LAB MEMBERS
My field-based research program offers undergraduates opportunities for independent research and field training in avian biology in New Hampshire and the Caribbean Islands
Sara Kaiser, PI
As a Research Ecologist at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, I direct a year-long research and training program that I developed to provide undergraduates an entry point into field ornithology at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. I also teach the Field Methods in Avian Ecology course each Fall. My research program offers additional, training opportunities in the Caribbean Islands and locally in central New York at a migration banding station that I will establish (COMING SOON!). I encourage my students to develop original research leading to senior theses and peer-reviewed scientific publications to further their development as scholars.
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My highly motivated students have developed original research on a variety of topics, including offspring sex allocation, perceived predation risk "fear effects", research disturbance, artificial light at night, climate change, animal personality, sexual signals, vocal communication, female plumage variation, mate choice, extra-pair mating, parental behavior, nest predation, habitat selection, nest construction, malaria prevalence, molecular diet analysis, and population genetic structure. Student projects have been based in the field, lab, and/or data-driven by leveraging data (behavioral, genetic, environmental) collected as part of ongoing, long-term research projects.
Current Students
cornell university
Eryn Woernley
Dryden High School, TST BOCES New Visions Program in Life Sciences
Cornell University Class of 2024, Animal Science Senior project: Conservation genetics of Grasshopper Sparrows (Ammodramus savannarum) Skewed adult sex ratios can exacerbate population declines by limiting the ability of individuals to find mates and reproduce in monogamous species. My research examines the association between the sex ratio of nestlings and adults in a small, declining population of Grasshopper Sparrows at the Chester River Field Research Station in Maryland. I am using genetic techniques to determine the sex from nestling blood samples collected from 2005-2009 and examining demographic and environmental factors affecting changes in adult sex ratios from 1999-2014. |
Lezhi (Stella) Hao
Cornell University Class of 2023, Biological Sciences - Genetics, Genomics and Development
Hubbard Brook Field Ornithology Program: Female plumage traits as signals of mate quality, competitive ability, and stress resilience in the black-throated blue warbler
Follow on Twitter: @HaoStella10 |
John Deitsch
Cornell University Class of 2022, Entomology, Biological Sciences - Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Hubbard Brook Field Ornithology Program: Effects of artificial light at night on caterpillar predation and parasitism pressures
Follow John's work: https://jfdeitsch.wixsite.com/entomornithologist Follow on Twitter: @DeitschJohn |
Lindsey Forg
Cornell University Class of 2022, Environment & Sustainability
Hubbard Brook Field Ornithology Program: Effects of a lengthening green season on the diet of insectivorous forest songbirds Collaborators: Dr. Gemma Clucas, Cornell Lab of Ornithology Follow Lindsey's work: http://www.lindseyforgphotography.com/ Follow on Twitter: @ForgLindsey Follow on Instagram: @lindsey.forg |
Raisa Kochmaruk
Cornell University Class of 2021, Environment & Sustainability
Hubbard Brook Artist in Residence Program: Scientific illustration series of female plumage variation and nestling development in the black-throated blue warbler Collaborators: Jillian Ditner, Cornell Lab of Ornithology Follow Raisa's work: https://mondielle.com/ Follow on Twitter: @RKochmaruk Follow on Instagram: @raisa_kochmaruk |
Jasmine (Jazzy), Lab Pooch
I am an avid birder, runner, and swimmer. I get along with every dog, cat, and person (big or small) that I meet. I am anxious to explore the White Mountain National Forest and entertain the Hubbard Brook research community and swim in Mirror Lake once this pandemic is behind us.
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Lab Alumni
cornell university
Maria Smith
Cornell University Class of 2016, Biological Sciences - Neurobiology and Behavior
REU topic: Functional variation in nest morphology and brooding behavior along a climate gradient
Graduate school: Ph.D. Candidate, Princeton University (Dr. Christina Riehl's lab) |
Dominique Hellmich
Cornell University Class of 2015, Biological Sciences - Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Honors Thesis and REU topic: Role of top-down selection pressure by predators on lay-date adjustment in response to spring temperature
Graduate school: Ph.D. Candidate, New Mexico State University (Dr. Timothy Wright's lab) Follow on Twitter: @DominiqueHellm6 |
Sarah Rubenstein
Cornell University Class of 2015, Science of Natural Environmental Systems
Honors Thesis and REU topic: Linking personality traits to parental behaviors and reproductive success Graduate school: M.S. Wildlife Ecology, University of Maine (Dr. Joseph Zydlewski's lab); Ph.D. student, University of Maine Follow on Twitter: @srubenstein |
Kathryn Grabenstein
Cornell University Class of 2014, Biological Sciences - Neurobiology and Behavior
Honors Thesis and REU topic: Resource-dependent offspring sex allocation
Graduate school: Ph.D. Candidate, University of Colorado Boulder (Dr. Scott Taylor's lab) Follow Kathryn's work: https://www.kathryngrabenstein.com/ |
smithsonian conservation biology institute
hubbard brook research experience
Andre Moncrieff
Andrews University Class of 2014, Music, Biology
Independent project: Song characteristics that predict extra-mating success
Graduate school: Ph.D. Candidate, Louisiana State University (Dr. Robb Brumfield's lab) Follow on Twitter: @Andre_Moncrieff |
Jessica Sutt
Warren Wilson College Class of 2011, Conservation Biology, Environmental Education
Honors Thesis and REU topic: Influence of food availability and female constraints on sex differences in parental care
Graduate school: M.S., Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, University of Florida '14 Professional position: Refuge Operations Specialist at Florida Panther & Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuges, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Naples, FL |
Lindsey Nietmann
Carlton College Class of 2009, Biology - Environmental Studies
Independent project: Vocal consistency and extra-pair mating success
Graduate school: Ph.D., University of Washington (Dr. Renee Ha's lab) Professional position: Wildlife Biologist, Division of Forestry and Wildlife, Hawaii Department of Lands and Natural Resources |
Alexa Trimble (Branesky)
Washington State University Class of 2009, Biological Sciences
Senior project: Effects of weather and climate on mating patterns in a migratory bird
Current position: Trust and Safety Specialist, Rover.com (Pet Care) Formerly Zoo Keeper at Roosevelt Park Zoo, Woodland Park Zoo, Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, and Intern at Northwest Trek and Keauhou Bird Conservation Center |
©S.A. Kaiser 2012