2026
  • Graduate students Nolan Burdett and Holly Keating were awarded the Illinois Chapter of The Wildlife Society Travel Award!
  • Welcome new graduate students April Dossett and Julia Johnson, as well as undergraduate student Savanna Brown!

2025
  • Undergraduate student Mikaila Ek was given a prestigious scholarship from the Charles Jacob's and Mariann Younger Foundation! Congrats Mikaila!
  • Nolan and Isabella-Rose started an EIU Student Chapter of The Wildlife Society! The chapter has been officially recognized by the EIU Student Government as a Registered Student Organization (RSO) and they have been supported by The Wildlife Society and the Illinois Chapter of The Wildlife Society as a student chapter!
  • Dr. Liz's peer-reviewed manuscript with Drs. Misty McPhee, Rachel Chock, Bruce Schulte and Julie Young in the special issue "Conservation Behaviour and the Anthropocene" in the Animal Behaviour journal was published! It's entitled "Leveraging behavior can improve translocation success in the face of anthropogenic stressors" and can be found here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003347225002477 
  • Dr. Elliot Zieman and Dr. Liz were funded by IDNR to start bobcat work in Illinois!
  • Great job to the EIU Student Chapter of the Wildlife Society at the Homecoming Parade! Our field truck was proudly decorated for the event and the students walked along with truck to hand out candy to the community.
  • Dr. Liz and Nolan Burdett attended and presented research at the annual Animal Behaviour Society Conference in Baltimore Maryland! Great job Nolan!
  • Great job to the wildlife and fisheries students for organizing a successful event at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Spring Fest!
  • Great job to Holly Keating and Nolan Burdett who presented their research at the Eastern Illinois 18th Annual Student Research and Creative Activity Conference!
  • Welcome new undergraduate students Mikaila Ek and Isabella-Rose Gonzlalez to the team!
  • Great job to Nolan Burdett, Holly Keating, and Izabella Sheppard at the Illinois Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Conference!
  • Holly Keating received the Illinois Chapter of The Wildlife Society Travel Award! Great job Holly!
  • Holly Keating received the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Research and Creative Activity Grant! Great job Holly!
  • Nolan Burdett received the EIU Williams Travel Grant! Great job Nolan!
  • Welcome new undergraduate student, Jae Lynn Riggleman, to the team!

2024
  • Great job to Holly Keating, Nolan Burdett, and Alayna Furman on the department's float for the Homecoming Parade!
  • Welcome new graduate student Nolan Burdett to the team!
  • Dr. Liz and her husband welcomed a new little future wildlife biologist to their family!
  • Melissa Loftin received the Jack Seilheimer Outstanding WANR Award! Congrats Melissa!
  • Dr. Liz participated in a podcast mini-series with other conservation behaviorists in the field on "Anthropogenic Behavior Change" on the Deal with Animals Podcast. Check out the trailer here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3ZLE3guxwho9rUBZbr2ZGV. Check out the mini-series here: www.thedealwithanimals.com
  • Welcome new graduate students Klow Is, Izzy Sheppard, and Holly Keating, and new undergraduate student Xiana Pettis, to the team!
  • We received funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Federation for our work in Colorado with prairie dogs and ferrets!
  • Congratulations to Klow Si, Izzy Sheppard, and Holly Keating who have been accepted into the graduate program in the Department of Biological Sciences at EIU! Welcome (or welcome back) to the team!
  • We have a new publication on our work studying the impacts of pollution in the Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology! See the publication here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00128-023-03846-x
  • Welcome new graduate student, Chinelo Ogwu, and undergraduate student, Liz Stock, to the lab!​

2023
  • We received a research grant from the Colorado Department of Transportation to continue our work in southern Colorado on wildlife-vehicle collisions!
  • Welcome new team member Alayna Furman!
  • Congratulations to team member Izabella Sheppard who accepted a Research & Conservation Technician position with the Butterfly Pavilion on the Tarantula Road Mortality Project!
  • Congratulations to team members Sara Colby, Melissa Loftin, Katelynn Randolph, and Izabella Sheppard, and PI Liz Peterson, who presented their research at the annual Animal Behavior Society Conference in Portland OR!
  • Congratulations to team member, Maxwell Martell, who graduated this spring and accepted a wildlife technician position with USDA!
  • Welcome new team members, Melissa Loftin and TJ Cox, to the research team!
  • Great job to graduated team member, Noah Robison, who has accepted a position as a wildlife biologist with USFWS!
  • Great job to team member, Izzy Sheppard, who presented her research on prairie dogs at the Colorado Chapter of the Tri-beta Society Conference in April!
  • PI Dr. Liz Peterson just accepted a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in the Department of Biology at Eastern Illinois University!
  • Congratulations to team member, Sara Colby, who will be starting an internship with USFWS and the Student Conservation Association in April!
  • Great job to team members, Maxwell Martell and Adam Liao, who presented their research on wildlife-vehicle collisions at the Colorado Chapter of the Wildlife Society Conference 2023 in Grand Junction, CO!
  • Congratulations to graduated team member, Jenna Morales, who is now working in Dr. Fran Sandmeier's research laboratory as a graduate student pursuing her dreams to work with herptiles!
  • Congratulations to graduated team member, Stephanie Downey, who was just accepted into vet school at Colorado State University!
  • Welcome new team members Marlene Castillo, Timber McGuin, and Katelynn Randolph!
​
2022​
  • ​Congratulations to PI Liz Peterson who presented at the Prairie Dog Coexistence Clinic and the Women at Work Symposium at the annual Wildlife Society Conference.
  • Great job to the entire team for presenting their research at the annual College of STEM Student Research Symposium!
  • Congratulations to team members Sara Colby, Maxwell Martell and Izabella Sheppard who received scholarships from CSU Pueblo!
  • Great job to team member Adam Liao, who presented his thesis research to Colorado Department of Transportation and Colorado Parks and Wildlife!
  • Congratulations to team member Klow Si, who graduated this summer with a BS in Wildlife & Natural Resources!
  • First trap week of the season is a big success! 45 prairie dogs saved and moved to a protected conservation area! Great job team!
  • Congratulations to team members Sara Colby, Adam Liao, Izabella Sheppard, and Klow Si for successfully attending and presenting their research at this years NACCB 2022 Conference in Reno! Great job everyone!
  • Congratulations to team member Klow Si, who won the Allen E. Anderson Award for Outstanding Wildlife Undergraduate Student from the Colorado Chapter of the Wildlife Society!
  • Congratulations to team member Noah Robison (B.S. Wildlife & Natural Resources 2021) who is now working for the Student Conservation Society and USFWS!
  • Congratulations to team member Gabby Hall, who graduates this May and moves onto a position with CPW!
  • Welcome to our new team member Maxwell Martell!
  • Congratulations to team member Samantha Ulrich (B.S. Wildlife & Natural Resources 2021) who is now working in a GS5 position in Oregon!
  • A warm welcome to new team members Gaby Johnson, Cirilo Mejia, and Therese Yates!
  • Welcome back CSU-Pueblo students and the entire research team! 

2021
  • Congratulations to Noah Robison and Stephanie Dudley who are graduating with their BS degrees!
  • Principal Investigator Liz received a grant from the Colorado Department of Transportation to study wildlife vehicle collisions in southern Colorado! 
  • Our manuscript, entitled "Drought influences biodiversity in a semi-arid shortgrass prairie in southeastern Colorado", has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Arid Environments. Principal Investigator Liz was the first author and several team members were co-authors, including Adam Liao, Cody Back and Kevin Healey. Great job team!
  • Congratulations to the team for presenting and attending the Virtual Animal Behavior Conference! Principal Investigator Liz presented and co-organized the Conservation Behavior Workshop. Graduate students Sara Colby and Adam Liao and undergraduate students Noah Robison and Stephanie Dudley presented their research!
  • We will be receiving the NSF Improving Undergraduate STEM Education HS Program Grant to create Project CUATRO at CSU-Pueblo! The grant was written by Brian Vanden Heuvel (PI), Principal Investigator Liz (Co-PI) and Lauren Gillespie (Co-PI, Central Community College).
  • We successfully relocated 103 prairie dogs from the NextEra Energy Foundation's property to the conservation management land at the U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot, in collaboration with U.S. Fish and Wildlife! Great job team!
  • Principal Investigator Liz received funding from the NextEra Energy Foundation to relocate prairie dogs to the conservation management land at the U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot!
  • Welcome back CSU-Pueblo students and to the entire research team! And welcome to our new team member, Rayn Bryant!
  • Principal Investigator Liz published a new book chapter entitled "Conservation Behavior: The Effects of Light Pollution on Insects" in Exploring Animal Behavior in Laboratory and Field!
  • Congratulations to Samantha Ulrich who is graduating with her BS in Biology! Samantha will be moving onto an internship where she will be working with wolves!
  • Congratulations to past team member Cody Back (BS Wildlife & Natural Resources 2020) who is now working for USFWS!
  • Welcome back CSU-Pueblo students and to the entire research team! And a warm welcome to new graduate student Adam Liao and undergraduate students Chris Ahmay, Brianna Montoya and Izabella Sheppard!

2020
  • New paper published with the Animal Behavior Society's Conservation Behavior Committee in Conservation Science and Practice! Check it out at: https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/csp2.319
  • Great job to the entire team for finishing the field season strong!
  • ​New paper published with Dr. Nate Bickford (Wildlife and Natural Resources Program, Colorado State University-Pueblo) in STEM Education! Check it out at: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/10/6/150
  • Congratulations to team members Cody Back and Sara Colby who graduate with their B.S. in Biology this month!
  • Congratulations to team member Cody Back who received the Jack Seilheimer Memorial Award in Wildlife and Natural Resources at Colorado State University-Pueblo!
  • Congratulations to team member Cody Back who accepted a position with Colorado Parks and Wildlife after he graduates!
  • Congratulations to team member, Cody Back, and former team members, Kevin Healey and Sean Kyle Staples (graduated B.S. 2018), whose manuscript on their work at the Pueblo Chemical Depot is now in press!
  • Congratulations to team member Sara Colby who was accepted into graduate school in the Department of Biology at Colorado State University-Pueblo! She will continue her research in the laboratory studying the kissing behavior of black-tailed prairie dogs!
  • Congratulations to former team member Hugh Long (graduated B.S. 2018) who was just accepted into medical school at Oklahoma State University!
  • Principal Investigator Liz’s last manuscript from her PhD dissertation was accepted by the Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology! Check it out at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00128-020-02825-w!
  • Welcome back CSU-Pueblo students and to the entire research team! And a warm welcome to new undergraduate students Brittany Bohn, Allaura Bryant-Watkins, Courtney Knieriem, Keshon Jackson, Noah Robison and Klow Si!

2019
  • Great job to the entire team for presenting their research at the College of Science and Mathematics Research Symposium at Colorado State University-Pueblo!
  • Great job to team members Samantha Ulrich and Makenzie Randall for winning 2nd place for Best Poster Presentation at the College of Science and Mathematics Research Symposium at Colorado State University-Pueblo!
  • Great job to team member Stephanie Dudley for winning 3rd place for Best Poster Presentation at the College of Science and Mathematics Research Symposium at Colorado State University-Pueblo!
  • Great job to the entire team for presenting their research at the Behavior 2019 Conference in Chicago!
  • Congratulations to team member Jenna Morales for being awarded the Charles H. Turner Award at the Behaviour 2019 conference!
  • Congratulations to all of the team members whose abstracts were accepted for presentation at this year’s Behaviour 2019 conference!
  • Principal Investigator Liz’s manuscript from her PhD dissertation was accepted by the Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology! Check it out at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00128-019-02650-w! 
  • Principal Investigator Liz’s manuscript with Dr. Roman Yukilevich from her first postdoc was accepted by the journal Evolution! Check it out at: https://doi.org/10.1111/evo.13752
  • ​Principal Investigator Liz received the Domestic ToxScholar Outreach Grant from the Society of Toxicology! The grant will support CSU-Pueblo to host a visit from a toxicologist for professional development for undergraduate students.
  • Principal Investigator Liz was nominated by the CSU-Pueblo students for the Students’ Choice Faculty and Staff Award! It’s such an honor!
  • Great job to the entire team for presenting their research at the CSU-Pueblo Student Research Symposium!
  • Principal Investigator Liz received the CSU-Pueblo Faculty SEED Grant (with collaborator Dr. Brian Vanden Heuvel) to fund a new project entitled: "Building new conservation tools to protect America's prairie keystone species, the Black-tailed prairie dogs"!
  • Team member Teyah Schiffer won second place in the John C. Johnson Award for Excellence in Student Research at the Western Region District Beta Beta Beta Convention in Colorado! Great job Teyah!
  • And the field season is off to a roaring start!
  • Great job to team members Teyah Schiffer, Stephanie Dudley, and Chloe Weiter for successfully presenting their research at the Colorado Chapter of the Wildlife Society!
  • Welcome new undergraduate students Kyle Espinoza, Cody Back, Jenna Morales, and Makenzie Randall!

2018
  • Congratulations to team members Rachel Ruiz and Sean Kyle Staples who graduated with their B.S. in Biology from CSU-Pueblo! Both are off to bigger things and we are so proud of both of you!
  • Great job to the entire team for presenting their research at the CSU-Pueblo College of Science and Math Research Symposium!
  • Team members Teyah Schiffer, Samantha Ulrich and Rachel Ruiz presented their research to high school STEM students! Great job team!
  • We are very proud of team members Sean Kyle Staples who accepted a position as a research scientist with an environmental consulting firm! Way to go Kyle!
  • Kudos to team member Rachel Ruiz who won the Award for Excellence in Presentation of Scientific Data at the Metabolism of Infectious Diseases Conferencein Fort Collins!
  • Congratulations to team members Hugh Long and Kevin Healey who graduated with their B.S. in Biology from CSU-Pueblo! Both are off to bigger things and we are so proud of both of you!
  • Way to go team member Hugh Long for being awarded the Department of Biology Excellence Award!
  • Welcome new undergraduate students Stephanie Dudley and Chloe Weiter to the team!
  • Great job to team members Samantha Ulrich, Stephanie Dudley, Chloe Weiter, Sean Kyle Staples and CBASE students for volunteering at the #marchforsciencedenver. They presented their research, ran science demonstrations related to their research, and proudly marched for science. Great job everyone!
  • Great job to team members Hugh Long and Tyler Harvey for presenting their research at the Beta Beta Beta Honor Society Meeting in Fort Collins!
  • Great job to team members Hugh Long and Tyler Harvey for presenting their research at the CSU-Pueblo Student Research Symposium!
  • The Journal of Visualized Experiments visited the lab at CSU-Pueblo to film our recently accepted protocol! Stay tuned for more information!
  • Team members Hugh Long, Sean Kyle Staples, Rachel Ruiz, Samantha Ulrich, and Teyah Schiffer were filmed today by the Channel 13 news crew in the lab at CSU-Pueblo!
  • Welcome new undergraduate students Teyah Schiffer, Sean Kyle Staples, Samantha Ulrich, Annalee Losch, and Tyler Harvey to the team!
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