Curriculum Vitae
Education
Ph.D. 2016, Ecology and Ecosystem Sciences. Department of Natural Resources Science, University of Rhode Island (URI), Kingston, RI. Dissertation: Oxidative state of songbirds during migration and best practices to communicate the science. Advisor: Dr. Scott R. McWilliams
M.Sc. 2010, Ecology. Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF), Syracuse, NY. Thesis: Fall-winter survival, habitat, and long-term population change of ruffed grouse in New York State. Advisor: Dr. William F. Porter
B.Sc. 2007, Double major in Biology and Environmental Studies, minor in Chemistry, summa cum laude. The College of New Rochelle (CNR), New Rochelle, NY. Advisor: Dr. Faith Kostel-Hughes
Research and professional
experience
Science Communicator. Center for Geospatial Analytics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC (2016 – present)
Freelance Copyeditor. The Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in Rhode Island, Department of Natural Resources Science, URI, Kingston, RI (2020)
Graduate Intern. Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting, Graduate School of Oceanography, URI, Narragansett, RI (2014 – 2015)
Graduate Research Assistant. Department of Natural Resources Science (incl. Society, Ecology & Communication Laboratory), URI, Kingston, RI (2011 – 2016)
Lead Telemetry Assistant. Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX; fieldwork performed in Millbrook, NY (2011)
Graduate Research Assistant. Research Foundation of SUNY, SUNY-ESF, Syracuse, NY (2007 – 2010)
EPA Greater Research Opportunities Undergraduate Intern. US Environmental Protection Agency, Edison, NJ (2006)
Research Experiences for Undergraduates Intern. Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY (2005)
Volunteer experience
Board Member and Communications Committee Member. Champaign County Audubon Society (2020 – present)
Research Assistant. Aided a paleontologist with data collection in seven fossil and ichthyology collections at six natural history museums in the United States and Europe (2018 – 2019)
Selected honors and awards
Second place, Institutional Communications Division, SCONCies Science Communication Contest, Science Communicators of North Carolina (2021)
Gladys West (“Hidden Figure”) Award, Center for Geospatial Analytics (2021)
Accepted into National Association of Science Writers (2020)
STEM Award for Excellence in Doctoral Research, Graduate School, URI (2017)
Best Student Publication in the Journal of Field Ornithology in 2016, Association of Field Ornithologists (2017)
Wilson Prize for Outstanding Oral Presentation, Wilson Ornithological Society (2015)
Betty Moore Chamberlaine Award for excellence by a female graduate student in avian management, SUNY-ESF (2008)
President’s Award, presented to the graduate whose outstanding personal achievements and contributions to the College exemplify its highest ideals, CNR School of Arts and Sciences (2007)
Peer-reviewed publications
Sanchez, G.M., A. Petrasova, M.M. Skrip, E.L. Collins, M.A. Lawrimore, J.B. Vogler, A. Terando, J. Vukomanovic, H. Mitasova, and R.K. Meentemeyer. 2023. Spatially interactive modeling of land change identifies location-specific adaptations most likely to lower future flood risk. Scientific Reports 13, 18869.
Jones, C., M.M. Skrip, B.J. Seliger, S. Jones, T. Wakie, Y. Takeuchi, V. Petras, A. Petrasova, and R.K. Meentemeyer. 2022. Spotted lanternfly predicted to establish in California by 2033 without preventative management. Communications Biology 5, 558.
McWilliams, S., W. Carter, C. Cooper-Mullin, K. DeMoranville, A. Frawley, B.J. Pierce, and M. Skrip. 2021. How birds during migration maintain (oxidative) balance. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 756.
Jones, C., S. Jones, A. Petrasova, V. Petras, D. Gaydos, M.M. Skrip, Y. Takeuchi, K. Bigsby, and R.K. Meentemeyer. 2021. Iteratively forecasting biological invasions with PoPS and a little help from our friends. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment.
Vukomanovic, J., M.M. Skrip, and R.K. Meentemeyer. 2019. Making it spatial makes it personal: engaging stakeholders with geospatial participatory modeling. Land 8(2): 38.
Skrip, M.M., N. P. Seeram, T. Yuan, H. Ma, and S.R. McWilliams. 2016. Dietary antioxidants and flight exercise in female birds affect allocation of nutrients to eggs: how carry-over effects work. Journal of Experimental Biology 219:2716-2725.
Skrip, M.M., and S.R. McWilliams. 2016. Oxidative balance in birds: an atoms-to-organisms-to-ecology primer for ornithologists. Journal of Field Ornithology 87(1):1-20.
Skrip, M.M., U. Bauchinger, W. Goymann, L. Fusani, M. Cardinale, R.R. Alan, and S.R. McWilliams. 2015. Migrating songbirds on stopover prepare for, and recover from, oxidative challenges posed by long-distance flight. Ecology and Evolution 5(15):3198-3209.
Skrip, M.M. 2015. Crafting and evaluating Broader Impact activities: a theory-based guide for scientists. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 13(5):273-279.
Skrip, M.M., U. Bauchinger, W. Goymann, L. Fusani, and S.R. McWilliams. 2015. Access to water affects the condition dependency of nocturnal restlessness in Garden Warblers on a Mediterranean island stopover. Journal of Ornithology 156(suppl. 1):425-432.
Skrip, M.M., W.F. Porter, B.L. Swift, and M.V. Schiavone. 2011. Fall-winter survival of ruffed grouse in New York State. Northeastern Naturalist 18(4):395-410. Cover Photo.
Professional memberships
American Ornithological Society (AOS)
Ecological Society of America (ESA)
National Association of Science Writers
Science Communicators of North Carolina (SCONC)
Sigma Xi: The Scientific Research Society
The Wildlife Society (TWS)
Wilson Ornithological Society (WOS)