Hundreds of tree swallows have arrived at Kentland Farm to breed! Jess is very busy catching and sampling birds as part of her PhD research.

Most members of the lab attended the annual conference for the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. Roz gave a talk and a poster, Jess gave a poster, and Ben participated in the best student competition for the Division of Comparative Endocrinology and he was runner up!

Meredith sent these great pics from Madagascar where she is studying lemur behavior.

There is a special issue of General and Comparative Endocrinology coming out soon with papers on Neotropical Endocrinology. Ben’s first paper from his dissertation (congrats!) will be in there as well as a group effort synthesizing what we have learned about testosterone from studies of neotropical birds. Good stuff!

Just returned from a workshop in Panama for the NSF funded Manakin Genomics Research Coordination Group. Fun meeting and lots of fun!

Ben just got the first chapter of his dissertation accepted for publication (pending minor revisions) at General and Comparative Endocrinology!

Jess just received the Lewontin Award research grant from the Society for the Study of Evolution!

We have an extended period in the field in Ecuador studying manakin behavior each year. Ben spends Nov-Mar in the jungle at the Tiputini Biodiversity Station and Ignacio visited for 2 weeks in January. Lots of great science happening as Ben studies the behavior of the birds. Working with colleagues Brandt Ryder from the Smithsonian and Brent Horton from Millersville University is very productive as we all bring different skills to the same questions regarding manakin social behavior. We also have lots of fun in the field!

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Study: Large shady forest plots essential to survival of post-fledgling songbirds during drought

Ben Vernasco is getting ready to go to the Tiputini Biodiversity Station to continue his work on hormones and manakin social behavior. Good luck Ben!

Meredith Semel, our lab’s lemur expert, just received news that she has been awarded the Rufford Small Grant!!! Meredith will spend the next four months in northern Madagascar studying the endangered crowned lemur (Eulemur coronatus).

Meredith’s current whereabouts are unknown, but here a picture from her basecamp in Madagascar.