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Olivia M. Smith @oliviamsmith.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

Very honored to get this year's Ned K Johnson Award! 🐦‍⬛ Really excited for the AOS meeting this year, like always

Olivia M. Smith @oliviamsmith.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

Excited for the lab to start work on bird use of prairie strips and how they impact ecosystem (dis)services! 📷: Undergraduate student researcher Mikayla Datka looking for birds in the KBS LTER.

Person holding binoculars and a clipboard. They are next to a prairie strip that is between fields of clover cover crop.

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Olivia M. Smith @oliviamsmith.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

All 220 nestboxes are up! The photo features #219 and #220. So many people have been involved -- grateful to them all! (esp. RCY!) Excited to embark on many scientific adventures with the boxes.

Three people standing between two bluebird nestboxes. The boxes are on five foot posts with predator guards.

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Olivia M. Smith @oliviamsmith.bsky.social · 15/02/2026

Three of five weekends of nestbox installations down! 58% of 220 nestboxes in. One stop today was MSU's Detroit Partnership for Food, Learning and Innovation. Very excited to be working with MSU's first urban ag center!

Five people standing near an educational sign about edible forests in the city. They are holding nestboxes and nestbox predator guards. There is a nestbox installed behind them in the background. There is snow on the ground.

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Olivia M. Smith @oliviamsmith.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

We've now installed over a third of the 220 nestboxes for our new experiment! It's been cold with a ton of snow, but it's still been a fun time!

Three people are installing bluebird nestboxes on two metal posts. They also have predator guards on them. The snow is deep. The nestboxes are on a farm.

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Olivia M. Smith @oliviamsmith.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

My lab is installing 220 nestboxes on 30 farms across mid-Michigan! Nestbox-using birds like bluebirds can eat a lot of insects -- thousands of caterpillars for one brood. We're interested in how much this can benefit organic farmers trying to use natural means to control pest insects

Two people installing bluebird nestboxes in an open agricultural field. Snow is on the ground.

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Olivia M. Smith @oliviamsmith.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

MSU EEB Program monthly birding Pretty good turnout of about 20 people, even in 10 degree weather!

Group of 18 people dressed in winter attire preparing for birding. They are holding binoculars. It is snowy. There is a hedge and grassland in the background.

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Reposted by Olivia M. Smith

Dr. Riley Pizza @rileypizza.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

Extra time on exams has become the default accommodation in higher ed—but evidence suggests it often doesn’t help anyone: not students “gaming the system,” and more concerningly, often not students with disabilities either. Read our opinion piece here: url-shortener.me/8R70

insidehighered.com

Extra Time on Tests Is Often Waste of Time (opinion)

Extra time on a well-designed college exam rarely benefits anyone.

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Olivia M. Smith @oliviamsmith.bsky.social · 04/01/2026

MSU EEB birding group (eeBirding) January outing. Surprisingly high turnout for the holiday and temps! Best findings were 4 Northern Pintail.

Group of 18 people standing in front of a wooded riverfront holding binoculars. They are dressed warmly and standing on snow.

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Olivia M. Smith @oliviamsmith.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

Really cool press release featuring our recent paper, describing the benefits of predators to agricultural production: www.vox.com/climate/4711...

vox.com

The fascinating link between cherry pie and this bird

Meet the unpaid animal laborers who help safeguard our food.

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Olivia M. Smith @oliviamsmith.bsky.social · 07/09/2025

September birding with the MSU EEB Community. This is now the 5th year of me running this group!

A group of people smiling and holding binoculars getting ready to go birding. The park has a lawn and trees in the background.

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Olivia M. Smith @oliviamsmith.bsky.social · 16/08/2025

Monthly MSU EEB Program birding We're just getting into migration, so it wasn't the most exciting birding, but we did see about 20 wood ducks.

Group of 16 people smiling and holding binoculars getting ready to go birding. They are in front of a tree on the side of the street.

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Olivia M. Smith @oliviamsmith.bsky.social · 22/05/2025

Really excited for the Smith BIRDS Lab to be starting up our first large research project! We're surveying small-scale diversified, organic farms in urban and rural areas to examine tradeoffs of having songbirds on farms in different contexts. 📸 Rachel Fredrickson looking for birds at Growing Hope

Woman holding binoculars looking for birds. She is standing in a small field of mixed vegetables. Behind her is a high tunnel and a shed that says "HOPE". In front of her is a sign that says, "market garden."

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Olivia M. Smith @oliviamsmith.bsky.social · 04/05/2025

The MSU EEB Program's monthly birding trip today was packed! This month, we opened up our birding group to the public as part of a warbler ID learning series co-hosted with the Michigan State Bird Observatory and Capital Area Audubon Society. We had somewhere around 40 birders join us!

Group of 37 people smiling and facing the camera. They are carrying binoculars and cameras and about to go birding. It is a sunny spring morning but chilly, so they are wearing winter jackets.

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Olivia M. Smith @oliviamsmith.bsky.social · 06/04/2025

Super fun morning birding with the MSU EEB community! This month we joined up with the Capital Area Audubon Society to explore MSU's Corey Marsh Ecological Research Center. Fun group and great birds!

Group of 26 people around the Corey Marsh Michigan State University sign at the entrance of the park. People are smiling and carrying binoculars and cameras preparing to look for birds.

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Olivia M. Smith @oliviamsmith.bsky.social · 10/03/2025

Just got word that I landed my first grant as a #NewPI! 🎉 It's $50k—not huge, but a big milestone in my faculty career!

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Olivia M. Smith @oliviamsmith.bsky.social · 02/03/2025

March birding with the MSU EEB community. We got a surprise snow on top of cold/wind, but we still had a great time. We found a bald eagle while leaving the parking lot, a pileated woodpecker, and a rough-legged hawk. Pretty good winter birding, esp. for a park in the middle of town!

22 people gathered together for a group photo before birding. They are wearing winter coats, hats, and gloves because it is cold. There is snow on the ground. They are wearing binoculars.

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Olivia M. Smith @oliviamsmith.bsky.social · 08/02/2025

Another great birding event with the MSU EEB community! Early February is challenging to find many bird species, so we were pleased with having seen 15. Our two American Black Ducks were my favorites.

Twenty-two people stand in front of a dam, which has snow and ice around it. The people are wearing many layers for the cold. They are holding binoculars and preparing for birding.

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Reposted by Olivia M. Smith

KBS LTER @kbslter.bsky.social · 24/01/2025

There are many ways to get involved w/ the @kbslter.bsky.social this summer & beyond! #RET for #K12 teachers - 8 weeks w/ us this summer! #REU undergraduate positions to work w/ @kelloggbiostn.bsky.social labs! & a new KBS Director & Ecosystems Ecologist! lter.kbs.msu.edu/get-involved...

lter.kbs.msu.edu

JOB OPENINGS | KBS LTER

Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU): Applications are open for Summer Undergraduate Programs at the Kellogg Biological Station! If you are looking for research experience in the field or in…

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Reposted by Olivia M. Smith

Daniel Karp @dskarp.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

So excited to see our paper led by @austinrspence.bsky.social out in @jappliedecology.bsky.social! We show most birds present low food-safety risks, but E. coli survives longer in big poops produced by big birds (a thread) besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....

besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Assessing foodborne pathogen survival in bird faeces to co‐manage farms for bird conservation, production, and food safety

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Olivia M. Smith @oliviamsmith.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

First grant submitted as a new PI! ✅

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Olivia M. Smith @oliviamsmith.bsky.social · 04/01/2025

I had a great time birding with my MSU birding group even if the "feels like" temp was 0 F! We found the Short-eared Owls we were looking for. You know, the temp wasn't too bad with 3 pairs of pants, a snow suit designed for snowmobiling, heated gloves, "HotHands" hand warmers, a mask, etc.

Group of 20 people standing on a road surrounded by cattle pastures. The people have binoculars and are preparing for birding. Snow is seen on the ground, and the people are wearing many layers due to the cold.

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