Research Award Recipients
2019
1. Chad Seewagen- Effects of non-native Japanese Barberry on food quality and the diet composition of breeding Ovenbirds.
2. Sarah Bolinger- Using radio-telemetry to assess the breeding productivity of Common Nighthawks in coastal Louisiana.
3. Kristina Cockle- Winter site fidelity and migration patterns of a declining aerial insectivore: banding and tracking Common Nighthawks from Argentina.
4. Mia Nahom- Effect of gut microbiota on developmental immunity and parasite load in Tree Swallows.
5. Rindy Anderson- Integrating studies of behavior and habitat quality to conserve Bachman’s Sparrow.
2018
1. Alexander Fish, PhD Candidate at the University of Maine. Migration ecology of American Woodcock in Eastern North America
2. Fabiola Rodriguez, PhD Candidate at Tulane University. Wood Thrush Age and Sex Segregation in an Agroforestry Landscape of North-central Honduras
3. Kiah Williams, PhD Candidate at Tulane University. A Study of Wilson’s Plover Natal Dispersal in Southeastern Louisiana
4. Susan Finnegan, Wing Island Bird Banding Station. Molt Patterns in First Year Wilson’s Storm-petrels
5. John Herbert, PhD Candidate at Tulane University. Shorebird Migration in the Northern Gulf of Mexico, Linking Wetlands Across America
2017
1. Brandon Swayser, M.S. candidate at East Stroudsburg University. “Monitoring Habitat Use of Hooded Warblers (Setophaga citrina) in Three Understory Types in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.”
2. Brian Palestis, professor at Wagner College. “A Capture-Recapture Study of Common Tern Population Dynamics in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey.”
2016
1. Camila Gómez , Ph.D. Candidate at Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá – Colombia. “Unveiling the migratory strategy of the Gray-Cheeked Thrush through analyses of diet during spring stopover.”
2. Stephen Ferguson, Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Memphis. “Physiological profiles as a regulator of dispersal distance in Florida scrub-jays.”
2015
1. Elizabeth Farley–Dawson, Ph.D. Candidate at Texas Tech University. “Factors influencing habitat selection, spatial distribution, and site fidelity in a Neotropical migratory bird, the Veery (Catharus fuscescens).
2. Anna Tucker, Ph.D. Candidate at Auburn University “The influence of stopover site quality on long-term population dynamics of migratory birds.”
2014
1. Mack Frantz, a doctoral candidate at West Virginia University, for “Epigenetic (DNA Methylation) Variation in the Louisiana Waterthrush due to Shale Gas Development in West Virginia.
2. Rachael Derbyshire, a M Sc candidate at the University of Guelph, for “Mechanism of Population Decline in the Algonquin Park Gray Jay Population.”
2013
1. Ashley Asmus, a graduate student at the University of Texas at Arlington, TX – “Trophic Match and Mismatch in an Arctic-breeding Generalist Passerine”. His research will document the seasonal patterns of diet composition in a generalist passerine using DNA Barcode Analysis on fecal samples of White-crowned Sparrows.
2. Sarah Baillie, a graduate student at Villanova University – “Boldness in Response to Predatory Threat and its Correlation with Reproductive Success in Carolina Chickadees (Poecile carolinensis)”.
3. Melissa Olmstead, a graduate student at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada – “Fire ecology of White-throated Sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis): short-term effects of a prescribed burn on nesting success”.
2012
1. Kristen Covino, doctoral candidate at University of Southern Mississippi, “Transition between phases of the annual cycle: spring migration to breeding in Nearctic-Neotropical songbirds.”
2. Jill Gautreaux, University of Southern Mississippi, “Spring stopover of Nearctic-Neotropical migratory landbirds with an urbanized landscape along the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico.”
3. Jared Wolfe, Louisiana State University, “Measuring bird demographics to determine the ecological value of small nature preserves in Baton Rouge, LA.”
2011
1. Patricia Newell, doctoral candidate at Univ. of Georgia for her study, “Are between-year apparent survivorship and site fidelity of Rusty Blackbird related to winter diet composition.”
2. Susan Craig, grad student at Queen’s University, Canada, for “Assessing the winter habitat use, site fidelity and nesting (double breeding) by Loggerhead Shrikes on the Texas Gulf coast.”
3. Adrienne Leppold, doctoral candidate at the University of Maine for her study, “Gulf of Maine Migratory Mystery.”
4. Rebecca Cooper, Master’s Candidate at The State University of Arkansas for “Development of a non-lethal method of measuring persistent organic pollutants in adipose tissue of songbirds.”
2010
1. Patricia Newell, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Georgia, for her study “Are between-year apparent survivorship and site fidelity of Rusty Blackbirds related to winter diet composition?”
2. Theodore J. Zenzal, Jr., a Master of Science in Biology candidate at the University of Southern Mississippi, for his study, “The migration and stopover ecology of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris) at a Louisiana chenier.”
3. Phillip L. Vasseur, a Master of Science in Biology degree candidate at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, for his study “Habitat edge and patch size effects on nesting success of Painted Buntings.”
4. Nanette Mickle, Volunteer Research Assistant for Ecological Monitoring Projects at the Smithsonian NZP Conservation and Research Center, for her study, “Tracking long-distance songbird migration (Purple Martins) using geolocators.”