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Dr. Mike Mooring has been conducting behavioral ecology research since 1985, mounting field studies of African antelope, North American ungulates, and Neotropical mammals. During this time, he has worked in six countries and five states, navigating the logistical challenges of field research in a variety of contexts. His doctoral research focused on the parasite-defense behavior of impala in Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Namibia. Mooring received his Ph.D. from the Animal Behavior Graduate Group at University of California, Davis, in 1993 and then completed postdoctoral positions at the University of Pretoria (South Africa), University of Alberta (Canada), and University of California, Davis. Since coming to ¹ú²ú͵ÅÄ in 1997, he has directed over 50 students in field research projects, primarily with bighorn sheep, American bison, and Neotropical felids (e.g., jaguar). His current work in Costa Rica is at the interface of ecology and conservation biology (see A Trek for Conservation article). Since 2010, he and his students have worked with Costa Rican collaborators to survey the elusive mammals inhabiting the montane cloud forests of the Talamanca Cordillera. The project promotes community-based conservation by empowering local partners to conduct their wildlife research and engage in environmental education. Mooring's current research focuses on predation and competition among Neotropical mammalian predators and their prey. In addition, Dr. Mooring teaches annually in Costa Rica in the QERC Semester and Neotropical Ecology study abroad programs.