Olivia M. Smith
@oliviamsmith.bsky.social
Assistant Prof at Michigan State University in EEB & Hort | farming for people and nature | conservation | ornithology | agroecology | she/her
Pinned
Olivia M. Smith
@oliviamsmith.bsky.social
· Apr 30
Widespread lack of article accessibility policies among ecology and evolution journals
Nature Ecology & Evolution - An analysis of manuscript preparation guidelines across 541 ecology and evolution journals reveals widespread paucity in guidelines intended to make journal...
rdcu.be
We are excited to share our new article just out in @natureecoevo.bsky.social 🎉
“Widespread lack of article accessibility policies among ecology and evolution journals” rdcu.be/ejFQH
“Widespread lack of article accessibility policies among ecology and evolution journals” rdcu.be/ejFQH
Reposted by Olivia M. Smith
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
Read our opinion piece here: url-shortener.me/8R70
Extra Time on Tests Is Often Waste of Time (opinion)
Extra time on a well-designed college exam rarely benefits anyone.
www.insidehighered.com
January 21, 2026 at 7:01 PM
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
Read our opinion piece here: url-shortener.me/8R70
Excited to see continued coverage of our recent article on how American kestrels can improve food safety and reduce crop damage on cherry farms: insideclimatenews.org/news/2201202...
On Michigan Cherry Farms, Small Falcons Are Improving Food Safety - Inside Climate News
Kestrels are already abundant on local cherry farms, but a new study suggests their presence might lower the risk of food-borne illnesses caused by pathogens from other birds.
insideclimatenews.org
January 23, 2026 at 7:38 PM
Excited to see continued coverage of our recent article on how American kestrels can improve food safety and reduce crop damage on cherry farms: insideclimatenews.org/news/2201202...
MSU EEB birding group (eeBirding) January outing.
Surprisingly high turnout for the holiday and temps! Best findings were 4 Northern Pintail.
Surprisingly high turnout for the holiday and temps! Best findings were 4 Northern Pintail.
January 4, 2026 at 10:19 PM
MSU EEB birding group (eeBirding) January outing.
Surprisingly high turnout for the holiday and temps! Best findings were 4 Northern Pintail.
Surprisingly high turnout for the holiday and temps! Best findings were 4 Northern Pintail.
Really cool press release featuring our recent paper, describing the benefits of predators to agricultural production: www.vox.com/climate/4711...
The fascinating link between cherry pie and this bird
Meet the unpaid animal laborers who help safeguard our food.
www.vox.com
December 5, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Really cool press release featuring our recent paper, describing the benefits of predators to agricultural production: www.vox.com/climate/4711...
🍒🪶Excited for our new article to come out in
@jappliedecology.bsky.social
We show that falcons attracted to orchards using nestboxes reduce food safety risks and crop damage from wild birds.
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
@jappliedecology.bsky.social
We show that falcons attracted to orchards using nestboxes reduce food safety risks and crop damage from wild birds.
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Falcons reduce pre‐harvest food safety risks and crop damage from wild birds
In the absence of American kestrels, there are more birds in orchards. This leads to increased crop damage and more bird faecal contamination.
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 28, 2025 at 4:31 PM
🍒🪶Excited for our new article to come out in
@jappliedecology.bsky.social
We show that falcons attracted to orchards using nestboxes reduce food safety risks and crop damage from wild birds.
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
@jappliedecology.bsky.social
We show that falcons attracted to orchards using nestboxes reduce food safety risks and crop damage from wild birds.
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
September birding with the MSU EEB Community. This is now the 5th year of me running this group!
September 7, 2025 at 4:19 PM
September birding with the MSU EEB Community. This is now the 5th year of me running this group!
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.
We're just getting into migration, so it wasn't the most exciting birding, but we did see about 20 wood ducks.
August 16, 2025 at 4:55 PM
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.
We're just getting into migration, so it wasn't the most exciting birding, but we did see about 20 wood ducks.
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
📸 Rachel Fredrickson looking for birds at Growing Hope
May 22, 2025 at 4:03 PM
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
📸 Rachel Fredrickson looking for birds at Growing Hope
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!
May 4, 2025 at 4:28 PM
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!
We are excited to share our new article just out in @natureecoevo.bsky.social 🎉
“Widespread lack of article accessibility policies among ecology and evolution journals” rdcu.be/ejFQH
“Widespread lack of article accessibility policies among ecology and evolution journals” rdcu.be/ejFQH
Widespread lack of article accessibility policies among ecology and evolution journals
Nature Ecology & Evolution - An analysis of manuscript preparation guidelines across 541 ecology and evolution journals reveals widespread paucity in guidelines intended to make journal...
rdcu.be
April 30, 2025 at 5:12 PM
We are excited to share our new article just out in @natureecoevo.bsky.social 🎉
“Widespread lack of article accessibility policies among ecology and evolution journals” rdcu.be/ejFQH
“Widespread lack of article accessibility policies among ecology and evolution journals” rdcu.be/ejFQH
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!
April 6, 2025 at 7:28 PM
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!
Super excited for you to come work with @lars-brudvig.bsky.social and me!
Officially accepted the Presidential Postdoctoral Fellowship position in EEB at Michigan State University with @lars-brudvig.bsky.social and @oliviamsmith.bsky.social! I’ll be continuing work on restoration and seed dispersal interactions back at FCAT in the Chocó and I couldn’t be more excited! 🥳
April 6, 2025 at 7:24 PM
Super excited for you to come work with @lars-brudvig.bsky.social and me!
Reposted by Olivia M. Smith
Our paper is out, and it is distressing.
Rapid butterfly declines across the United States during the 21st century | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Rapid butterfly declines across the United States during the 21st century | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Rapid butterfly declines across the United States during the 21st century
Numerous declines have been documented across insect groups, and the potential consequences of insect losses are dire. Butterflies are the most surveyed insect taxa, yet analyses have been limited in ...
www.science.org
March 6, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Our paper is out, and it is distressing.
Rapid butterfly declines across the United States during the 21st century | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Rapid butterfly declines across the United States during the 21st century | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
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!
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!
March 2, 2025 at 6:36 PM
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!
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!
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.
February 8, 2025 at 4:55 PM
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.
Reposted by Olivia M. Smith
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...
#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...
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…
lter.kbs.msu.edu
January 24, 2025 at 3:52 PM
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...
#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...
Reposted by Olivia M. Smith
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....
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....
Assessing foodborne pathogen survival in bird faeces to co‐manage farms for bird conservation, production, and food safety
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besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
January 21, 2025 at 4:49 PM
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....
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....
First grant submitted as a new PI! ✅
January 13, 2025 at 7:11 PM
First grant submitted as a new PI! ✅
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.
January 4, 2025 at 5:33 PM
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.