Dr. Laughlin teaches Ecology and Field Biology (ENVR 241), Avian Ecology and Conservation (ENVR 348), Wildlife Ecology and Management (ENVR 390), Global Change Ecology (ENVR 373), and Urban Ecology (ENVR 344). His research interests include movement and migration ecology and animal responses to environmental change, with a focus on birds. He uses a variety of techniques to examine animal movements, including geolocators and radio telemetry to track individuals, stable isotopes and Doppler weather radar to track populations, and large-scale citizen science data to understand changes in animal distribution and abundance. 

Current research projects include:

  • Winter range shifts in eastern North American songbirds.
  • High-elevation Spruce-Fir bird communities of the Southern Appalachians: past, present, and future of these imperiled sky-islands.
  • A re-survey of bird communities in portions of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to understand how birds are responding to environmental changes there, including climate change and the recent Eastern Hemlock die-off;
  • North American Insect Abundance Network; I manage a site at Beaver Lake in North Asheville, NC, that contributes data to this large-scale study examining insect diversity, abundance, and phenology across North America.
  • Fatal bird window-collisions on the UNCA campus to determine where the hotspots are for window strikes and hence, where to focus our window decal efforts to reduce bird mortality on campus.

Education

  • B.A.    Calvin College (1997; English / Classics)
  • M.S.    East Tennessee State University (2010; Biological Sciences)
  • Ph.D.  Tulane University, New Orleans, LA (2015; Ecology & Evolutionary Biology)

Courses Taught

  • ENVR 130  Introduction to Environmental Science
  • ENVR 241  Principles of Ecology & Field Biology
  • ENVR 344 Urban Ecology
  • ENVR 348  Avian Ecology & Conservation
  • ENVR 373  Techniques in Wildlife Ecology [special topics]
  • ENVR 373  Global Change Ecology [special topics, Honors]
  • ENVR 373  Biodiversity in an Age of Extinction [special topics, Honors]
  • ENVR 373 Intro to R for Environmental Science
  • ENVR 390  Wildlife Ecology & Management
  • ENVR 480 Seminar in Environmental Topics
  • ENVR 499 Undergraduate Research