Caption: As an undergraduate student, applied biological sciences graduate Simone Vega Rabelo presented her research at CISA’s Student Showcase. Photo courtesy of Heather Bateman

Applied biological sciences graduate Simone Vega Rabelo started vet school this fall at Oregon State University, and she says her undergraduate research experience launched her into post-graduate success.

During her time in the pre-veterinary concentration in the School of Applied Sciences and Arts at the College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (CISA) at Arizona State University, she had the opportunity to participate in research — a common pathway for undergraduate students in CISA.

Vega Rabelo became interested in research as a junior in her applied ornithology course. She began to explore bird abundance across urban areas and got her work funded by ASU’s Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory’s Central Arizona–Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research, or CAP LTER. 

With collaborators Jeff Haight, a postdoctoral scholar with CAP LTER, and faculty mentor Heather Bateman, professor and associate dean for graduate studies and research in CISA, Vega Rabelo delved into a combination of field work and lab work in Bateman’s Applied Wildlife Lab at ASU’s Polytechnic campus.

She set up popcorn feeding stations across campus and recorded the amount of time it took for each bird species to arrive at the popcorn. Her field-based investigation found that urban birds utilize human-sourced foods quickest on high impervious surfaces such as sidewalks, roads or other hardened surfaces. 

Vega Rabelo discovered that species with varied diets, such as Doves, Grackles, House Sparrows and House Finches, are more urban-tolerant due to their ecological and behavioral flexibility. Birds such as these are more likely to scavenge food waste in urbanized settings can be viewed by humans as messy or unpleasant, they also perform important ecological functions, including natural waste management and other ecosystem services. 

“The relationship between urbanization and bird foraging behavior has implications for balancing the coexistence of humans and wildlife in cities,” she says.

Vega Rabelo, Haight and Bateman’s work was published this summer in PeerJ, with Vega Rabelo as the lead author.

As a published author with a strong resume, Vega Rabelo applied to veterinary school and is now thriving at Oregon State University.

“My experiences at ASU shaped me into a more curious and compassionate scientist,” she says. “The research I did taught me to appreciate how connected animals, humans and the environment are. This is something I will carry with me throughout my veterinary journey.”

Vega Rabelo plans to pursue a career in small animal veterinary medicine after graduating from veterinary school, though her strong passion for wildlife may lead her toward a path in wildlife or zoo medicine.