ACADEMIA
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FEATURED RESEARCH
Graduate Researcher
University of Idaho
Dr. Simona Picardi, Principal Investigator
Pronghorn Movement and Wildlife-Friendly Fencing
My research focuses on pronghorn movement, habitat connectivity, and wildlife-friendly fencing in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. I am especially interested in how conservation strategies can reduce barriers to migration while supporting coexistence across working landscapes.
Former Research (Undergrad)
University of Idaho
Dr. Christine Parent, Principal Investigator
Ecomorphospaces of Land Snail Communities on Islands and Nearby Mainlands
This project explored how environment shapes biodiversity in land snail communities from the Peruvian Andes and Galápagos Islands. By examining shell morphology and genetic patterns, the research contributed to broader questions about adaptation, diversity, and evolution across island and mainland systems.
Best Student Presenter Award
American Malacological Society / Western Society of Malacology ConferenceLos Angeles, CA (August 2024)
Day Scott is a wildlife ecologist whose path to research was shaped by an unexpected encounter with pronghorn following a car accident that resulted in a traumatic brain injury (TBI). This experience contributed to her interest in animal movement and behavior.
She has contributed to avian ecology projects across the American West, including studies on burrowing owl recovery, migration patterns, and the population dynamics of cavity-nesting forest owls. Her research has also extended internationally, with fieldwork in Peru examining the morphology and ecological roles of land snails and the factors driving their adaptations across island and mainland systems. These experiences across taxa and continents shaped her integrative approach to wildlife conservation, grounded in animal movement and behavior, quantitative ecology, and conservation biology.
Day is currently a graduate researcher at the University of Idaho, studying how fences influence pronghorn movement and behavior across the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Her long-term goal is to earn a PhD and continue advancing wildlife research and conservation through work that bridges movement ecology, animal behavior, and human–wildlife interactions.
Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Sciences
University of Idaho - Moscow, ID
GPA: 3.85
Honors:
Dean's List; McNair Scholar; Doris Duke Conservation Scholar;
National Forestry Honor Society (Xi Sigma Pi), National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS)
