Halina Malinowski (PhD student). Halina Malinowski is a Ph.D. candidate at Duke University, focusing on wildlife conservation and applied ecology. She collaborates with various organizations, including Game Rangers International in Zambia, where she works on projects involving the conservation and rehabilitation of orphaned elephants. Her research often involves innovative techniques, such as using drones and camera traps, to monitor elephant behavior and movement. Malinowski’s work bridges the gap between conservation technology and fieldwork, contributing valuable insights to wildlife management practices.
Shaochong Xue (MEM student). Shaochong Xue is a second-year Master’s student at Duke University, focusing on avian conservation biology. As an avid birdwatcher, he has recorded more than 1,000 bird species in China and over 2,700 worldwide. Before attending graduate school, he worked as an ecotour guide in China and Kenya, where he developed a deep interest in the ecological impacts of ecotourism. His master’s project examines how baited bird blinds affect local habitat across China. Alongside his research, he is passionate about bird banding, avian behavioral science, and geospatial analysis.
Hannah Naehring (MEM student). Hannah Naehring is a second-year Master’s student at Duke University, deeply interested in human-wildlife interactions and equitable, community-centered conservation. Her master’s project focuses on community-based Biodiversity monitoring in two communities, San Miguel Abejones and Santa Maria Jaltianguis, in the Sierra Norte region of Oaxaca, Mexico in partnership with ICICO. Prior to coming to Duke, she earned her B.A. in Environmental and Sustainability Studies and Political Science from Elon University, with minors in environmental education and dance. Hannah has worked professionally in conservation advocacy, environmental education, and social science research.
Affiliated Students & Staff.
Madison Chudzik. Madison Chudzik is an NSF Graduate Research Fellow and Biology PhD student at Duke University, studying migration through nocturnal flight calls and bird-building collisions. She uses autonomous recording units and machine learning to monitor bird communities in Chicago and on Duke’s campus. In addition, Madison works with Dr. Cagle to run the bird collision monitoring on Duke’s campus.
Caroline Rowley. Caroline Rowley is a Ph.D. student in the Environment Program at Duke University, and holds a MSc degree in Primate Behavior from Central Washington University. Rowley completed a second Master’s degree in Environmental Management under Dr. Cagle, using passive acoustic monitoring to investigate occupancy and call abundance of the Putty-nosed Monkey in Ivindo National Park, Gabon. Rowley also served as the project coordinator for the Bioacoustics sub-project of the Duke Forest Wildlife Project, and continues to work with Dr. Cagle to create acoustic models that automatically recognized Anuran calls in the Piedmont.
Past Graduate Students & Work.
Haber, Jordan. (2025). Unlocking the Conservation Potential of Managed Timberlands Through Understanding Avian Community Dynamics. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Chen, Zhiyi (Grace) & Lam, Samantha. (2025). Assessing Resource Needs and Network Dynamics: A Comprehensive Analysis of DEEP Collaborative’s Community Partners in Durham and the Triangle. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Siegel, Emily. (2025). Best Practices for Ethical Drone Flights: An Analysis of Orphaned African Elephant Behavioral Responses to Drone Techniques. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Nirenblatt, Ellen. (2025). Assessing Environmental Drivers of Mammal and Bird Visitations in the Northeastern Peruvian Amazon. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Zlenko, Dmytro. (2025). Leveraging Market-driven Environmental Protection. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Fontanie, Shirley, Rathmell, Dori, and Tori Velasquez.. (2024). Developing K-12 Education Resources for New York City’s One Water Initiative. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
White, Libby. (2024). Estimating Terrestrial Wildlife Density Along a Defaunation Gradient at Ivindo National Park, Gabon Using Camera Trap Distance Sampling Methodologies, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Rowley, Caroline. (2024). Passive Acoustic Monitoring of Commonly Subsistence Hunted Arboreal Primate Species in Ivindo National Park, Gabon. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Kolarova, Andrea. (2023). Quantifying Emerald Ash Borer Induced Ash Mortality and Assessing Management Strategies for Ash Regeneration in the Duke Forest. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Carvalho, Juliana & Chase Benjamin. (2023). Public- Facing Environmental Management and Amelioration of Urban Wetland Habitat at the North Carolina Museum of Life and Science. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Kuczek, Aurora & White, Annabelle. (2023). Endangered Salamander Mapping for the Save Our Springs Alliance. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Fajardo, Marisa. (2023). Spotted Salamanders and Biotic and Environmental Relationships in the Piedmont. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Martens, Christine. (2023). Examining Recreational Use of the Duke Forest. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Sarveswaran, Sunitha. (2023). Climate Justice and De-Carbonization in New York City. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Smith, Cullen. (2022, co-advised with Joe Bachman). An Examination of the Relationship between the Conservation Reserve Program and Stumpage Prices in the South. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Hayashi, Shouta and Horrigan, Eamon. (2022). Quantifying Ecosystem Services in the Duke Forest. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Toker, Rachel. (2022, co-advised with Joe Bachman). Scaling Up Availability and Programing of Urban Nature Space as National Health Response. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Zeng, Yingfan. (2022.) Understanding Ecosystem Function in an Eastern Carolina Watershed. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Dobes, Emily. (2022, co-advised with Stuart Pimm). Predicting Red Wolf Habitat Suitability with Climate Change. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Cherry, Jennifer. (2022). Marine Debris Impacts to Sea Turtle Species in Volusia County, Florida. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Somerville, Sam. (2022). Assessment of Trait-based Vulnerability of Bats from Climate Change in the United States. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Costes, Lydie. (2022). Reintroduction of Baptisia aberrans at Penny’s Bend Nature Preserve. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Stefan Bugge, Connor Dupree-Sood, and Thaddeus Thomson. (2021). Optimizing Ecological Services in Durham with Strategic Infrastructure Development. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Perkins, Troi.(2021). Understanding Effort and Outcomes of Bioblitzes in Southeastern Forests. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Kendra Sultzer. (2021). Furthering the Development of Duke Forest’s Wildlife Management and Connectivity Plan. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Paul Noah. (2021). Range Distribution and Planting Prioritization for American Chestnut. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Kelly Joyner and Hannah Royal. (2020). Management for an Imperiled Reptile on a Coastal Barrier Island, Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus). Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Natalie Rodriguez. (2020). Description and Evaluation of Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Education Program. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Grace Hancock, Mingfei Xiong, and Alex Vanko. (2020). Planning a Sustainable Tree Canopy for Durham, North Carolina. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Madison Cole. (2020). Mammal Diversity of the Duke Forest. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Tyler Sammis. (2020). Playspace Greening in Low-income Communities: Observations from U.S. Urban Parks and Playfield Renovations. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Matthew Brantley, Sunny Qiao, and Charles Mize. (Dec 2019). Risk of Development GIS Modeling to Identify Parcels for Conservation in North Carolina, USA. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Emma Fulop & Bhargavi Karumuri. (2019). Network and Landscape Analyses of Diversity Organizations in Durham, NC. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Julia Geschke. (2019). Modeling Salamander Habitat in the Duke Forest. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. Laura Bader, Daniel Hickey, Michelle Kaiser, & Sarah Sanford. (2018). Urban Forest Planning for the Forest History
Society. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Caitlyn Cooper. (2018). Lemur Species-Habitat Relationships at Multiple Scales in Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Shane O’Neal. (2018). A Comprehensive Assessment of Red Wolf Reintroduction Sites. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Sarah Hagan. (2017). Effects of Stand Attributes in Evaluating Even-aged Loblolly Pine Volume with LiDAR. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Erika Reiter. (2017). The Whale Community of Husavik: Examining Perceptions & Experiences Surrounding Whale Ecotourism & Conservation. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Renee Kramer, Hannah Palmer-Dwore, & Peter Satin. (2017). Developing an Alternative Approach to Wildlife Management in the Duke Forest. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Conor Makepeace. (2017). Assessment of Avifauna in North Carolina Piedmont Prairies. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Diego Calderon-Arrieta. (2017). Evaluating Current Attitudes towards Snakes in the Nicholas School of the Environment’s (NSOE) Environmental Master’s Student Community. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Michael Asch, Gregory Cooper & Anne Liberti. (2016). Replanting Durham’s Urban Forest (Client: City of Durham).
Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Patrick Smerczynski & Hunterr Payeur. (2016). Identifying Forest Management Scale Variables to Manage White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in Duke Forest, North Carolina (Client: Duke Forest). Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Charlene Wu. (2015). Examining Urban Wildlife Conservation and Green Space Development Opportunities for Triangle Land Conservancy. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Nicholas Gadri. (2015). Kingdon’s Multiple Streams odel and the Inclusion of Energy Title IX in the 2002 Farm Bill. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Lisa Appel. (2015). Stakeholder Analysis for Pollinator Conservation in Oakland County Parks. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Wenjia Zhu & Wenting Ye. (2015). BASF Agricultural Solutions: Sustainability of grounds and landscaping at Durham, NC Facility (Client: BASF). Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Chaquetta Greene. (2013). Duke University and the Nicholas School of the Environment: Encouraging Today’s Youth through Environmental Education. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.