For my dissertation, I managed two long-term projects, the Serengeti Lion Project and Snapshot Serengeti and developed a new cross-continental monitoring initiative, Snapshot Safari. For my postdoctoral work, I helped create a new camera trapping project, Eyes on the Wild and assist with the management of the WildCam Gorongosa monitoring program.
Serengeti Lion Project
The Serengeti Lion Project is a >50-year study of lions in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. We monitor >300 individually recognized lions, recording behavioral and demographic information. I have assisted with radio-tracking and data collection in the field, in addition to maintaining the long-term records at the University of Minnesota Lion Center for both the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater lion monitoring programs. I also help update our social media platforms.
The Serengeti Lion Project is a >50-year study of lions in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. We monitor >300 individually recognized lions, recording behavioral and demographic information. I have assisted with radio-tracking and data collection in the field, in addition to maintaining the long-term records at the University of Minnesota Lion Center for both the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater lion monitoring programs. I also help update our social media platforms.
Snapshot Serengeti
Snapshot Serengeti is a wildly successful ecological monitoring and citizen science initiative involving 200+ camera traps that have operated continuously in Serengeti National Park for over eight years. These camera traps provide accurate estimates of populations sizes across a wide range of resident and migratory species, comprehensively measure the local-scale patterns of the annual migration, and provide unique insights into Serengeti predator-prey dynamics. The data-set we produce from this project is currently being used by researchers and educators worldwide. I manage the camera trapping efforts in Serengeti, assist with camera monitoring and data download in the field, and am responsible for uploading data and maintaining our citizen science website (see Research, Teaching, and Outreach for more information).
Snapshot Serengeti is a wildly successful ecological monitoring and citizen science initiative involving 200+ camera traps that have operated continuously in Serengeti National Park for over eight years. These camera traps provide accurate estimates of populations sizes across a wide range of resident and migratory species, comprehensively measure the local-scale patterns of the annual migration, and provide unique insights into Serengeti predator-prey dynamics. The data-set we produce from this project is currently being used by researchers and educators worldwide. I manage the camera trapping efforts in Serengeti, assist with camera monitoring and data download in the field, and am responsible for uploading data and maintaining our citizen science website (see Research, Teaching, and Outreach for more information).
Snapshot Safari
We are implementing a network of long-term camera trapping projects across southern African reserves conforming to a standardized methodology, which enables ecological comparisons across habitat types, community compositions, and management strategies. Working in the paradigm of Snapshot Serengeti, Snapshot Safari will utilize the efforts of citizen scientists to identify animals in millions of camera trap images, and will be developed as an educational and outreach tool (see Teaching and Outreach for more information). In addition, we are incorporating new developments in machine learning and image recognition to aid the classification process, facilitating the speed with which we can start using these data for science and conservation.
We are implementing a network of long-term camera trapping projects across southern African reserves conforming to a standardized methodology, which enables ecological comparisons across habitat types, community compositions, and management strategies. Working in the paradigm of Snapshot Serengeti, Snapshot Safari will utilize the efforts of citizen scientists to identify animals in millions of camera trap images, and will be developed as an educational and outreach tool (see Teaching and Outreach for more information). In addition, we are incorporating new developments in machine learning and image recognition to aid the classification process, facilitating the speed with which we can start using these data for science and conservation.
Eyes on the Wild
We deployed 100 camera traps across the long-term ecological research station, Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve (CCESR). CCESR is a world-famous biological field station lying within the meeting point of the three largest biomes of North America - tall grass prairie, eastern deciduous forest and boreal coniferous forest - and is consequentially filled with a diverse array of floristic and faunal diversity. While the plant and soil communities of CCESR have been rigorously studied for decades, little is currently known about how the diverse animal community (including recolonizing wolves) in this reserve impact ecosystem functioning. I set up the citizen science platform Eyes on the Wild to help process the millions of images collected at this site every year. I also contribute to our blog, Facebook, and Instagram feeds.
We deployed 100 camera traps across the long-term ecological research station, Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve (CCESR). CCESR is a world-famous biological field station lying within the meeting point of the three largest biomes of North America - tall grass prairie, eastern deciduous forest and boreal coniferous forest - and is consequentially filled with a diverse array of floristic and faunal diversity. While the plant and soil communities of CCESR have been rigorously studied for decades, little is currently known about how the diverse animal community (including recolonizing wolves) in this reserve impact ecosystem functioning. I set up the citizen science platform Eyes on the Wild to help process the millions of images collected at this site every year. I also contribute to our blog, Facebook, and Instagram feeds.
WildCam Gorongosa
Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique was once among the most diverse places on Earth, but decades of war decimated the park’s large animal populations. In 2016, researchers established a camera trap monitoring survey in the park following the methodology of the Snapshot Serengeti project. These data are identified online by citizen scientists at WildCam Gorongosa. I assist with data collection and processing, citizen science engagement, and am developing ways to use this platform as a teaching tool for Mozambican and international students. I also manage our Facebook and Twitter feeds.
Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique was once among the most diverse places on Earth, but decades of war decimated the park’s large animal populations. In 2016, researchers established a camera trap monitoring survey in the park following the methodology of the Snapshot Serengeti project. These data are identified online by citizen scientists at WildCam Gorongosa. I assist with data collection and processing, citizen science engagement, and am developing ways to use this platform as a teaching tool for Mozambican and international students. I also manage our Facebook and Twitter feeds.
Serengeti GIS & Data Center
On the Serengeti GIS & Data Center site, you can download a diverse collection of Serengeti-related ecological and environmental data, find assistance with data analysis, discover collections of Serengeti research publications, and connect with on-going Serengeti research projects. Originally compiled by Dr. Grant Hopcraft, I helped to reboot the website and upload/maintain current Serengeti data sets.
On the Serengeti GIS & Data Center site, you can download a diverse collection of Serengeti-related ecological and environmental data, find assistance with data analysis, discover collections of Serengeti research publications, and connect with on-going Serengeti research projects. Originally compiled by Dr. Grant Hopcraft, I helped to reboot the website and upload/maintain current Serengeti data sets.