Illinois College students among few undergraduates to present at the 2023 North American Symposium for Bat Research

Illinois College has ample amounts of opportunities for students to participate in experiential learning whether it's an internship or student-faculty research. Jordan Morgan '25 made the most of her research with fellow student Ainslee Stroup '24 and Bryan Arnold, associate professor of biology, when she presented at the annual North American Symposium for Bat Research in October.

Bat research is one of the many student faculty research opportunities students can have at Illinois College. Arnold studies the social behavior of bats and examines the role of communication in bats.

"In this study, we placed automated bat recorders in six locations in Siloam Springs State Park in Clayton, Illinois. These recorders identify and record the high frequency sounds that bats produce as they fly by the microphone, allowing us to measure bat activity in different locations in the park," Arnold explains, "We are primarily interested in studying the calls flying bats make when communicating with other bats, termed "social calls", so we can better understand the function of the different sounds produced by different species."

With aspirations of studying environmental law upon graduation, Morgan never planned to work in a lab. "I was initially drawn to the research because it's such a niche area of study," Morgan explains, "To draft environmental laws and policies, you receive data and information from field scientists. This allowed me to get hands-on experience as a field scientist that I can directly apply to my future career in environmental law."

Morgan and Stroup had the opportunity to present at the North American Symposium for Bat Research in October 2023. This annual event, hosted by the North American Society for Bat Research, facilitates communication and collaboration among scientists, educators, and the general public.

Morgan and Stroup were among a handful of undergraduate students presenting at the conference. "There were a lot of opportunities to network with other professionals in the field," Morgan noted. Most importantly, she was able to meet with environmental lawyers while at the conference. "I was able to see how their work could relate to my future career and how research is tied to environmental law."

Morgan majored in environmental studiesandwildlife management with minors in global studies and pre-law. During her time on campus, she traveled to five different countries through the BreakAway program, allowing her to explore her professional interests beyond the classroom. "I've been to Cuba to conduct green sea turtle research and Costa Rica to study tropical ecology."

Morgan credits her success as a student researcher to the environment Illinois College fosters between faculty and students. "Being able to have close working relationships with faculty made me feel comfortable enough to ask questions about research opportunities and gave me the confidence to pursue various research."

Students like Morgan are encouraged to approach faculty about research opportunities and can even participate in the bat research with Arnold.

"While this project is ongoing, our ultimate goal is to understand the function of the different social calls produced," Arnold explains, "in addition to monitoring activity patterns in the park, and use that information to identify important habitats that should be managed and protected to benefit these important species."

To learn more about bat research on campus, visit the website here.