GRADUATE ASSISTANTS
Graduate students serve as the “lifeblood” of the research program at the Borderlands Research Institute. With their faculty mentor, graduate students collect and analyze data to help answer research questions posed by natural resource managers and land stewards.
Educational opportunities not only come in the more traditional settings of classrooms and lecture halls, but some of the most effective settings for teaching occur behind a windshield, under a shade tree, or on the side of a mountain. The dialogues and discussions that emerge in these outdoor learning environments will long be remembered by our students.
The Chihuahuan Desert Borderlands offer some of the most scenic outdoor classrooms available worldwide. From monitoring hummingbird nests and migration routes to assessing rangeland health, our students receive a wealth of opportunities working first hand with the natural resources.
M.S. thesis
Project: Assessing prevalence of eyeworm infestations in scaled quail throughout the Trans-Pecos region of Texas
Advisor:
Dr. Ryan Luna
M.S. thesis
Project: Survival, Habitat Characteristics, and Home Range of Translocated Rio Grande Wild Turkey in Southern Brewster County, Texas
Advisor:
Dr. Ryan Luna
M.S. thesis
Project: Habitat preference, nesting habits & survival of scaled quail in the Permian Basin
Advisor:
Dr. Ryan Luna
M.S. thesis
Project: Species distribution and co-occurrence of carnivores in Big Bend National Park
Advisor:
Dr. Patricia Moody Harveson
M.S. thesis
Project: Assessment of the effects of woody plant removal on habitat characteristics and wintering grassland bird communities
Advisor:
Drs. Mieke Titulaer and Carlos Gonzalez
M.S. thesis
Project: Investigating primary forages, diet shifts associated with supplemental feed and vegetation associations with eyeworm infestations in scaled quail
Advisor:
Dr. Ryan Luna
M.S. thesis
Project: Estimation of Grassland Bird Abundance on Managed Ranches in West Texas
Advisor:
Drs. Mieke Titulaer and Carlos Gonzalez
M.S. thesis
Project: Estimating mountain lion density using spatial capture-recapture techniques
Advisor:
Dr. Patricia Moody Harveson
M.S. thesis
Project: Evaluation of soil erosion and changes in plant communities resulting from rooting behavior of invasive wild pigs in the Edwards Plateau ecoregion of Texas
Advisor:
Dr. Ryan Luna
M.S. thesis
Project: Movements, survival, and habitat use of desert bighorn sheep in the Black Gap Wildlife Management Area, Texas
Advisor:
Dr. Louis A. Harveson
M.S. thesis
Project: Evaluating sympatric relationships between desert bighorn sheep and aoudad
Advisor:
Dr. Carlos Gonzalez
M.S. thesis
Project: Assess the effects of management prescriptions on knotgrass and its energetic
production value for migratory birds
Advisor:
Dr. Ryan Luna
M.S. thesis
Project: Dietary overlap of aoudad, desert bighorn sheep, and mule deer in the Trans-Pecos Region, Texas
Advisor:
Drs. Carlos Gonzalez and Justin French
M.S. thesis
Project: Modeling occupancy and potential distribution of kit fox in the Trans-Pecos region of Texas
Advisor:
Dr. Patricia Moody Harveson
M.S. thesis
Project: Comparative ecology of Gambel’s and scaled quail
Advisor:
Dr. Ryan Luna
M.S. thesis
Project: A carrying capacity estimate and grazing regime analysis based on pronghorn preferred forage in The Trans-Pecos, Texas
Advisor:
Dr. Louis A. Harveson
M.S. thesis
Project: Ecohydrology and its Effects on Reseeding Techniques in The Green Valley, Brewster County, Texas
Advisor:
Dr. Bonnie Warnock
M.S. thesis
Project: Pronghorn Habitat Forage Quality and Quantity in the Trans-Pecos, Texas
Advisor:
Drs. Justin French and Carlos Gonzalez
M.S. thesis
Project: Modeling Pronghorn Behavior and Movement: Translocated Pronghorn vs. Resident Pronghorn
Advisor:
Drs. Carlos Gonzalez and Justin French
M.S. thesis
Project: Montezuma Quail Ecology & Population Modeling
Advisor:
Dr. Ryan Luna
M.S. thesis
Project: Influence of prairie dog colonies on vegetation and cattle movement in the Marathon Basin
Advisors:
Dr. Whitney Gann and Dr. Louis Harveson
M.S. thesis
Project: Ecosystem services provided by mountain lion predation in the Davis Mountains
Advisor:
Dr. Patricia Moody Harveson
M.S. thesis
Project: Black-tailed prairie dog restoration via translocation in the Trans-Pecos ecoregion
Advisor:
Dr. Bonnie Warnock
M.S. thesis
Project: Spatio-Temporal Dynamics, Habitat Use, and Survival of Desert Bighorn Sheep, Mule Deer, and Aoudad
Advisor:
Drs. Carlos Gonzalez and Louis Harveson
M.S. thesis
Project: Estimating Economics of Agriculture, Hunting, and Tourism Industries in the Trans-Pecos Region
Advisor:
Drs. Stacey Dewald and Louis Harveson
Interested in joining our team? Visit the Sul Ross graduate admissions page for information on applying to our graduate program.