I am a PhD student working with Tom Hobbs on the population estimation of elk in Rocky Mountain National Park. Specifically my research involves aiding transition from annual aerial surveys to ground count methods. I have a Bachelor's of Fine Arts in photography from the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University (2003) and worked as a freelance photographer for nearly a decade in New York City. Towards the end of my time in New York, I discovered a passion for quantitative methods while taking courses at Hunter College, City University of New York. I earned an MS, Statistics from Colorado State University in 2013 and am pursuing a PhD to explore applied methods in environmental statistics.

Kate Wilkins is a PhD student in the Graduate Degree Program at Colorado State University. Her research interests include human interactions with wildlife, and the ecological impacts associated with species reintroductions. Kate received a B.S. in Public Relations from the University of Texas in Austin in 2008, and her Master’s in Ecology from Colorado State University in 2012. Kate’s Master’s research assessed the impact of human observers on migrating Sandhill crane (Grus canadensis) behavior at the Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge in southern Colorado. Her interest and inspiration to study nature began while working for the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge in Maine as a Student Conservation Association Intern. During Kate’s graduate course of study, she would like to further her understanding of ecology, as well as learn more about the implications of human interactions with wildlife and species reintroductions. Kate’s ultimate goal is to use her experience and knowledge to teach conservation science and participate in public outreach at the college level.