Who is this woman? I'm an assistant professor at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan, teaching and working on the conservation genetics and evolution of bats. I'm happy to be back in the midwest, amid winter snows, spring wildflowers, long summer days, and beautiful autumn leaves.
			With the World's Largest Ball of Twine, Cawker City, KS

You want to know more?

Before Arizona, I was a postdoc in Anne Yoder's lab at Yale University, where I worked on the biogeography of Malagasy bats. No, unfortunately, I've never been to Madagascar. And, yes, I'd like to go (so, if you feel like contributing to the Send Amy to Madagascar Fund, please do so - every dollar counts). I was funded by a Gaylord Donnelley Postdoctoral Fellowship at Yale, and benefitted greatly from the very dynamic atmosphere in the merged Anne Yoder/Michael Donoghue labs (aka the Yoderhue lab). It was a great experience, albeit much too short.

Prior to Yale, I was a graduate student (Ph.D.) in Gary McCracken's lab at the University of Tennessee, where I worked on the population genetics of Brazilian free-tailed bats. This was an incredible experience, and I can't rave enough about the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UT-Knoxville. Gary was an excellent mentor, and instilled in me a real love of bats and bat genetics. (Props to the G!)

Prior to Tennessee (no, it's not over yet), I was a graduate student (MS) in Ron Woodruff's lab at Bowling Green State University, where I worked on the population genetics of transposable elements in Drosophila simulans. I also got my BS in biology and environmental science at BGSU, and did my honors thesis in Ron's lab as well. BGSU was a wonderful experience, and it was Ron's genetics class that diverted my career goals from veterinary science towards genetics research.

I grew up in Lancaster, Ohio (that's LANKA-stir to you, mister), where my immediate family still resides. Incidentally, Lancaster is the hometown of one William Tecumseh Sherman, US Senator Thomas Ewing, cartoonist Richard Outcault, and three-time Jeopardy! Champion (and sibling) Tim Russell.

Maybe we'll see you at the fair!

	Just for fun: Amy's a fan of: Hayao Miyazaki, Star Trek, Errol Flynn, Cary Grant, William and Dick Powell, Pete Seeger, They Might be Giants, cioppino, hot lobster rolls (Connecticut style, please), real Iowa Maid-Rites, the sturgeon at Barney Greengrass, Dr Pepper, knitting, trees and snow. Amy lives on a sprawling estate in the Grand Rapids area with her two cats, corn snake, and husband (an amateur gardener and orchardist, photographer, cook, and FLCL fanatic without whom this website would not be possible). Please contact her if you have a mid-century modern house on 2+ acres of wooded land to sell.
	Yes, she's that nerdy.