Mike Mooring, Ph.D.

PLNU Professor of Biology

I have been conducting behavioral ecology research since 1985, mounting field studies of African antelope, North American ungulates, and Neotropical mammals. During this time I have worked in 6 countries and 5 states, navigating the logistical challenges of field research in a variety of contexts. My doctoral research focused on the parasite-defense behavior of impala in Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Namibia. I received my PhD from the Animal Behavior Graduate Group at UC Davis in 1993 and then completed postdoctoral positions at the University of Pretoria, University of Alberta, and UC Davis. Since coming to PLNU in 1997, I have directed over 50 students in field research projects, primarily with bighorn sheep, American bison, and Neotropical felids.

My current work in Costa Rica is at the interface of ecology and conservation biology. Since 2010, my students and I have worked with local partners to survey the large mammalian predators (like jaguar) and prey inhabiting the cloud forests of the Talamanca Cordillera, a high elevation mountain range that has been little studied. Our project promotes community-based conservation by empowering local communities to conduct their own wildlife research and engage in environmental education. My research interests include parasite defense behavior, sexual selection and segregation, behavioral endocrinology, acoustical communication, and predator-prey interactions. My wife is a wildlife artist and children’s book author, my daughter has a B.A. in International Studies from PLNU and an M.P.P. in Public Policy from the University of Erfurt and now lives in Germany, and my son recently graduated from PLNU with a B.A. in Environmental Studies and is a passionate soccer player and nature lover. MOORING Curriculum Vitae

Daniel Gomes da Rocha, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Biology, Southern Nazarene University

Daniel Rocha (pronounced “HO-shuh”) is a newly minted Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of California, Davis and new faculty at Southern Nazarene University (SNU) and the Quetzal Education & Research Center (QERC). Dr. Rocha is from Brazil; he completed a B.Sc. in Biological Science at Universidade Federal de Lavras, Brazil, an M.Sc. in Ecology from the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Brazil, and a Post Graduate Diploma in International Wildlife Conservation Practice from the University of Oxford, U.K. Daniel is fascinated by the exuberant biodiversity in tropical areas and has a passion to conduct research at poorly studied places. Since 2005, he has been studying mammal ecology and conservation in a range of tropical areas, but mostly in the Amazon region. He is particularly interested in increasing the understanding of tropical species distributions, habitat associations, and demography, and how these are affected by human-driven stressors. His most current research project investigates how large mammals are responding to the rapid ongoing forest loss and fragmentation, as well as climate changes, in the southern Brazilian Amazon, aiming to propose better conservation practices and land use planning. In conducting his field research, Dr. Rocha has survived tough field expeditions and published several scientific papers. At the Quetzal Education Research Center, Dr. Rocha teaches courses and advises research projects on tropical ecology and conservation, with emphasis on vertebrates. As of 2022, Daniel has taken on co-leadership of the Talamanca Large Mammal Survey and he and Mike brought their students together at PLNU in summer 2022 for a truly collaborative summer research experience. Dr. Rocha will be taking leadership in the computational science aspect of the project and working with the team to bring our long-term dataset to publications.

Ryan Botts recharging a scent station with Calvin Klein ‘Obsession for Men’

Ryan Botts, Ph.D.

PLNU Associate Professor of Mathematics

Ryan passed away suddenly on Sept. 22, 2020 from a massive heart attack. He earned his PhD in Mathematics from Ohio University. Prior to doctoral work, he earned an MS in Mathematics from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and a BS in Mathematics from the same institution. He was a recipient of the Ohio University Graduate Assistant Outstanding Teaching Award, and served as chair of the Graduate Student Senate Grant Committee. Dr. Botts worked as a high school math teacher and with the California State Early Assessment Project, which promotes student success on college math entrance exams.

Ryan seemingly collaborated with just about every other faculty member on campus, including my work on bison behavioral ecology and elusive Neotropical mammals. Statistical learning, bioinformatics, data and applications are all areas he was interested in. Some days he worked as a bioinformatician interested in using the genomic sequences of antibiotic resistant bacteria to better understand the sources, dissemination and distribution of clinically relevant samples found in contaminated urban wetlands. Other days he worked as an applied mathematician working in numerical analysis on large datasets, including our monster dataset from ten-plus years of camera trap surveys in Costa Rica. Dr. Botts provided guidance to the team members in the R programming language to solve a variety of problems, including circadian and lunar activity patterns, occupancy analysis of presence/absence data, and other computational conundrums. In his free time, was very active playing volleyball, running, biking, and fly fishing. He was the healthiest and strongest faculty member at PLNU until a rare heart condition overcame him. We miss him.

Emily Bohnet

Biology B.A., 2023

Arriving at PLNU as a freshman, I already had a strong passion for biology. Life itself held a wonder that was unmatched by anything else. Although I did not think it possible, that passion was multiplied during summer research in Costa Rica. Not only was I fully exposed to real field biology for the first time, but I learned and experienced so much about what research in this field looks like. I was able to observe animals in person that I had only seen on the camera traps we work with, as well as talk with collaborators. A highlight from our Costa Rica 2022 trip was hiking through the tropical rainforest in Hacienda Baru. We spotted amazing animals such as coatis and peccaries. It was amazing to observe them in their natural habitat. In addition to our two week trip to Costa Rica, the team and I spent 8 weeks developing our skills with "R" - a statistical computation program. This has opened my eyes to how data analysis can be done, and has allowed me to continue research in this field through my Honors Project. I plan to graduate in May 2023 with a bachelor degree in biology and a minor in athletic coaching.

Lily Bright

Biology B.S., 2023

A significant part of the Costa Rica summer research for me was getting to visually see some of the species in our data set. Animals like coatis, peccaries, and many other wildlife species. I also found out some things about myself on this trip. I discovered I was capable of much more than I thought when unexpected things occurred. Some highlights were getting to go on a night hike in the rain in Hacienda Baru, and meeting the great Jack Ewing. I also really enjoyed visiting the Batsu garden in the Savegre Valley. Currently I am still attending university at PLNU. I plan to continue research with the team. I will graduate with a bachelors in biology next spring and hope to attend veterinary school.

Sarah Turcic

Biology B.S., 2023

Costa Rica summer research has been significant to me in many ways. Most notably, getting to experience field research firsthand has been an incredibly impactful experience. From collaborating with other researchers, to backpacking through the jungle, to observing the animals we study. Field biology is dynamic and ever-changing, especially when you factor in the weather! One of my favorite memories from Costa Rica was in 2021 when we checked camera stations in La Amistad National Park. During this trip, we had the opportunity to summit Cerro Kamuk. We woke up before sunrise, hiked through the dark, and sat bundled together at the top as the sun broke through the clouds. It was one of the most incredible experiences I’ve ever had. Currently, I am a senior at PLNU and will continue with this research as I complete my honor’s project. I will graduate next spring (2023) with a bachelor’s of science in biology and a minor in computational science.

*Graduated Team Members

Ellie Deer

Environmental Science B.S., 2022

Minor: Computational Science

This Costa Rica summer research greatly exposed me to the world of research that aims to investigate and understand biological phenomena. It was such a valuable experience to have been able to first hand undergo the process of research from developing questions, gathering data, and trying to interpret analyses. Specifically with this Costa Rica team, I was able to gain appreciation for the range and ecology of neotropical biodiversity and seeing the interface of this with the local community. One of my favorite memories was summiting Cerro Kamuk and seeing how ecstatic our guide and collaborator Roger was, his love for this land he called home was contagious.

Currently I am working as an Entomology Laboratory Technician at the San Diego Natural History Museum where I am primarily able to work on a grant to inventory and digitize local taxa of bees in the museum collections. With this and other projects in the Entomology Department, I've enjoyed being surrounded by ongoing research and being able to continue work in the field. I look forward to gaining more biological conservation experiences before pursuing more education in the environmental realm.

Logan Bruun

Environmental Science B.S., 2021

Sierra Ullrich

Environmental Science B.S., 2021

For me, the significance of the Costa Rica research summers was getting to do the nitty-gritty, boots-on-the-ground science. We got to experience every phase of research, from collecting the data in the jungle, to organizing and analyzing, to writing the publications! Some of my favorite memories are relaxing at camp after a long, hard day on the trail. We were all so tired that almost anything was funny. After a short stint in the Utility Vegetation Management industry, I am about to start a job as a field scientist for a local environmental engineering firm that focuses on water quality monitoring here in San Diego.

Abby Wagner

Biology B.S. and Computational Science minor, 2021

Costa Rica summer research was a time I will always remember. It was significant to me because it gave me a chance to connect with my peers and God’s creation all around us. My favorite memory from my experience was at the third campsite on Kamuk after a long and fun days hike when our team set up our tents, shared stories, ate mac and cheese, and enjoyed the rain coming down around us. I also loved reviewing and analyzing the footage from our camera traps to see how healthy the ecosystem was and to see all the creatures most people would never know were there. Currently, I am a second-year veterinary student at Midwestern University. I have a passion for all animals, and I am grateful that summer research gave me the opportunity to develop a greater understanding about the mammals of Costa Rica before I entered veterinary school.

Amy Eppert

Biology B.S., 2020

Minors: Computational Science & Spanish

I greatly appreciate the amazing experience of being able to conduct research in remote mountainous areas of Costa Rica and publishing in scientific journals as an undergraduate. A highlight of the experience for me was the close collaboration with the Tico rangers, getting to know them on the trail, working with them on their own projects and master’s degrees, and presenting alongside them at the Simposio Ciencía y Desarrollo Comunitario en el Área de Conservación La Amistad-Pacífico. I saw our hard work come to fruition in the moments when we felt the excitement of finding a new observation of a jaguar, coming across a funny picture of a charismatic tapir, or a ranger ecstatically sending us a new photo from one of the camera traps of a mother jaguar and her two cubs. It was very rewarding when we saw our articles published in scientific journals after the long process of data collection and analysis, the countless revisions, and the hours spent building clean and aesthetically pleasing data visuals. Without having been on this project, I would not have found my love for computer programming, data analysis, and data visualization. Mike Mooring and Ryan Botts became mentors, whose guidance, advice and friendship have left a deep imprint on my professional and personal life.

This remote high elevation montane cloud forest that became our playground is irreplaceable in its beauty and diversity of flora and fauna. If you ask any of us, we would describe our multiple expeditions and day hikes as uphill both ways with backpacks half our weight, five feet of mud, and deer flies from hell—and we would only be slightly exaggerating. But with each turn of the trail, a new view arose before my eyes, from mist drifting through epiphyte-laden oaks to peaks shrouded in clouds. Afternoons after hard days on the trail were filled with laughter, hot chocolate and the Dr. Mooring’s infamous Mac-n-Cheese. Even as I start my next journey, I will forever cherish our adventures and the research we conducted in this unparalleled ecosystem that will always hold a little piece of my heart.

After graduation, I returned to QERC as an Environmental Data Initiative Fellow for a summer under a grant from NSF. I am now continuing in my original passion of equitable science and math education for girls. For the past two years, I have been volunteering with the San Diego Refugee Tutoring Program, working with refugee students at Ibarra Elementary School in City Heights, including one boy newly immigrated from Haiti who I worked with in Spanish. This past summer, in between backpacking trips in the Sierras, I was on staff for Tech Trek, a summer STEM camp for girls in 6th through 8th grade run by the American Association for University Women. In August I will be starting my teaching credential program at SDSU in a cohort that is partnered with schools in South Bay San Diego.

Steven on the Valle de Silencio Trek 2018

Steven Blankenship

Environmental Science B.S., 2019

Gabby Allen

Senior, Biology B.S., 2020

Abner Rodriguez

Biology B.S., 2018

Among many of the significant things I experienced in the Costa Rica summer research, some of them included learning about the Tico culture and how in touch they are with the environment. The generosity and hospitality that they all received us with was amazing. The different types of pictures and the variety of animals whether it being predator or prey was fascinating. Being able to test out relationships between the connections we gathered was a great moment of growth as we were able to come out with a publication. That was a huge accomplishment as a team!

Some highlights and good memories include creating friendships and relationships with the local Ticos through the different locations/environments we went to. All of the different hikes, including climbing up to Chirripo and putting my name in the book of the brave that made it to the top. I will never forget the adrenaline rush of trying to find the shack while the clouds covered the path and rain was pouring down. It was a great time that we all enjoyed together and helped me feel a sense of accomplishment after finding over 20-30 scat samples over the entire journey, I also loved the 5-day challenge that the journey to Cerro Kamuk took. Those early mornings and long days really helped create a bond with the team. I remember when we came upon a tapir carcass that some type of large cat must have come across. But I also remember when we saw a tapir's rear end as it ran to hide from us.

Life at QERC was lots of fun. The dialogue and conversations we had while reading The Shack helped me grow as a man of God. The board games we played were fun, especially BANANAGRAMS! I remember going on a hike with Wyatt, and we had to run away from a bull because we got lost and entered an area where the bull was noy too happy that day. Diving into the water and spending time near the waterfall by QERC was a great day to enjoy the off days. The Tico food was AMAZING and having fellowship with the community was truly special. Being able to update them and educate them on our findings was also special because of their appreciation for their environment. I will never forget when members of the community told me that they love the time of the year when Dr. Mooring and his crew come down, because of the work he does, but also the love and care he pours out to those around him. Playing soccer with everyone was also fun! They truly enjoy life with the things they have. I have so many memories that I love thinking about and could name so much more! And would gladly do so.

I did a postgraduate M.S. in Athletic Training at PLNU, graduating in 2022. I am currently living in Irvine, CA working full time at Biola University as an Athletic Trainer for their Women's Basketball, Track and Field. I still hike on occasion as Costa Rica sparked a new passion for enjoying time exploring the outdoors. I also enjoy playing basketball, weight lifting, and disc golf in my free time. More than anything I enjoy spending time with my family and nephews and niece.

Wyatt Garley

Biology B.S., 2017

Costa Rica was such a wonderful trip for me, filled with so many good memories. If I had to pick a few, one of my favorite memories was the day we summited Mount Chirripo and all the time we got to spend working with Viper. Another highlight was getting gallo pinto whenever we stopped to get food, and all of the coffee we drank. Seeing a resplendent quetzal from the research center we were staying at was such an amazing experience as well. That really sparked my interest in birds, and I spent the next few years working primarily with birds at Project Wildlife. Getting camera trap pictures of the Costa Rican Bush Dogs was also such a good memory and great achievement!

Summer Research was significant for both my personal and professional life. It was such a great experience to travel and explore new places and helped to push me outside of my comfort zone, and really taught me that I can do things I thought I wasn't capable of (like summit the tallest peak in Costa Rica). Summer research prepared me for the job field once I graduated, and today I work in my dream profession as a zookeeper, and I really credit that to going on the summer research trip. I'm not sure I would have had the opportunities I've had in my career without that trip.

A quick update on what I've done since then. I stayed in San Diego for a few years, and worked at Project Wildlife, working as a Wildlife Care Specialist. There I provided care to sick, injured, and orphaned wildlife native to San Diego. I did things like: feed baby birds, bunnies, and opossums as well as providing medical care like wrapping broken wings or giving physical therapy to injured animals. I was also fortunate enough to be able to participate on many occasions releasing wildlife back into its natural habitat. Just over a year ago I relocated to Sonoma, CA where I currently work as a Zookeeper at Safari West. I work primarily with African hoofstock including: giraffes, rhinos, zebra, kudu, gemsbok, and a variety of other antelope species.

Timothy 'TJ' Wiegman

Engineering Physics B.S., 2020

Minors: Cell & Molecular Biology, Mathematics

TJ was on the team in 2017 and 2018, working on the computational analysis of our camera trap data. His work involved statistical analysis (with a guiding hand from Dr. Botts) as well as some web development, creating interactive data analysis tools with a program called R Shiny. He graduated from PLNU in 2020 and then spent two years working in industry as an electrical engineer before heading to Purdue, where he is now pursuing his Ph.D. in Agricultural and Biological Engineering. In his free time, TJ enjoys surfing, weightlifting, cycling, and exploring the great outdoors.