Sara Zeigler, PhD
U.S. Geological Survey Mendenhall Fellow
Teaching Experience
Virginia Tech
2013 - present
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Various guest lectures: Landscape Ecology, Vertebrate Dispersal seminar
University of Maryland
2004-2011
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Teaching assistant: Biogeography (2008)
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Teaching assistant: Biology for Non-Science Majors (2005)
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Curriculum development: Project Cycle Management for Conservation Practitioners (2005; currently taught as a graduate-level course at UMD)
Franklin and Marshall College
2000-2004
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Teaching assistant: Environmental Resources and GIS (2004)
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Teaching assistant: Chemistry I (2002)
Professional Courses and Workshops
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Co-Instructor: Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (2005); for the Conservation Breeding Specialist Group
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Co-Instructor: Geographic Information Systems for Wildlife Managers (2005); Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
Fellowships and Awards
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2014 US Geological Survey Mendenhall Fellowship
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2010 Ann G. Wylie Dissertation Fellowship, University of Maryland ($10,800)
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2010 Jacob K. Goldhaber Travel Grant, University of Maryland ($500)
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2010 NASA-MSU Professional Enhancement Award ($700)
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2008 Exploration and Field Research Grant, The Explorer’s Club Washington Group ($1700)
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2008 Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award, University of Maryland
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2007 Graduate research fellowship, Smithsonian Institution ($5,500)
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2006 Organization for Tropical Studies study abroad grant, University of Maryland ($6,400)
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2005 Jacob K. Goldhaber Travel Grant, University of Maryland ($500)
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2003 Student Travel Award, Franklin and Marshall College ($500)
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2003 Mayaud Summer Research Award, Franklin and Marshall College (10 weeks; $3,200)
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2003 Bonchek Fellowship, Franklin and Marshall College (10 weeks; $3,200)
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2003 Pi Mu Epsilon Mathematics Honor Society
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2002 Hackman Fellowship, Franklin and Marshall College (10 weeks; $3,200)
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2002 Skull and Crown Sophomore Honor Society
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2001 Hackman Fellowship, Franklin and Marshall College (10 weeks; $3,200)
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2000 John Marshall Fellowship, Franklin and Marshall College (4 years; $33,000)
Publications
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Zeigler SL, ER Thieler, BT Gutierrez, NG Plant, M Hines, J Fraser, DH Catlin, SM Karpanty. In review. Smartphone technologies and Bayesian networks to assess shorebird habitat selection. Wildlife Society Bulletin.
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Zeigler SL, DH Catlin, M Bomberger-Brown, JD Fraser, L Dinan, K Hunt, JG Jorgensen, and SM Karpanty. In press. Effects of climate change and anthropogenic modification on a disturbance-dependent species in a large riverine system. Ecosphere.
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Thieler ER, LA Winslow, MK Hines, JS Read, JI Walker, SL Zeigler. In press. Leveraging low-cost mobile platforms for large-scale shorebird science: application to biogeomorphic attribute classification of Charadrius melodus nest sites. PLoS ONE
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Catlin DH, M Bomberger-Brown, L Dinan, JD Fraser, KL Hunt, J Jorgensen, and SL Zeigler. 2016. Metapopulation viability of an endangered shorebird depends on man-made habitats: piping plovers and prairie rivers. Movement Ecology. 4(6): 1-15.
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Zeigler SL and JR Walters. In Press. Population models for social species: lesson learned from models of red-cockaded woodpeckers (Picoides borealis). Ecological Applications.
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Zeigler SL and WF Fagan. 2014. Transient windows for connectivity. Movement Ecology. 2(1): 1-10.
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Lacy, RC, PS Miller, PJ Nyhus, JP Pollak, BE Raboy, SL Zeigler. 2013 Metamodels for transdisciplinary analysis of wildlife population dynamics. PLOS ONE. 8(12): e84211.
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Zeigler SL, JP Che-Castaldo, MC Neel. 2013. Actual and potential use of population viability analysis in recovery of plant species listed under the US Endangered Species Act. Conservation Biology. 27(6) 1265-1278.
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Zeigler SL, B Raboy, and K De Vleeschouwer. 2013. Assessing extinction risk in small metapopulations of golden-headed lion tamarins (Leontopithecus chrysomelas) in Bahia, Brazil. Biotropica. 45(4): 528-534.
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Zeigler SL. 2013. Predicting responses to climate change require all life-history stages. Journal of Animal Ecology (invited In Focus article). 82 (1): 3-5.
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Zeigler SL. 2012. Identifying and prioritizing forest patches key for the survival of the golden-headed lion tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysomelas). Neotropical Primates. 19 (1): 28-33.
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Raboy, BE, KM De Vleeschouwer, and SL Zeigler. 2012. Using functional connectivity and flow models to prioritize areas for reforestation in severly fragmented regions of the golden-headed lion tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysomelas). American Journal of Primatology. 74: 34-34.
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Raboy, BE, LG Neves, SL Zeigler, and LC Oliveira. 2011. Occurrences of Leontopithecus chrysomelas above 500 meters in southern Bahia, Brazil and implications for conservation planning. Primate Conservation. 26: 1-7.
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De Vleeschouwer, K, L Oliveira, B Raboy, N Raghunathan, and SL Zeigler. 2011. Golden-headed lion tamarin research in the 21st century: Recent advances and potential areas of future research. Neotropical Primates. 18 (2): 72-76.
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Zeigler SL, MC Neel, L Oliveira, BE Raboy, and WF Fagan. 2011. How conspecific and heterospecific attraction affect functional connectivity. Biodiversity and Conservation. 20 (12): 2779-2796.
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Zeigler SL, WF Fagan, R Defries, and B Raboy. 2010. Identifying important forest patches for the long-term persistence of the endangered golden-headed lion tamarin. Tropical Conservation Science. 3(1): 63-77.
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Lynch, H, SL Zeigler, L Wells, JD Ballou, and WF Fagan. 2010. Drivers of survivorship shape and its use in the estimation of maximum population growth rates. Ecological Applications. 20(8): 2334-2345.
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Raboy, BL Neves, SL Zeigler, N Saraiva, N Cardoso, G Santos, J Ballou, and P Leimgruber. 2010. Strength of habitat and landscape metrics in predicting golden-headed lion tamarin presence or absence in forest patches. Biotropica. 40(3): 388-397.
Presentations
Invited Seminars and Talks
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Highland County Bird Club (2014)
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University of Toronto, Department of Biology (2013)
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Virginia Tech, Department of Fish and WIldlife Conservation (2013)
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Virginia Tech, Department of Biological Sciences (2011)
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Exlporer's Club of Washington DC, invited speaker for the annual dinner (2009)
Select Conferences and Meetings
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2014. Zeigler, SL, DH Catlin, KL Hunt, LR Dinan, M Bomberger-Brown, JG Jorgensen, MJ Friedrich, JD Fraser, KL Davis, and SM Karpanty. Stable sources in unstable environments - Are source habitats consistently important for a piping plover (Charadrius melodus) metapopulation in a dynamic landscape? Paper presented at the 38th annual meeting of the Waterbird Society, November 5th-7th, La Paz, Mexico.
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2013. Lacy, R, P Miller, P Nyhus, JP Pollak, B Raboy, and S Zeigler. Metamodels: Connecting models and people for inclusive, integrated, transdisciplinary analysis of populations facing multiple threats. Talk presented at the 26th International Congress for Conservation Biology, 21-25 July 2013, Baltimore MD.
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2013. Zeigler, S, J Walters, R Mitchell, JK Hiers. A novel linked landscape demographic model to connect systems, disciplines, and stakeholders fo the conservation of red-cockaded woodpeckers. Poster presented at the 26th International Congress for Conservation Biology, 21-25 July 2013, Baltimore MD.
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2010. Zeigler, S, WF Fagan, R DeFries, BE Raboy. 2010. Identifying important forest patches for the long-term persistence of the endangered golden-headed lion tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysomelas). Poster presented at the 2010 Association of American Geographers annual meeting, 14-18 April 2010, Washington, DC.
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2010. Zeigler, S, M Neel, L Oliviera, B Raboy, and W Fagan. 2010. Conspecific and heterospecific attraction in the assessment of functional connectivity. Poster presented at the 2010 US-IALE annual meeting, 5-9 April 2010, Athens, Georgia.
Conservation Leadership
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2013. Yellow-tailed wooly monkey conservation workshop (hosted by Rare, facilitated by CBSG; Moyobama, Peru)
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2012. Western pond turtle conservation workshop (hosted by Woodland Park Zoo, facilitated by CBSG; Olympia, WA)
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2012. Jaguar Recovery Team Meeting (hosted by USFWS, facilitated by CBSG; Tucson, AZ)
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2011. Co-chaired symposium titled: “Golden Head Lion Tamarin Research in the 21st Century: Recent Advances and Potential Areas of Future Research”. 7-8 December 2011, Ilheus, Brazil.
Professional Affiliations and Service
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Member, Conservation Breeding Specialist Group (CBSG); IUCN
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Member, International Association for Landscape Ecology
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Member, Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation
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Member, Society for Conservation Biology
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Reviewer, Forest Ecology and Management, Landscape Ecology, Florida Field Naturalist
USGS Mendenhall Fellow
2014 - present
Supervisors: Drs. E. Robert Thieler and Nathaniel Plant (USGS), Sarah Karpanty (Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech). Using linked Bayesian networks to understand the effects of sea-level rise and changes to the frequency/intensity of coastal storms on piping plover nesting habitat suitability.
Postdoctoral Research Associate
2011 - 2014
Supervisor: Dr. Jeffrey Walters, Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech. Development of landscape and demographic tools for the conservation of red-cockaded woodpeckers on military installations.
Graduate Research Assistant
2006-2010
Supervisor: Dr. Maile Neel, Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, University of Maryland. Bioinformatics approach to studying plants listed under the US Endangered Species Act.
Undergraduate Research Assistant
2002-2004
Supervisor: Dr. Philip Nyhus, Department of Earth and Environment, Franklin and Marshall College. Habitat suitability models for the Sumatran tiger.
Consultant, Research Fellow, and Intern
2004-2008
Smithsonian Zoological Park and Conservation Biology Institute
Supervisors: Drs. Becky Raboy, Jon Ballou, Peter Leimgruber
2006-2011
PhD Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland
2004-2006
MSc Conservation Biology and Sustainable Development, University Maryland
2000-2004
BA Environmental Science, Franklin and Marshall College; cum laude with honors in the Department of Earth and Environment
Curriculum Vitae
Education
Research Experience