Zishi (Violet) Wu was an undergraduate Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology major and Forensic Entomology minor at UC Davis. In the Karp Lab, she worked with graduate student Katie Lauck on studying the effects of land use and temperature spikes on Western Bluebird and Tree Swallow nestlings. She is determined to pursue a research career focusing on bird ecology and conservation, especially under the umbrella of climate change and/or human impacts. Questions that interest her include: (1) How do climate change and urbanization together impact birds’ behavior, coloration, and overall fitness? (2) Do these pressures cause ecological traps? And (3) how can we conserve these amazing creatures in the face of global change?
Violet came to Davis from Beijing, China, and fell in love with birding after she arrived. She also loves filming bird behaviors and making little documentaries. In her free time, you can find her chasing rare birds around Yolo County or secretly filming Scrub-Jays caching acorns in the arboretum.