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Graduate students
currently conducting thesis research for the M.S. degree at
Villanova University under my direction:
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Robert Driver
Robert is studying genetic correlates of reduced hatching success and skewed nestling sex ratio (Haldane's Rule) in hybridizing chickadees.
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Paul Stathis
Paul is developing plans for a study of genetic correlates of persolanity
variation in chickadees.
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Sarah Polekoff
Sarah plans to study exploratory behavior as a component of personality in
Black-capped and Carolina chickadees.
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Chris Roche
Chris is a part-time student in the program who began working on M.S. work under my direction in Fall 2010. He is
focusing on winter residence patterns and social dominance in hybrid-zone chickadees
using RFID methods.
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Mark Eastburn
Mark is studying the behavioral ecology of the ant-acacia jumping
spider, Bagheera kiplingi, including comparison with other species in the
family.
Undergraduate students currently conducting Senior
Thesis research or independent study at Villanova under my direction:
Masters students who have completed their
M.S. degree at Villanova University under my direction:
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Kate Freeman (2015)
Kate
studied the role of helpers in anti-predator nest defense and
reproductive success in St. Lucia White-breasted Thrashers.
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Christie Eldredge (2015)
Christie
completed a field study of parental attentiveness during the
nestling period, as a component of personality, in Carolina
Chickadees using RFID methods.
Christie is now an Instructor at Rivier University in New Hampshire.
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Jacob Armiger (2014)
Jacob conducted a field study of cooperative breeding and reproductive ecology in the Yucatan Wren in Mexico
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Evan Kelemen (2014)
Evan carried out field
experiments to examine the functional importance of song repertoires, and the
possible role of singing behavior in personality, in Carolina Chickadees. Evan
is now a PhD student at the University of Arizona.
Sarah Baillie (2014)
Sarah completed field experiments investigating the role of anti-predator behavior as a component of personality in Carolina Chickadees.
Josh LaPergola (2012)
Josh conducted research on
social behavior and mating system of the Black Catbird on Cozumel and mainland Yucatan in 2008 and 2009
- Winner of Villanova Graduate Student Research Award, Summer 2008
- Winner of Student Research Grant, Florida Ornithological Society, 2009
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Erik Scully
(2012)
Erik completed our 5-year BS/MS program. He studied
nesting ecology and social behavior in
Bagheera kiplingi
Eric is now a PhD student at Harvard University. His dissertation research
focuses on social roles in wild chimpanzees in Uganda.
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Stephanie Wright (2010)
Stephanie studied the function of different song types in the chickadee hybrid zone using playback experiments, and changes in vocal patterns over time. Stephanie is now a PhD student at the Ohio State University.
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Jessica Trout-Haney (2010)
Jess
studied the genetic mating system of the Boreal Chickadee in southwestern Nova
Scotia.
- Winner of Villanova Graduate Student Research Award, Summer 2007
- Winner of Paul A. Stewart Student Research
grant, Wilson Ornithological Society, 2007
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Jennifer Mortensen (2009)
Jen studied the conservation ecology of the endangered White-breasted Thrasher (Ramphocinclus
brachyurus) on the island of St. Lucia, Lesser Antilles.
She is pursuing her doctoral degree at Tufts University
Jen is now a PhD student at Tufts University.
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Christopher Meehan (2009)
Chris
completed Villanova's BS-MS 5-year dual degree program. His thesis revolved
around his co-discovery of the world's first known herbivorous spider, Bagheera kiplingi
- Amanda Nicodemus
(2009)
Amanda studied
the behavioral ecology of chickadees across the Pennsylvania contact zone. She
examined relationships between dominance, mate choice, and genetic identity
at Nolde Forest
- Samantha Slattery (2008)
Sam examined relationships between song repertoires, male genetic identity, and reproductive success in the chickadee hybrid zone in Pennsylvania
- Winner of Sigma Xi Grant-in-Aid of Research, October 2007
- Winner of Villanova Graduate Student Research Award, Summer 2007
- Winner of Villanova Undergraduate Student Research Award, Spring 2006
- Lindsay Zemba (2007)
Lindsay is studying the
behavioral ecology of chickadees across the Pennsylvania contact zone. She is
examining relationships between dominance, mate choice, and genetic identity at
Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. She expects to complete her thesis in late 2006.
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Luke Pilipski (2006)
Luke conducted
independent work, focusing the diet of the little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus)
in Pennsylvania.
Luke is currently a lab technician for a biotechnology company in Pennsylvania.
- Sue Guers (2006)
Sue's thesis, based on
fieldwork in 2002-2004, focused on the effects of forest fragmentation on
reproductive success of Black-capped Chickadees (and hybrids) at Hawk Mountain
Sanctuary.
Sue is currently Biologist II/Migration Program Manager for the Alaska Bird
Observatory.
- Matt Reudink (2004)
Matt studied the
molecular ecology of chickadees in 2002-2004. His work focused on microsatellite
DNA as a marker for parentage analysis and genotyping of birds within the
Pennsylvania contact zone, and on patterns of extra-pair mating in relation to
genetic identity of males and females.
Matt completed his Ph.D. at Queen's University, studying links
between mating system and wintering biology in American Redstarts, in September
2008, and a post-doctoral fellow at Trent University in Ontario. He is now an
Associate Professor at Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia. - Chris Valligny (2004)
Chris investigated the
effects of an extraordinary winter fire on foraging and territorial behavior of
Florida Scrub-Jays at Archbold Biological Station. He is currently continuing
work on FSJs, as part of a state-wide analysis of genetic diversity in the
species. Chris was supported while conducting field study by an
Archbold Biological Station internship.
Chris currently works for an environmental consulting company in
Pennsylvania.
- Lindsay Rossano (2003)
Lindsay's M.S. project
advanced our understanding of the Black-capped / Carolina Chickadee contact
zone. Her project is focused on vocalizations, and especially on variability in
repertoire composition (including both whistled songs and 'chick-a-dee' calls)
at the individual level, within the hybrid zone.
Lindsay currently works for an environmental consulting company in Pennsylvania.
- Kerri Cornell (2002)
Kerri contributed to the Pennsylvania part of the Black-capped / Carolina
Chickadee project. She focused on decreased hatching success resulting from
hybridization, and on parentage patterns that could obscure the story. Her work
involved field study of nesting success, analysis of microsatellite DNA, and
PCR-based methods for sexing nestlings.
Kerri received her Ph.D. from the School of Natural Resources at the
University of Vermont in 2006. She is currently a post-doctoral fellow in
Conservation Biology at the College of William & Mary. - Sean Mullen (2001)
Sean completed his thesis project on genetics and morphology of hybridizing
Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapilla) and Carolina Chickadees (P.
carolinensis) in southeastern Pennsylvania. He focused on developing
PCR-based methods for determining the genetic status of birds adjacent to, and
within, the contact zone. Sean received his PhD from the Department of
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Cornell University, working under the
direction of Dr. Richard Harrison. He is now an Assistant Professor at Boston University.
Sean received his Ph.D. from Cornell University in 2004. He is currently an
Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at Boston University. - Ilonka Von Lippke (2001)
Ilonka completed her study of Espa�ola Mockingbirds (Nesomimus macdonaldi)
in the Gal�pagos Islands, with the goal of assessing the roles of dominance and
within-group conflict on reproductive success in a complex cooperative breeding
system. Ilonka's work concentrated on analysis of microsatellite DNA variation.
Ilonka completed her Ph.D. in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UCLA in June 2008.
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Liz Borst (1998)
Liz studied social and demographic factors affecting laying date and clutch size
in Florida Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens ). Her work combined
analysis of long-term data collected for more than 25 years at Archbold
Biological Station by Glen Woolfenden and colleagues and field study of the
timing of breeding by newly forming versus previously established jay
pairs. She was supported while conducting field study by an
Archbold Biological Station internship.
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Joel Greshock (1998)
Joel investigated habitat use by northern water snakes (Nerodia sipedon
sipedon ) in southeastern Pennsylvania. His project combined radiotelemetry
of snakes in the field and geographic information systems (GIS) analysis of
habitat use in relation to habitat availability.
Joel is currently Director of Information Systems at GlaxoSmithKline PLC in the United Kingdom.
- Lee Walton (1997)
Lee focused on nest
site selection in Florida Scrub-Jays
(Aphelocoma coerulescens ), and particularly on the effects of
fragmentation-induced changes in habitat structure on nest placement and
success. Lee was supported while conducting field study by an
Archbold Biological Station internship.
Lee is currently a Senior Ecologist for Biological Research Associates, an
environmental consulting firm in Tampa, Florida.
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Juan E. Mart�nez-G�mez
(1995)
Juan completed the first detailed population study of the
critically endangered Socorro Mockingbird,
Mimodes graysoni. This species is endemic to a single island (Socorro) in
the Revillagigedo Archipelago, Mexico. It has declined drastically in numbers
since about 1950. Juan's work suggests that habitat disruption caused by
introduced sheep may have been the primary cause of the decline, with predation
by feral cats also a factor. Here's more about
Juan's thesis, and about the
Revillagigedo Archipelago.
Juan completed his Ph.D. in the Department of Biology at the University of
Missouri at St. Louis in 2007, working under the direction of Dr. Robert E.
Ricklefs. He is currently Investigator at the Institute of Ecology in
Xalapa, Mexico. Juan and I continue to collaborate; we are working together now
on the conservation ecology of the critically endangered
Cozumel Thrasher.
Other Masters students who have worked under Dr. Curry's direction:
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Wendy Lenhart
Wendy works as a Keeper at the Philadelphia Zoo. Winner of Philadelphia Zoo research award, 2006
Winner of American Society of Zoo Keepers travel award, 2006
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Sharon Hill
Sharon studied the
behavioral ecology of chickadees across the Pennsylvania contact zone. She
followed up on prior work by Lindsay Rossano, focusing on the acoustic structure
of calls or Carolina Chickadees and Black-capped Chickadees.
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Katy Friggle-Norton
Katy completed
field study of nesting success of Gray Catbirds (Dumetella carolinensis )
in southeastern Pennsylvania. Her goal was to determine whether forest
fragmentation of this edge-nesting passerine negatively impacts reproductive
success, as it does for other interior-nesting songbirds.
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Cathy Viverette
Cathy completed field
study of environmental factors affecting reproductive success of Ovenbirds (Seiurus
aurocapillus ) at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, Pennsylvania.
Undergraduate students who have completed a Senior Thesis
or a Directed Research project at Villanova under the direction of Dr. Curry: |
