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Using drones for conservation work with Eben Broadbent, PhD

Using drones for conservation work with Eben Broadbent, PhD

Mar 2, 2021

Eben N. Broadbent, PhD, is an assistant professor of forest ecology & geomatics in the School of Forest Resources and Conservation at the University of Florida, with a PhD in Biology (Ecology & Evolution) from Stanford University. He is the co-founder of the Spatial Ecology and Conservation Lab (SEPC) at the University of Florida, where his focus is on using Gator Eye, a drone that’s also an unmanned flying laboratory, to further conservation efforts.

Watch Eben’s Talk:

 

More resources:

Learn more about spatial ecology: Check out the Univervsity of Florida’s Spatial Ecology and Conservation (SPEC) lab co-founded by Eben

Data set: these data sets were collected by Eben Broadbant and his wife Almeyda Zambrano. They can be used for students looking to create a research project, learn data analysis, or used as scripts in R for spatial analyses.

Melissa Hill on Land Conservation

Melissa Hill on Land Conservation

Feb 23, 2021

Melissa Hill grew up in central Florida and has been involved with land conservation since 2014. She graduated from the University of Florida with a master’s in Interdisciplinary Ecology from the School of Natural Resources and Environment and a certificate in Environmental Education and Communication. Since August 2019, she has served as the land acquisition specialist and project coordinator for the Santa Fe River Basin watershed where she manages a regional partnership, works with private property owners, and facilitates permanent land protection. On an off day she can be found catching a sunrise or out paddling Florida’s springs and rivers.

Watch Melissa’s Talk:

 

More resources:

Learn more about land conservation in the gulf of Mexico area: these two resources talk about specific conservation efforts in Melissa’s study area (central Florida and the surrounding area).

Related articles: check out these related resources on land conseration in North America.

Keely Rodriguez on disease in frogs

Keely Rodriguez on disease in frogs

Feb 16, 2021

Keely Rodriguez is a PhD student at the University of Nevada Reno in the Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology department. She has worked with many endangered species including fish, sea turtles, and frogs. Currently, she studies frog immune systems to see how they react to deadly diseases. Hear all about her research live in this talk.

Watch Keely’s Talk:

 

More resources:

More on conservation biology: learn more about what a conservation biologist does by browsing Keely’s website, or check out the Voyles Lab website where Keely studies at UNR. 

Read a recent article: check out this article by Keely Rodriguez and Jamie Voyles detailing their work on frogs with chiytridiomicosis published this year. 

Angela Pitera on bird social behavior

Angela Pitera on bird social behavior

Feb 9, 2021

Angela Pitera is a 6th year PhD candidate in the Pravosudov Lab at the University of Nevada, Reno where she studies animal social behavior and spatial cognition in wild birds. In addition to research, she loves teaching and began in 2012 as an undergraduate at the University of Minnesota. She has taught zoology and field ornithology and now teaches mammalogy and animal behavior at UNR.

Watch Angela’s Talk:

 

More resources:

Data Nuggets: Angela’s lab mate Carrie Branch at the University of Nevada, Reno, designed this Data Nuggets lesson for students to further study mountain chickadees.

Get the Data Nuggets Lesson

University of Nevada, Reno’s Cognitive and Behavioral Ecology Lab

Check out the website for the Pravusudov Lab at UNR where Anglea Pitera conducted all her PhD research! You can learn more about their work as well as find resources that can be used for high school students to create a project of their own.

Extension projects:

Check out the data nuggets project below to help turn this episode into a longer unit:

Katie Strain on invasive grasses

Katie Strain on invasive grasses

Feb 2, 2021

For centuries, grass species have been transported around the globe. In this talk, Katie Strain investigates the ecological impacts of two non-native invasive grasses. Katie is a plant ecologist and Ph.D. student at the University of Nevada, Reno. She is interested in understanding how disturbances such as wildfire, species invasion, and climate change influence plant community assembly within an ecosystem.

Watch Katie’s Talk:

 

Post talk resources:

Extension projects:

Check out the data nuggets project below to help turn this episode into a longer unit: