2026 Illinois Chapter of the Wildlife Society Conference

Another exciting year at the 62nd Annual Meeting of the Illinois Chapter of the Wildlife Society (ILTWS) has come to an end. This year, Dr. Tih-Fen Ting attended with second -year master's students Karina Davis, Nikki Zuber, and Natalie Barber - each a recipient of the ILTWS Student Travel Grant ($150). With full financial support from Dr. Ting, undergraduate students Chad Wheeler and Tyler Mabray also joined the Ting Lab at the meeting in recognition of their outstanding commitment to the Chimney Swift and Common Nighthawk Watch, having contributed the highest number of fall surveys submitted by participating students statewide.

Students began the conference by attending an R statistics workshop, where they were introduced to foundational coding skills as well as statistical approaches for spatial analysis and generalized linear models. 

Each of the master's students also delivered an oral presentation on their thesis research. Karina presented her AI-based approach to investigating wetland vegetation; Nikki shared her productivity assessment and population viability analysis of osprey breeding populations; and Natalie discussed how climate change and prey availability influence osprey reproductive success. All three delivered excellent presentations, and the conference offered a valuable platform for them to connect with wildlife professionals from across Illinois.