Fellowship focus: Maison Fellowship advances raptor research in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife
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EmailFunding from the Joseph Laurence Maison Fellowship is powering Fisheries and Wildlife graduate student Nick Alioto’s research on the migratory behavior of red-tailed hawks in Michigan.
Nick Alioto knew coming into graduate school that nothing was guaranteed. A native of Sunderland, Ontario, Alioto is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife (FW).
After completing his undergraduate degree in Quebec, Alioto “bounced around” North America, pursuing jobs related to the study of bird migration. He eventually settled in northern Michigan and became involved with the Mackinac Straits Raptor Watch (MSRW), a non-profit organization researching birds of prey and supporting their conservation.
While conducting field work in Mackinaw City, Michigan, Alioto collaborated with researchers from MSU’s FW department and decided to “migrate” to East Lansing to pursue a graduate degree.
“The Fisheries and Wildlife Department is very well known and it has great faculty,” said Alioto, “So it made sense to come here for the next step in my career and MSU has contributed greatly to my growth as a scientist over the last 6 years.”
Starting from scratch
Alioto’s research project focuses on the migratory behavior of red-tailed hawks, a common yet understudied species. Due to their abundance in Michigan, Alioto said that red-tailed hawks can serve as a model raptor species to help us understand raptor migration and movement in the Great Lakes region and more broadly.
“Because red-tailed hawks are common, we can monitor them more easily and use our findings to answer interesting questions about movement and behavior in similar species,” said Alioto. “We are generating a new knowledge base to help us understand migration patterns of similar raptors that pass through Michigan and potentially inform conservation efforts for those species.”
Alioto’s research project relied on soft money and there was never a guarantee of continued funding. Building his project from the ground up with support from multiple funding sources, he received the Joseph Laurence Maison Fellowship in 2024, an annual award that supports graduate research advancing wildlife conservation.
The Maison Fellowship provided the resources needed for Alioto to conduct his field work, helping him purchase GPS transmitters to track red-tailed hawks, something that has not been done before in this region. “I am extremely grateful for the donors who made this work possible,” said Alioto. “This support has helped me leverage other grants and enhanced the quality of my field work during graduate school.”
Building a pipeline
Alioto participated in MSU’s Spring 2026 Commencement and plans to defend his Ph.D. dissertation this July. He credits his advisor, Dr. Jen Owen, for helping him navigate the challenges of graduate school while developing his skills as a scientist. She facilitated his participation in academic conferences and helped him make connections with leading experts in the field.
“Jen always emphasized how to translate your science to the public and connect them to the impact of your work,” he said. “She helped me grow as a scientist while also teaching me how to communicate efficiently and get others excited about what we are working on, which is incredibly important.”
After completing his degree, Alioto is moving back to northern Michigan and starting a leadership role with MSRW, managing the organization and running research projects. He’ll be expanding the research initiative he started with them prior to graduate school and plans to continue collaborating with students and faculty at MSU.
“The long-term goal is to build a pipeline with undergraduates from MSU to hopefully get students engaged in raptor research,” said Alioto. “It’s a hard field to break into so I'm hoping we can help students from the department gain research experience.”
Learn more about graduate fellowship opportunities in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife here.
Learn more about Mackinac Straits Raptor Watch here.
