Research in birds, butterflies, leads senior to wildlife conservation

KOKOMO, Ind. - Watching a documentary in her introductory level biology course changed Elisabeth Pennington's life.

While she thought she might want to be a veterinarian, viewing The Serengeti Rules during her first year at Indiana University Kokomo showed her another way she could make a difference for animals. A research project with Lina Rifai, associate professor of vertebrate biology, confirmed her new path in wildlife research and conservation.

"We watched that documentary, and it was like a spark hit," said Pennington, from Galveston. "I thought it was really cool, and I wanted to get more involved with wildlife conservation. Growing up, I thought I wanted to be a vet but had found out that wasn't the path I wanted to take. I love science, I love animals, and I love being outside. I realized I had the opportunity to combine all of that in this field."

She will graduate in August 2026 with a major in biology and minors in chemistry, theater, and physics, and plans to earn a graduate degree in wildlife conservation - something she would not have considered before her IU Kokomo experiences.

"I don't think I would have had the confidence to leave campus wanting to pursue graduate school and research without the opportunity to work with Dr. Rifai," she said.

Her first step was volunteering with Rifai, who is a certified bird bander, assisting as she captures birds, attaches a tiny tracking band on them, and records their data. Then, she joined Rifai's monarch butterfly population project, capturing butterflies, recording data, tagging them with butterfly-safe stickers and transmitters, and following their migration journeys digitally.

"Using the transmitters we can track their flight patterns and their local movement, or in the case of one of them, the actual migration path he took," she said, adding that sometimes it made her nervous to watch the one butterfly tracked beyond the Kokomo area.

"We could watch him live on the website flying through cities or over major highways, and it would be like, 'Oh no, why are you making these choices?' she said. "He was the only one we saw leave Kokomo, and we were rooting for him. He was our guy and we were rooting for him the entire time. We followed him all the way to Texas before we lost the signal. It was really cool that he made it that far."

Pennington worked with students Koby Goodwin and Madison Townsend on the project. She and Goodwin compiled their data and earned selection to present their findings at IU Regionals at the Rotunda February 18 at the Indiana Statehouse.

She's also completed research on leeches with T.J. Sullivan, associate professor of biology and molecular ecology, and will complete a project with Patrick Motl, dean of the School of Sciences and professor of physics, this summer.

In addition to research, Pennington has participated in theater, the Cougar Choir, Student Government Association, and the Cougar Activities Board, and served as a math tutor.

She also was selected for the Innovation Symposium, a three-week KEY experiential learning experience exploring global innovation, entrepreneurship, and sustainability, that challenges students to develop solutions for local community issues.

"It was my first time traveling outside of North America," she said. "Karla Stouse took us to England, and I fell in love with sustainability. I learned that I care about a lot of things I previously hadn't put much thought into. We were able to ask questions of so many people who had such broad experience and have conversations and see amazing things."

Pennington said her IU Kokomo experience was more than she expected when she enrolled after high school, planning to take her core classes and then transfer somewhere larger.

"I loved all the programs here, especially my science classes and the theater program," she said. "I made so many friends, and every faculty member I met was just incredible. I kept getting opportunity after opportunity, and I was thriving. It just didn't make sense to go anywhere else."

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