I am a behavioral ecologist and educator interested in questions pertaining to wildlife-habitat relationships, predator-prey interactions, sensory ecology, and science education. My work integrates methods from multiple disciplines ranging from habitat ecology to remote sensing to pedagogy. My M.S. work at the University of Idaho focused on development and implementation of experiential acoustic ecology curriculum for K-12 students. My Ph.D. dissertation, completed at the University of Idaho in Dr. Janet Rachlow’s lab, was broadly focused on sensory ecology including the development of a conceptual framework for understanding mammalian acoustic ecology, advancement of lidar techniques for measuring 3D viewsheds, and integration of lidar and viewshed ecology into a course-based undergraduate research experience.
I joined the Benson lab in August 2023 and am studying resource selection and survival in mule deer in western Nebraska. Mule deer are declining across their range and have received relatively little attention in western Nebraska where they persist in a variable landscape of predation risk, forage access, and human disturbance. I am investigating how those variables interact to influence habitat selection as well as rates and causes of mortality in females and fawns. Results from the study will shed light on factors limiting mule deer populations and will contribute to science-based management of this population.
Education
PhD, Natural Resources, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho. 2023.
MS, Natural Resources, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho. 2017.
BS, University of Nebraska-Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska. 2014
Publications
Stein. R.M., Eitel, K. Rachlow, J.L. (in review). Integration of lidar remote sensing into a multi-modal experiential wildlife course. Journal of College Science Teaching.
Stein, R.M., Rachlow, J.L. 2023. Acoustic ecology of terrestrial mammals: A new signaller-receiver conceptual framework. Mammal Review, 53: 143-157.
Stein, R.M., Lecigne, B. Eitel, J.U.H., Johnson, T.R. McGowan, C., Rachlow, J.L. 2022. Vegetation and vantage point influence visibility across diverse ecosystems: Implications for animal ecology. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 10: 911051.
Stein, R.M., White, J.A. 2016. Maternity colony of northern long-eared myotis (Myotis septentrionalis) in a human-made structure in Nebraska. Transactions of Nebraska Academy of Sciences, 36: 1-5.
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