The Burgess Lab of Urban Ecology

I grew up in the suburbs of MN, FL, TN, and MS with an interest in the wildlife around me. I followed this interest into a B.S. degree in Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquaculture at Mississippi State University. I also earned my Associate Wildlife Biologist® certification from The Wildlife Society. I went on to graduate school at North Carolina State University to pursue a Ph.D. in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology. After completing my dissertation, I became a tenure-track Assistant Professor at Mississippi State University.  My work extends past ornithology and ecology research.  I am also an advocate for field safety in the natural sciences as an aspect of accessibility and inclusion. In 2022, I co-founded a nonprofit, Field Inclusive, which amplifies and supports marginalized and historically excluded field biologists. I am also a children's author with both self-published work and a children's STEM series with Little, Brown Young Readers. In my free time, I enjoy reading, birding, photography, video games, and snuggling with my dog, Loki.

Hey! My name is Sa'Quioya Mccullum. Like after the Sequoia trees that I have yet to see in person. I'm a graduate student pursuing a Master of Science in Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquaculture. I will be working on a research project regarding the composition and persistence of the Prothonotary Warbler, Purple Martin, and Carolina Wren in response to light pollution on a rural to urban gradient. I'm excited to see where the journey of acquiring knowledge takes me. #See you Outdoors

Born and raised in the suburbs of Cincinnati, OH, my initial exposure to animal conservation came from visiting the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. I am currently an undergraduate senior, working towards a B.S. in Animal and Dairy Sciences with a Pre-Veterinary concentration. Becoming a zoo veterinarian is my career goal, to support wildlife research and conservation on a global scale. My undergraduate honors thesis evaluates a novel training protocol I developed for voluntary jugular venipuncture with African spurred tortoises. I have previously interned with the herpetology and veterinary teams at three different zoological institutions, collaborating with a fourth on this research. In my free time, I enjoy watching Mississippi State and St. Louis Cardinals baseball, backpacking, spending time outdoors with friends, and visiting zoos across the nation.

Tabbytha Spyrison was born in Chicago and grew up close by Roger's Park, in Evanston, IL. She graduated from Warren Wilson College in December 2022, with a B.S. in biology and a B.A. in creative writing. Her research interests include passerine birds and how they adapt to our changing world. She loves to read, write and run in her free time and her favorite bird is the Carolina Chickadee.