Dr. Franny Buderman

Assistant Prof. of Quantitative Wildlife Ecology, Department of Ecosystem Science & Management, Pennsylvania State University

Franny is a quantitative ecologist interested in the development and application of novel statistical methods for understanding ecological systems. She primarily focuses on understanding wildlife demography, space-use, movement, and their interactions across ecological scales. Her research spans numerous taxa and management applications.

CV | ResearchGate | Google Scholar

fbuderman[at]psu.edu

Katie Gundermann

PhD Student – Wildlife & Fisheries Science, Department of Ecosystem Science & Management, Pennsylvania State University

Katie graduated from the University of Delaware in 2017 with a B.Sc. in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation and from the Pennsylvania State University with an M.Sc. in Wildlife and Fisheries Science in 2022. Her M.Sc. focused on detecting behavioral changes due to reproductive status and hunting pressure in ungulates. Katie was the first graduate from the Buderman lab and will be staying on for a Ph.D. For her Ph.D. research, Katie will be developing methods to detect changes in low-density and elusive species of highest conservation concern in Pennsylvania. This work will focus on marsh birds, bats, and barn owls.

Website | Google Scholar

Veronica Winter

PhD Student – Ecology, Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology & Department of Ecosystem Science & Management, Pennsylvania State University

Co-advised by Dr. Duane Diefenbach

Veronica graduated with her B.A. in Environmental Studies from SUNY Purchase in 2020 and her M.Sc. from Utah State University in 2022. Her M.Sc. focused on developing a transferable framework to assess how individual movement decisions translate into large scale habitat selection. She is interested in how individual behavior influences population-level demography through movement and space-use. For her Ph.D., she is working with the Pennsylvania Game Commission on a large-scale study of wild turkeys. Her goal is to understand factors contributing to turkey population dynamics, evaluate the effect of different hunting regulations on demography, and develop a decision model that will be used to determine optimal harvest regulations. Veronica also designed the QWEL logo.

Website | Google Scholar

Kyle Smelter

MS Student – Wildlife & Fisheries Science, Department of Ecosystem Science & Management, Pennsylvania State University

Kyle graduated from the University of Maine with a B.Sc. in Wildlife Ecology with a concentration in forest ecology and a minor in Zoology. For his M.Sc. he will be working with the Pennsylvania Game Commission studying fine-scale habitat selection of wild turkeys in Pennsylvania. He will also be taking a comprehensive approach to understanding factors that drive turkey nest success in the state. His professional interests include quantitative ecology, movement ecology, and wildlife population dynamics.

Abby Weber

PhD Student – Ecology, Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology & Department of Ecosystem Science & Management, Pennsylvania State University

Co-advised by Dr. W. David Walter

Abby graduated with her B.Sc. in Biology from Indiana University in 2020 and her M.Sc. in Zoology from Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 2024. Her M.Sc. focused on decoupling actual spatial risk from the predator and prey responses to spatial risk and on quantifying individual variation in coyote movement and resource specialization across varying degrees of urbanization. For her Ph.D., Abby will be working with the Pennsylvania Game Commission to estimate black bear population density, space-use, and movement behavior across the entire state of Pennsylvania.

Sarah Broadway

MS Student – Wildlife & Fisheries Science, Department of Ecosystem Science & Management, Pennsylvania State University

Co-advised by Dr. Julian Avery

Sarah graduated from Colorado State University with her B.Sc in Conservation Biology. After graduating she held various seasonal positions and worked in many different environments, ranging from the high desert of central Oregon to the longleaf pine savanna of southern Georgia. Sarah has assisted in the monitoring of eight different turtle species across the eastern US. She is passionate about turtle conservation and excited to gain more experience contributing to the conservation of these species. Her research project will assess the distribution and occupancy of aquatic turtles in relation to human use and activity in two national parks in Pennsylvania.

Katie Kull

MS Student Ecology, Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology & Department of Ecosystem Science & Management, Pennsylvania State University

Co-advised by Dr. Autumn Sabo

Katie graduated with their B.S. in Ecology & Biodiversity from Sewanee: The University of the South in 2017. After graduating, she served AmeriCorps terms with Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park and the National Park Service (NPS) Heartland Network before joining the forest health team at New River Gorge National Park & Preserve in 2020. Katie's M.Sc. research corresponds with her current role as the botanist for the NPS Eastern Rivers & Mountains Network by examining understory vegetation dynamics over 16 years of forest monitoring in NPS units of WV, PA, and NJ. Their interests include science-based management of public lands and gaining additional experience with quantitative ecology.

Katie Gundermann

MS 2022 – Wildlife and Fisheries Science, Department of Ecosystem Science & Management, Pennsylvania State University

Thesis Title: Ungulate space-use and movement in response to changes in reproductive status and hunting pressure

Current Position: PhD Student - Wildlife and Fisheries Science, Department of Ecosystem Science & Management, Pennsylvania State University

Karen Beatty

MS 2023 – Ecology, Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology & Department of Ecosystem Science & Management, Pennsylvania State University

Thesis Title: Space Use and Movement of Canada Geese In Response To Hunting Pressure and Anthropogenic Land Use

Current Position: NOAA Sea Grant John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellow

Morgan Stum

MS 2024 – Wildlife and Fisheries Science, Department of Ecosystem Science & Management, Pennsylvania State University

Thesis Title: Decadal Changes in Stream Fish Communities and Contemporary Ecological Drivers of Species Occupancy in Two Appalachian U.S. National Parks

Current Position: NPS