As an avian behavioral ecologist, she is interested in how mating strategies maximize reproductive success. Her publications address topics as varied as how condition affects offspring sex ratio, female reproductive success, and how food resources affect reproduction. Besides studying prairie-chickens, she also has a long-term monitoring program of a small songbird. By placing nesting boxes in three habitats, she can observe how one species maximizes their reproductive success given different ecological resources. Since joining OSU-Lima in 2009, she has mentored 3 graduate and 11 undergraduate students through independent research projects and presentations, and has won OSU-Lima’s highest award for her efforts, the Faculty Award for Student Mentorship.