Teaching

Tropical Field Ornithology course in the Dominican Republic.
Bird banding demo for youth group, Celebrate Urban Birds program.
Facundo Fernandez-Duque, Class of 2018, teaches about bird banding.
Emily Shertzer, Class of 2016, bands a nuthatch.

Courses taught:

Field Methods in Avian Ecology (NTRES 2400). 3 credits. Fall semester.  NOTE: This course is always reaches capacity before the end of the registration period. Email me if you’d like to request a spot (pre-registration) or to be put on the waiting list.  Preference given to 1st and 2nd year students seeking to engage in thesis research using techniques from the course, and to ES majors seeking to fulfill their field course requirement.

Independent Research / Senior Thesis. 1-3 credits. BIOG 2990 Intro Research Methods in Biology / BIOG 4990 Independent Undergraduate Research. Students interested in pursuing independent research in some aspect of avian ecology leading to a senior thesis and scientific publication(s) should contact me about joining the lab group. The students in my lab group are working on independent research that is expected to result in at least one peer-reviewed scientific publication with the student as lead author. Note the emphasis on independent research — I don’t typically have ongoing projects in which students can play a role. Rather, students in the group are highly motivated to conduct research and are usually coming to me with specific research interests and research questions.

If you are interested in conducting your own research, then I encourage you to meet with me to discuss joining my lab group (or another lab group). It is never too early to start and your 4 years at Cornell will pass quickly. Important Notes: I only accept senior thesis students who start before junior year.

The first time you sign-up for independent research credits, register for NTRES 2900 or BIOG 2990. In subsequent semesters, register for NTRES 4990 or BIOG 4990. You must contact me to discuss your research interests and the number of credits you’ll be taking each semester. You cannot pre-register for these credits. Rather, you’ll need to enroll during the Add Period at the beginning of the semester. List me as your research advisor and I’ll need to go into the system and approve your registration. Details for registering are on the Office of Undergraduate Biology web site or this CALS web site.

Field courses: I’ve co-taught field ecology courses in Kenya and the Dominican Republic in the past and am currently looking for locations for new adventures. Ideas? Email me.