Jennifer E. Smith, Evolutionary Ecology of Social Mammals
J.E. Smith Lab
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Welcome, we study social mammals! Our inclusive lab integrates evolutionary ecology, animal behavior, and physiology to understand how natural selection and current conditions shape decision-making in mammals. We combine long-term observations with field experiments, genetic and endocrine analyses, and quantitative tools (i.e., social networks, phylogenetics) to test evolutionary theory.
LAB NEWs and STUDENT SUCCESSES - Go Blugolds!
RONALD E. MCNAIR SCHOLAR
Congratulations to Tia Ravara for securing funded for our ground squirrel project from U.S. Department of Education via the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
NEW PAPER @PNAS!
Smith joins Cody Ross, Paul Hooper, and Monique Borgerhoff Mulder​ in leading a HUGE collaborative, transdisciplinary effort to reveal patterns of, "Reproductive inequality in humans and other mammals." 
LARSON COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH
Maddie Mueller continues collaborative research @UWEC with funding from our Vicki Lord Larson and James Larson Collaborative Research on Behavioral Endocrinology ​
DIVERSITY MENTORING GRANTS
Alyssa Corder, Tia Ravara, and Ginseng Vang all won Diversity Mentoring Grants to increase representation and inclusion on team squirrel - Go Blugolds!
NEW PAPER @Phil Trans B!
First co-authored paper with UWEC undergraduate - Maddie Mueller - on, "Mechanisms of equality and inequality in mammalian societies" at Phil Trans B!
NEW COLLABORATION
Excited to collaborate with Joseph Bump and Dani Freund of the Voyageurs Wolf Project on behavioral endocrinology of beaver and wolf predator-prey interactions.
Team Squirrel Dissertation
First team squirrel dissertation - "Fear, Fleeing, and Survival: Human impacts on ground squirrels in an urban-adjacent park." Congratulations to Dr. Chelsea Ortiz-Jimenez who is co-mentored by Andy Sih at the University of California Davis. 
NEW PAPER @ JMAMM!
First first-authored paper by Erin Person on ground squirrel microbial diversity - joined by Eileen Lacey & former undergrads - Kianna von Maydell & Jada Baldoza!
NEW COLLABORATION
Dr. Sonja Wild started to co-lead the squirrel project in Summer 2023 after winning a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Swiss National Science Foundation to study the effects of human presence on social network properties and learning strategies.
NEW PAPER AT PHIL TRANS!
"Sex bias in intergroup conflict and collective movement among social mammals: male warriors and female guides" at Phil Trans (YouTube)

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