental forces now reshaping wildlife conservation: land-use change affecting habitats, emerging diseases in wildlife, shifting patterns in weather and climate, and changing conservation policy. Dr. Porter comes to Michigan State University after a long career at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse where he was Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Director of the Adirondack Ecological Center. |
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Dr. David Williams
Associate Director, Boone and Crockett Quantitative Wildlife Center Assistant Professor; Dept. of Fisheries and Wildlife dmwill@msu.edu Dr. Williams' research interests are broad, but focus on understanding how landscape heterogeneity influences populations, animal movements, and habitat use and applying that knowledge in the context of larger ecological processes and management decisions. His teaching has included courses on the analysis and management of wildlife populations, wildlife ecology, and applications of geographic information systems to the management of natural resources. |
Research Associates
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Dr. Sonja Christensen
Research Associate Boone and Crockett Quantitative Wildlife Center Department of Fisheries and Wildlife chris625@msu.edu Originally from Bemidji, Minnesota, Sonja graduated with a biology degree from Minnesota State University, Mankato. While completing her undergraduate degree, she worked for the Minnesota DNR farmland wildlife population research group. Sonja completed her M.S. degree through Penn State University in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. Following completion of her master's degree, Sonja worked at the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, where she was responsible for research and management of ungulates in the state. She then spent two years working on ungulate research at the University of Montana before moving to Michigan complete her Ph.D. research on white-tailed deer and disease ecology at Michigan State University. Sonja's research interests include wildlife disease ecology, and population ecology and management. |
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Dr. Joanne Crawford
Research Associate Boone and Crockett Quantitative Wildlife Center Department of Fisheries and Wildlife jcc@msu.edu Dr. Crawford’s research focuses on the intersection of wildlife ecology, spatial ecology, and human dimensions, spanning both applied and basic research questions. She earned her B.S. and M.S. in Biological Sciences from Eastern Illinois University and her Ph.D. from Southern Illinois University. Past research projects have included investigations of the social structure and population genetics of beavers, habitat use and joint space use of lagomorphs in restored forests, and the socio-spatial structure of deer in suburban landscapes. Dr. Crawford also enjoys mentoring students and engaging with youth and the public-at-large through local wildlife research and education initiatives. Currently, she serves as the lead research associate for the Midwest Wild Turkey Consortium and provides support for a variety of quantitative research projects at the QWC. |
Research Administrator
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Dr. Rose Stewart
Research Administrator Boone and Crockett Quantitative Wildlife Center Department of Fisheries and Wildlife stewa684@anr.msu.edu Dr. Stewart supports pre- and post-award matters and coordinates research activities within the Boone and Crockett Quantitative Wildlife Center. After receiving her B.A. in Biology from St. Mary's College of Maryland, she began her career at the World Wildlife Fund and its Wildlife and Contaminants Program. Dr. Stewart's interest in wildlife endocrinology led her to the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, where she completed her Ph.D. in collaboration with the University of Maryland. Following completion of her doctoral degree, she directed the Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior’s core research facility at Indiana University. Dr. Stewart is broadly interested in wildlife conservation, student mentoring and promoting research opportunities. |
Graduate Research Assistants
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Rebecca Cain
Ph.D. Candidate Boone and Crockett Fellow cainrebe@msu.edu Rebecca’s dissertation seeks to uncover key factors that modify the spatial and temporal patterns of record book white-tailed deer harvests across the Midwestern United States, and how wildlife management strategies influence this system. Rebecca graduated from Clemson University in 2011 with a B.S. in Biological Sciences. In 2014, Rebecca completed her thesis, “A quantitative analysis of white-tailed deer harvest across states and counties,” to earn a Master of Earth & Environmental Resources Management (M.E.E.R.M) degree from the University of South Carolina. Also in 2014, Rebecca obtained a Wildlife/Forestry Conservation Career Diploma from Penn Foster. Rebecca has completed the Quality Deer Management Association's Deer Steward I & II certification courses and is an Official Measurer for the Boone and Crockett Club. |
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Jonathan Cook
Ph.D. Student Boone and Crockett Fellow cookjo15@msu.edu Jonathan received his B.S. in Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology in 2012 and his M.S. in Ecology in 2016, both from the University of California-Davis. Between his undergraduate and graduate studies, Jonathan worked in a research lab at UC-Davis that focused on questions related to estuarine and marine fish health. For his Master’s degree, he assessed aquatic species response to a large-scale restoration project in San Francisco Estuary. His main research interests are in understanding how habitat quality influences the distribution and habitat use patterns of species to inform the health of wildlife populations. For his Ph.D. research, Jonathan will be evaluating habitat use patterns of white-tailed deer to inform disease detection and management in Michigan. |
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Kathryn Frens
Ph.D. Candidate Boone and Crockett Fellow frenskat@msu.edu Kathryn is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife and the Environmental Science and Policy Program at Michigan State University. Her dissertation research focuses on the intersection of land use policy, wildlife conservation, and human wellbeing across large landscapes. She is particularly interested in combining information and methods from across disciplines to do research that informs policy, and also gets enthusiastic about well-written papers and other effective communication. Kathryn graduated from Hope College in 2006 with a degree in biology and writing, and subsequently received a M.S. degree from the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and the Environment. Since then, she has worked on wildlife research projects around the country. |
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Christopher Hoving
Ph.D. Student Boone and Crockett Fellow hovingc@michigan.gov Chris received his B.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife from Michigan State University and his M.S. in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Maine. Chris has worked for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources since 2003, first as a private lands biologist, and then later as the state's Endangered Species Coordinator. In 2012, he took a newly created position as Adaptation Specialist, where he focuses on the challenges of adapting wildlife management to a changing climate. At Michigan State University, Chris studies the resilience of oak ecosystems to human management, natural disturbance, and changing climate in southern Michigan. His interests include historical ecology, spatial ecology, complex adaptive systems, and conserving wild character in intensively managed ecosystems. |
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Ashley Huinker
M.S. Student Boone and Crockett Fellow huinkera@msu.edu Ashley received her bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Montana State University in 2016. While completing her B.S., she worked as a wildlife intern for Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks performing common loon surveys and assisting with tasks relating to other non-game wildlife interests. Since graduating, she has worked for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to band waterfowl and on a northern bobwhite quail research project with Oklahoma State University. For her master’s research, Ashley will be studying American woodcock and factors affecting their reproduction and survival, such as local vegetation characteristics of nesting sites. Ashley is especially interested in game bird management and effective education about wildlife conservation efforts, particularly at the elementary and middle school levels. |
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Nick Jaffe
Ph.D. Student Boone and Crockett Fellow jaffenic@msu.edu Nick received his B.S. in Environmental Studies from University of North Carolina - Asheville in 2012 and M.S. in Natural Resource Ecology and Management from Oklahoma State University in 2017. Between degrees, Nick worked in environmental consulting and research labs at Florida International University, where he earned a graduate certificate in Geographic Information Systems. His thesis research focused on the effects of weather extremes on grassland bird abundance and population vital rates as well as the status of conservation priority birds. His dissertation will explore potential effects of predator-prey interactions on the ecology and local economies of the lower peninsula of Michigan. Nick is broadly interested in landscape ecology, spatial ecology, and wildlife conservation. |
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Allie Shoffner
Ph.D. Student Boone and Crockett Fellow shoffne1@msu.edu Allie is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Michigan State University. For her dissertation research, she will work closely with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to examine factors affecting American woodcock reproductive success in the state. Before coming to Michigan, Allie received her M.S. in Earth Sciences from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 2016. Her master’s research focused on determining the relative impacts of habitat amount, habitat configuration, and urbanization on songbird diversity in forested landscapes across Pennsylvania. Prior to receiving her master’s degree, Allie earned B.S. degrees in Biology and in Wildlife and Fisheries Science from the Pennsylvania State University in 2012. Allie is broadly interested in landscape ecology and how urbanization influences interactions between humans and wildlife, particularly birds. |
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Leslie Skora
M.S. Student Boone and Crockett Fellow skorale1@msu.edu Leslie received her bachelor’s degrees in Natural Resource Management and Biomedical Science at Grand Valley State University in Michigan. Since then she has worked on several research projects involving Kittlitz’s murrelets and salmon at Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska, wolves in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, and pine marten in northern Maine. She currently works at Katmai National Park and Preserve in southwest Alaska, where she monitors the brown bear population along the Brooks River and throughout the park. Her research project plans to model fluctuations in the bear population at Katmai and look at factors such as increased visitor use of the park, salmon escapement, competition for limited resources, and other environmental conditions that might be causing changes to bear numbers. |
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Jennifer Smith
M.S. Student Boone and Crockett Fellow smit2461@msu.edu Jennifer received her B.S. in Wildlife Biology from Humboldt State University in 2013. Jennifer has studied western snowy plovers in northern California, neotropical primates in Costa Rica, and grey wolf populations in Idaho. Most recently, she worked for the Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit as a research assistant. Jennifer is exploring the movement ecology and resource selection of black bears in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Her research is focused on how black bears utilize different landscapes, particularly agricultural landscapes, as well as new methods for improving estimates of black bear abundance in the Lower Peninsula. Jennifer is broadly interested in applied wildlife conservation, effective scientific communication, and making science accessible to all groups. |
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Noelle Thompson
Ph.D. Student Boone and Crockett Fellow thomp996@msu.edu Noelle received her B.S. (2015) and M.S. (2017) in Animal Sciences from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her Master's research evaluated the effects of white-tailed deer removal on deer habitat use and spatial clustering. At MSU, her Ph.D. research focuses on identifying cost-effective management strategies for minimizing direct and indirect transmission of chronic wasting disease in Michigan's free-ranging white-tailed deer. Noelle's research interests are in wildlife conservation and management and infectious disease ecology. |
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Jonathan Trudeau
Ph.D. Student Boone and Crockett Fellow jtrudeau@msu.edu Jonathan is from a small rural town in Northeastern Connecticut. He received his B.S. in Wildlife Ecology from the University of New Hampshire in 2013. Between his undergraduate and graduate studies, Jonathan worked for the US Fish and Wildlife Service as a Biological Technician researching loon nesting behavior and mesopredator abundance in northern hardwood and spruce/fir forests. Jonathan is completing his M.S. degree at Ball State University studying space use differences between urban and rural white-tailed deer in southern Indiana. At MSU, his Ph.D. research will focus on factors influencing the movement and dispersal of white-tailed deer along a human development gradient from rural to suburban. Jonathan’s research interests are in urban wildlife ecology, wildlife disease, and management. |
Undergraduate Research Assistants
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Steven Gurney
Research Assistant gurneyst@msu.edu Steve is an undergraduate student in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Michigan State University, with a concentration in Wildlife Biology and Management. He has worked in outreach education focusing on the stewardship of natural resources and environmental issues. Steve’s research explores possible factors of low black bear detection in the northern Lower Peninsula by examining the behavioral ecology of bears from trail cam data, quantifying the frequency of “false-negatives”, and analyzing how bears avoid detection. Steve is widely interested in applied conservation and how wildlife populations utilize the environment in response to human interactions with the land. |
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Garrett Knowlton
Research Assistant knowlt31@msu.edu Garrett is an undergraduate student at Michigan State University, pursing a degree in Fisheries and Wildlife and a minor in Geographic Information Science. He joined the QWC as a Research Assistant in 2016, assisting with a project evaluating whether reporting bias affects spatial patterning of record-book white-tailed deer at the time of harvest. Garrett expects to graduate in May 2019 and plans to attend graduate school. His interests include wildlife conservation and management, spatial ecology, and the application of research to conservation policy. |
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Sydney Manning
Research Assistant manni122@msu.edu Sydney is an undergraduate student at Michigan State University in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. She originally joined the QWC in 2014 as a Professorial Assistant, developing models in R to evaluate fall harvests of Eastern Wild Turkeys in plausible management systems. More recently, she worked as a field technician coordinating volunteer-based transect surveys for white-tailed deer and led an independent entomological field study, both as part of a larger project related to deer disease in Michigan. Sydney is broadly interested in population analyses and modeling, disease, and community health. |
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Hunter Stanke
Professorial Assistant stankehu@msu.edu Hunter is an undergraduate student within the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, majoring in Forestry and Fisheries and Wildlife. He joined the QWC in 2016, and will be working closely with the Deer Disease Initiative focusing on Chronic Wasting Disease. Upon graduation from Michigan State University in 2020, Hunter plans to attend graduate school and work to develop solutions that integrate the needs of natural resource related-industries with local wildlife populations and habitat. |
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