Rate My Professor Jennie Rinehimer

Jennie Rinehimer serves as Chair and Associate Professor of Biology at Washington College, a position she has held following her appointment as Assistant Professor in 2013. She obtained her B.S. in Biology from Juniata College in 2008 and her Ph.D. from Indiana University in 2013. Early in her career, her publications appeared under the name J. M. Carr. As department chair, she contributes to faculty leadership, overseeing programs that nurture independent scientists through rigorous, hands-on training in a rapidly advancing field.

Rinehimer's research focuses on avian behavioral ecology, specifically examining how predators influence prey behaviors and the trade-offs involved in avoiding predation risk. Her studies address thermoregulation in ruby-throated hummingbirds, New World sparrows, and mourning doves; foraging in hummingbirds and sparrows; parental care in field sparrows; and lekking behavior in white-collared manakins. At Washington College, she directs collaborative research with undergraduate students at the River and Field Campus, analyzing how age and breeding experience affect reproductive success in field sparrows. She has led field courses in tropical ecology, including expeditions to Nicaragua and Costa Rica, fostering student engagement in biodiversity studies and conservation. Rinehimer also delivers public lectures, such as one on hummingbird natural history for the Natural History Society of Maryland. Her peer-reviewed publications include Carr, J. M. & Golinski, J. E. (2020). Vigilance behaviors of ruby-throated hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris) reflect elevated risk of competitive interactions with vespine wasps. Wilson Journal of Ornithology 132: 295-305; Carr, J. M., Gimpel, M. E., & Small, D. M. (2019). Patterns of provisioning in known-age field sparrows (Spizella pusilla): a multi-year study. Northeastern Naturalist 26: 484-498; Carr, J. M. & Lima, S. L. (2014). Wintering birds avoid warm sunshine: predation and the costs of foraging in sunlight. Oecologia 174: 713-721; Carr, J. M. & Lima, S. L. (2013). Nocturnal hypothermia impairs flight ability in birds: a cost of being cool. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 280: 20131846; Carr, J. M. & Lima, S. L. (2012). Heat-conserving postures hinder escape: a thermoregulation-predation trade-off in wintering birds. Behavioral Ecology 23: 434-441; and Carr, J. M. & Lima, S. L. (2010). High wind speeds decrease the responsiveness of birds to potentially threatening moving stimuli. Animal Behaviour 80: 215-220.