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Student Spotlight: Brittany Panos

Brittany Panos hopes to provide support for efforts that make farming more environmentally sustainable through the intersection of agriculture and bird conservation.

Panos’s research is the continuation of her life-long interest in birds, cultivated by her grandfather. “My abuelo was from Cuba where there is amazing bird biodiversity and they have so many incredible bird species; he was always teaching me about birds,” Panos said. “He passed that fascination on to me and that started me on the path to studying birds.”

Panos studies the potential impact of cover crops on migratory bird populations. Cover crops are a type of herbaceous planting grown during the wintering season between cash crops like corn, soybeans, and cotton. This agricultural practice benefits farmers by enriching the soil and minimizing erosion, but it also positively impacts the environment through improved soil and water quality and reduced need for chemical fertilizers and herbicides.

To read the full spotlight post on Panos and learn more about the research being done you can keep reading here.