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Erin Adams: Inside the Bat Cave

February 16, 2015

The ASU Biology Department has long had a reputation as a leader in the study and research of bats in the southwestern U.S., and that status helped bring biology graduate student Erin Adams to ASU all the way from her native Delaware.

Armed with a bachelor’s degree in wildlife conservation from the University of Delaware, Adams worked in an environmental education center and on several bats projects for the Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife - all the while looking for a graduate program that fit her particular interests.



After an exhaustive search, Adams chose ASU for her biology master’s degree and is now working on her master’s thesis project studying the seasonal and nightly activities of the endangered Mexican long-nosed bat, Leptonycteris nivalis

“It’s a species that’s endangered in both the U.S. and Mexico,” Adams said. “The majority of their home range is in Mexico, but some come up into the Big Bend region of Texas in the summer. There are huge gaps in the data about what the bats do while they are in the U.S. and what times of the year they migrate back and forth. My project is using PIT tag (microchip) technology to study some of those seasonal and nightly patterns that the individual tagged bats can help us with through the collected data.” 

Scientists believe the Mexican long-nosed bat may have become endangered at least partially due to human intrusion into the caves of its Mexico habitats for local folklore ceremonies, as well as misguided rabies control efforts aimed at vampire bats that often inhabit the same caves. Another reason may be the over-harvest of the bats’ Agave food source in Mexico for making tequila and other products. 

Say hello to Leptonycteris nivalis. Say hello to Leptonycteris nivalis.

“I really wanted to work with an endangered species,” Adams said. “This species is a nectar feeder that lives mostly in Mexico and a little bit in the southern U.S., so I knew the conservation issues would be very different from what I was used to in Delaware. I also wanted the exposure to the permitting, the reporting and all the other things that are the not-so-glamorous side of working with an endangered species.” 

“When I came to ASU, it just clicked, it felt right and it hit all the objectives I was looking for.”

Erin Adams

As part of her research, Adams has traveled to the Big Bend and Mexico to tag bats and gather data. To aid in her efforts, she has received funding from the Southwestern Association of Naturalists and Bat Conservation International, as well as ASU graduate research and international studies scholarships and grants from the Head of the River Ranch in Christoval. 

She has also caught the attention of the greater bat community and is featured in the Winter 2015 issue of BATS magazine.

Adams will finish her master’s degree course work in May, but may try to get one more season’s worth of data for her research project. After graduating, she hopes to continue in her research and conservation efforts. 

“I’d like to go back to working for a state wildlife agency so I can be a part of a larger conservation impact over time,” Adams said. “Or, I would love to work for a nonprofit organization that does direct bat conservation work. Continuing to work with bats would be great, but if that is not available, I’d gladly work with another species group. I’d like to continue with research and definitely integrate the public into whatever I’m doing.”

Why did you choose to attend ASU?

“I was looking for a Biology Department where I was not going to get lost in the shuffle. I wanted somewhere that I could have a lot of input on the direction of my research, and I wanted to come out of the program with a strong set of research skills. I applied to many schools, interviewed at a lot of places and had some offers on the table. But when I came to ASU, it just clicked, it felt right and it hit all the objectives I was looking for.” 

What other activities are you involved in at ASU?

“I’m a teaching assistant in the Biology Department. In the fall of 2014, I taught labs for the BIO 1410: Human Biology course. This semester I’m a teaching assistant for BIO 1411: Man and the Environment, so I teach four to five labs a week.” 

Is there a particular professor who has made a difference in your education?

Dr. Loren Ammerman Dr. Loren Ammerman

“Definitely Dr. Loren Ammerman. Her knowledge of bats and her connections within the larger bat community are fantastic. She wrote the book on bats in Texas! We’ve gone to regional, national and even international bat meetings together to present our research. She has been a great example of how to interact and collaborate with other biologists, and she has done a lot to guide my research and help me to really focus. Her helping mentor as well as instruct me, that has been huge for me.” 

What has been one of your most memorable experiences as a student?

“I really like the Texas Society of Mammologists meetings that we go to every year. A lot of people from the Biology Department go, and it’s a great time to see research that our students are doing get highlighted, as well as research from other students in Texas. But my favorite part is at the end of the second night of presentations and posters. They have a speaker, an auction and then a big dance. It’s fun seeing all those biologists dance and have a great time. A lot of great memories come out of that meeting every year.” 

What would you say to prospective students who are considering attending ASU?

“For the students who think they know what they want to major in, just jump right in and get involved. ASU is great at integrating undergraduates into research or student projects, and the faculty and staff here are excited and willing to help students develop themselves both academically and professionally. There are a lot of opportunities to get involved.” 

“For the students who aren’t sure what they want to do, they should speak up and talk to the faculty. Just because they don’t know exactly what direction they want to go from the start doesn’t mean there aren’t people willing to help them out. They should also get involved on campus because ASU is a great place to do that.”