Every week there is something new to do! Some of my favorite moments have taken place early in the morning when the research technicians and I check the live traps we baited the previous evening.
Read more
By Lisa Barrett You’ve previously read about my visit to Sri Lanka and my project with zebra finches in grad school at the University of Wyoming. This summer I conducted research with elephants at the San Diego Zoo as part of my Ph.D. dissertation with invaluable help from a UW Biodiversity Institute grant. Phase one of my research at the
Read more
For many graduate students, a teaching assistantship may bring along excitement, nervousness, stress, and a giant fear of not being prepared– after all, this may be one’s first “real” teaching experience. For a more experienced faculty member, teaching can be a fun (or time-consuming) part of being a professor. Both types of teachers can benefit from getting evaluated on their teaching efficacy.
Read more
For several weeks, I have been trying to hitch along with various undergraduate ornithology and wildlife classes on their sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) lek field trips, but due to normal Wyoming surprises (AKA March and April blizzards) the trips have been postponed. Last weekend I finally got to check this amazing experience off of my Wyoming bucket list! We woke
Read more
By Lisa Barrett Most people now recognize that their pets have notable personalities, and you probably know a timid, aggressive, or social dog or cat. But behavioral ecologists have been studying individual behavioral variation for some time. What once was deemed to be “statistical noise” or the result of inaccurate measurements, individual behavioral type, or personality, is now one of the
Read more
by Lisa Barrett Most academics need to write. There are grant proposals, magazine articles, manuscripts for publication, class assignments, and blogs. I recently discovered a great resource for getting writing done: How to Write a Lot by Paul Silvia. In his short guide, Silvia instructs graduate students and professors about how to overcome writing misconceptions and how to
Read more
By Lisa Barrett My recent trip to Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve and the Galápagos Islands with University of Wyoming students and professors was nothing short of magical. Since you already know why the Galápagos Islands are so interesting, you should not be surprised! A New Species The first stop on our two-week trip was to a cloud forest reserve near Mindo
Read moreBy Lisa Barrett Making a five-year plan is a great idea if you want to be successful in your professional and personal life. Establishing your short-term and long-term goals, developing and executing action plans to achieve them, and giving yourself a chance to stop and re-evaluate those goals are great ways to make sure you are on a path you
Read more
…to be in the place where Darwin first made these notes would be monumental (as a scientist) and magnificent (as a citizen of the world)!
Read moreBy Lisa Barrett I recently took a short trip to Sri Lanka to scope out a potential field site: Uda Walawe National Park. I got to see some pretty amazing animals while I was there. Below are the highlights, in no particular order. Photos by: Lisa Barrett
Read more
DANTAisms 