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Scholarship Recipient

Erin O’Connell


Erin O'Connell

Erin O'Connell

Sul Ross State University

Year Received: 2022

Graduate Researcher at Borderlands Research Institute/Master’s Candidate in NRM ‘22

Modeling Pronghorn Behavior and Space-Use: Acclimation of Translocated Pronghorn on the Edward’s Plateau

Born and raised in North Carolina, I developed a passion for science and hunting from spending summers outside at my grandparent’s farm in West Virginia. In May 2020, I graduated from Wofford College in South Carolina with a bachelor’s degree in Biology. During undergrad I spent two summers capturing and tracking bats throughout West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky, researching population estimates and modeling the spread of white-nose Syndrome. I am broadly interested in quantitative ecology, remote sensing, and animal social behavior. I now have the privilege to study iconic pronghorn at the Rocker b Ranch in West Texas. My research involves pronghorn behavior and space-use. Specifically, I am modeling the acclimation period of translocated pronghorn after translocation has taken place. Additionally, I am modeling how resident and translocated pronghorn select for habitat in an energy-dominated landscape through time. Fences and memory play a large role in how ungulates navigate their landscape and my research also explores how translocated pronghorn use fence crossings.

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