The focus of my research is one of the most striking and puzzling patterns in the field of ecology--the latitudinal gradient in avian clutch size. This pattern describes the observation that populations of bird species that breed at high latitudes tend to lay more eggs in a nesting attempt than populations of the same species that breed closer to the equator. This pattern is displayed by an impressive diversity of bird taxa across both hemispheres (Lack 1947).
And yet, the relative simplicity of the pattern is contrasted by how complicated the search for an explanation of the pattern has been; many different explanations have been proposed and rejected since David Lack described it in his classic 1947 series of monographs in the Ibis. Lack originally proposed that the cline in clutch size could be explained by latitudinal changes in day length. This intuitively appealing hypothesis proposes that birds at high latitudes have more hours in a day to forage and can therefore provision more offspring than birds at lower latitudes.
This explanation was soon rejected -prematurely, in my opinion- in favor of more complicated explanations (e.g. seasonality of resources (Ricklefs 1980) , nest predation (Skutch 1949) , adult mortality (Cody 1971) , constraints on egg physiology (Cooper et al. 2005) , and various life-history trade-offs (Cody 1966) ). While a number of studies have shown that these ecological interactions explain some of the observed variation in clutch size (e.g. Martin et al. 2000, Ghalambor and Martin 2001, Martin et al. 2001), none have been conclusive.
Links to Work:
Lyon Lab
The bulk of my doctoral research explores the ecological and socio-economic consequences of the harvest of small diameter tropical trees from mayan forests in the central part of the mexican state of Quintana Roo. Once used primarily for buiding local homes, polewood is now being harvested at a precipitous rate to meet the growing commercial demand for use in touristic constructions along the state's famous tourism corridor. Although the harvest of these trees clearly has negative implications on forest diversity and resilience, polewood promises a compelling wage: a typical harvest (about 80 poles) will be sold at 40 pesos ($4 US) each, yielding more income in 3 days than a normal month's salary.
As a Science Fellow, I learned a great deal about science education research, pedagogical theories and practices, teaching and learning strategies, science education standards, and the landscape of recent innovations. I developed an inquiry activity for use in basic astronomy courses, used in a high-school enrichment program and piloted in a UCSC course for non-science majors. To do this I had to consider what inquiry would look like if it cannot be hands-on (since astronomy is never hands-on!).
Although I was initially attracted to the CILS Science Fellowship because of the name-brand of the Exploratorium, I have found myself on an entirely unexpected trajectory into scientist-educator professional development, inspired largely by the experience with CILS.
Links to Work:BAI 2005 Poster
CILS-BAI-2005-talk-SS.pdf
CILS-May-2005-talk-SS.pdf
Kate Chabarek is a UC Santa Cruz Environmental Toxicology graduate student, 2nd-year CILS Science Fellow.
Educational interests: Teaching risk/disease avoidance skills to the general public.
Research interests: nutritional factors in disease development.
Dave is from NYC and received a degree in History from the City University of New York. He has taught science and history in schools in both New York and California. Currently, Dave is a graduate student in organic chemistry at UC Santa Cruz where he is a CILS Science Fellow.
Ever since I was a small child, I have enjoyed learning and helping others learn. Growing up, I have had a number of educational experiences that have allowed me to practice teaching in both formal and informal settings.
My time as a CILS Science Fellow exposed me to some excellent learning resources and helped me establish my own teaching criteria. For my final project, I developed a set of interpretive signs and a self-guided walking tour of a popular beach in Santa Cruz, California. I now feel more confident with how to approach learning and I have a marvelous network of other scientists and graduate students who have gone through a similar process.
I am currently pursuing a PhD in Physical Anthropology at UC Santa Cruz and received my Masters of Science in Earth Science in 2005.
A first year CILS Fellow and a graduate student in Environmental Studies investigating ecological and social transboundary issues between restoration and agriculture in the Sacramento River Valley. She has been a teaching assistant for many courses, including Conservation Biology, Ecology and Evolution, Ecology and Society, and Future of the Rainforests. She has also taught the labs for Entomology and Ornithology, utilizing informal learning in the laboratory. Suzanne plans to use the skills she is learning through the CILS Fellowship program to bring informal learning tools into the rural agricultural communities where she is conducting research.
I am interested in the cascading impacts of fishing on non-fished benthic species that structure ecological communities. My thesis research investigates the effects of fishing on a group of understudied non-harvested reef species (crustose coralline algae) that are critical in maintaining reef structure. My research takes place in tropical Kenya, where fishing is important both economically and for sustenance. My project will provide significant contributions to the ways in which the ecosystem effects of fishing can be predicted and managed. My thesis research includes three elements.
S. Hoyt Peckham is a PhD student in biology at UC Santa Cruz and a research associate with Blue Ocean Institute. Applying his research on the endangered loggerhead turtle, Hoyt is partnering with fishers in Pacific Mexico to reduce their bycatch of endangered species. In 1998, Hoyt co-founded the Center for Cetacean Research and Conservation (CCRC), a non-profit that combines research and education to effect marine conservation. With colleagues at BOI, WiLDCOAST, CCRC, and the New England Aquarium, Hoyt develops and delivers outreach programs to empower costenos to conserve their marine resources. Hoyt double-majored in Biology and English at Bowdoin College and is an accomplished freediver, commercial captain, and broadcast cameraman.
Marina L. Ramon is a third year Ph.D. student in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology department at UC Santa Cruz. She is a student of Giacomo Bernardi whose primary research focus is on the molecular systematics of fishes. She received her BA in Marine Biology from UC Santa Cruz in 1995 and an MA in Biology from Boston University in 2000. Her current dissertation work is on understanding the dynamics of how historical biogeography and gene flow maintain species boundaries between closely related marine fish species. Marina has participated and taught in several outreach programs that promote science to young individuals from diverse cultural and economical backgrounds. In the past she has also worked and volunteered for several ChildrenÃs Museums in order to uphold her responsibility as a scientist to encourage young people to get involved with what is going on around them and to encourage them to attend college. She hopes to continue being a role model for young inspiring scientist through volunteering and actively participating in organizations that promote diversity in science and education. Her ultimate goal as a scientist is not only to conduct good science but also to expose her research and science to the same type of culturally and economically diverse community that she grew up in.
I am a fourth year PhD student in Earth Sciences at UC Santa Cruz. My thesis research uses ancient faults exposed on Kodiak Island, Alaska to elucidate earthquake-generating processes in plate-boundary faults in subduction zones. I am particularly interested in field education as an opportunity to bring informal learning experiences into science classes for K-16 and community learning.
I was born and raised in Seattle, WA. After high school I moved east to attend Macalester College in (chilly) St. Paul, MN. I graduated in 2003 with a Geology major and English minor. I am currently a graduate student in the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department at UCSC. My research focuses on two diverse topics: (1) structure of the enigmatic D" layer in lowermost mantle and (2) slow earthquakes that occur over days to weeks on subduction zones in Cascadia and SW Japan.
As a CILS science fellow I am working to make curriculum changes to an introductory geology course to enhance student comprehension and satisfaction. A primary component of these changes is the addition of a quarter-long project that asks students to formulate a timeline of geologic events discussed in lecture and lab. This addition has proven quite helpful in framing students' understanding of the coursework.
After graduation I hope to continue work that contributes directly to the improvement of science education in the Bay Area and beyond.
I was born in Hanover Park, IL and grew up in Staten Island, NY, one of the five boroughs of New York City. I attended Cook College on the New Brunswick campus of Rutgers - The State University of New Jersey where I was part of the Cook College Honors Program and was named a G.H. Cook Scholar. After my sophomore year at Rutgers I interned at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center where I worked as a student research assistant. I graduated with honors in May of 2002 receiving Bachelors of Science degrees in Meteorology and Environmental Sciences.
Following graduation from college I moved to Boulder, CO for an internship through the National Center for Atmospheric Research and University of Colorado's joint Global Climate Change and Society program. I received an American Meteorological Society graduate fellowship for my first year of graduate work at the University of California - Santa Cruz. I began my graduate studies in fall 2002 working with Assistant Professor of Earth Sciences, Patrick Y. Chuang, towards a PhD in Earth and Planetary Sciences. My current thesis work focuses on cloud microphysics including the mechanisms of precipitation initiation in clouds and the measurement of microscale turbulence in clouds.
I am also interested in science education and outreach, earning the Outstanding Earth Science Teaching Assistant award in 2004 and participating. While at UC Santa Cruz she has participated multiple times in the Expanding Your Horizons conference and Sally Ride Festival for young women to bring science and mathematics to young women from underrepresented communities and backgrounds. For my CILS research I have developed and taught a Writing Course focused on a scientific topic. My goal is to evaluate student's scientific literacy after completing the course. In essence I want to determine how much, if any, scientific content can be taught through a writing course rather than a traditional lecture or laboratory style science course.
Dr. Andi Stephens finished her Ocean Sciences Ph.D at UCSC in October, 2005. She was a CILS Science Fellow from 2002-2005. She is now an NRC Postdoctoral Research Associate at the NOAA lab in Beaufort, NC. Andi wanted to use her CILS fellowship to explore novel ways to present ecology on the web. Her project was to introduce concepts around invasive species, inter-species competition, environmental management and population dynamics for 10-year-olds. Her project was realized as "The Invasive Species Game", which was recently enjoyed by 5th grade at the Harker's Island School in Harker's Island, NC.