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@chelseprather.bsky.social

Ecologist that studies insect communities as an Associate Professor at the University of Dayton. Mom. Nature, insect, and dog lover.

43 Followers  |  33 Following  |  15 Posts  |  Joined: 14.05.2025  |  1.8257

Latest posts by chelseprather.bsky.social on Bluesky

Employment Opportunities : University of Dayton, Ohio

If this opportunity interests you, apply today. employment.udayton.edu/en-us/job/50...

10.10.2025 14:23 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

This inaugural endowed chair will have the opportunity to conduct impactful work on the application of plant or crop science and to join an active and diverse research landscape at the University of Dayton to increase food security in regions of the world with the greatest need.

10.10.2025 14:23 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Come join the faculty at the University of Dayton! We have a unique opportunity for an inaugural DiNovo-Deak Endowed Chair of Plant Science and Food Security.

10.10.2025 14:23 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

One of the best parts? This research grew out of a collaboration between a graduate student and undergraduates in a class I taughtβ€”proof that impactful, publishable science can happen in the classroom.

17.06.2025 11:55 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

This study highlights a fascinating intersection of renewable energy and wildlife behaviorβ€”and how animals creatively adapt to novel, human-made structures.

17.06.2025 11:55 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

We found that robins nesting on tilting PV arrays built taller nests with different attachment angles than those on fixed-tilt panels. Why? We think it’s to keep their eggs secure as the panels move throughout the day to track the sun.

17.06.2025 11:55 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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The Greater the Tilt, the Taller the Nest? The Effect of Solar Array Type on Bird Nest Architecture and Nest Microclimate Solar energy is increasing at an exponential rate, but little is known about how birds respond to solar arrays, including their nest-building behaviors. Solar arrays can be tilting that move to face ....

How do birds adapt to nesting on solar panels?

In our new paper, we explored how American robins use photovoltaic (PV) arrays as habitatβ€”and how they change their nesting strategy depending on the type of solar infrastructure. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

17.06.2025 11:55 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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Your daily moment of Zen: Come with me to release a rare butterfly, the Baltimore Checkerspot, into a restored wetland at Five Rivers MetroParks.

16.05.2025 17:46 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Trump officials take steps toward a radically different NSF Efforts to shrink staff, budget, and focus have alarmed members of Congress

This is very personal. I owe much of my career to support from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

www.science.org/content/arti...

14.05.2025 00:13 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

If science has impacted your lifeβ€”even indirectly through the medicine you take, the food you eat, or the devices you useβ€”please consider reaching out to your representatives and senators. Science needs your voice.

14.05.2025 00:13 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

The proposed cuts to NSF funding will not only slow the pace of discovery, but will also have direct consequences for people’s lives. The research funded by NSF touches everything from food and health to technology and climate resilience.

14.05.2025 00:13 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

NSF’s support of basic science isn’t abstract. My work, for example, on how nutrients influence insect populations has helped develop new strategies for managing grasshoppers that damage crops and threaten food security.

14.05.2025 00:13 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Later, an NSF grant I received as an early-career researcher supported undergraduate and graduate students, as well as a postdoc. That grant didn’t just fund scienceβ€”it launched careers, including my own.

14.05.2025 00:13 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Early in my career, I also had the opportunity to organize two NSF-funded workshops that led to impactful publications on how invertebratesβ€”especially insectsβ€”affect people and the planet.

14.05.2025 00:13 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

As a graduate student, I was funded through the Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program to study how herbivores and detritivores influence ecosystem processes in diverse subtropical forests.

14.05.2025 00:13 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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Trump officials take steps toward a radically different NSF Efforts to shrink staff, budget, and focus have alarmed members of Congress

This is very personal. I owe much of my career to support from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

www.science.org/content/arti...

14.05.2025 00:13 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

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