Field Notes - Columbia University Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology Department

Congratulations to our PhD student, Pallavi Kache!

Pallavi received a 2019–2020 U.S. Fulbright Student Award to Colombia to pursue her dissertation research on the ecology and epidemiology of mosquito-borne diseases in urban environments. Urbanization has contributed to the dramatic rise of diseases such as dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya in recent years. However, the quantification of urban transformation on the risk of such diseases remains understudied, particularly the effects of neighborhood composition/configuration, population density, and human social behavior on mosquito populations. To address these gaps in knowledge, Pallavi will integrate household surveys, entomological fieldwork, and satellite/drone imagery with mathematical models to understand urban mosquito ecology and its link with disease transmission. This work will be conducted in Ibagué, Colombia in collaboration with the Universidad de los Andes.

As rapid urbanization continues in Latin America and across the globe, it is imperative that policymakers understand the human health impacts. With continued research at the intersection of landscape ecology, urban planning, and infectious disease epidemiology, Pallavi’s PhD work aims to contribute to increasing urban resilience to mosquito-borne epidemics.

Congratulations to our PhD student, Sarika Khanwilkar!

Sarika was named a 2019-2020 U.S. Fulbright Student to India. Her research aims to quantify the potential recovery of forests from recently-introduced programs that reduce fuelwood demand and collection.

Sarika’s Fulbright project involves two main components, vegetation and household surveys for research and community engagement, and will take place in human settlements and forest surrounding Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Maharasha, India. After data collection at each study site, Sarika will host a village-wide event. In partnership with Jackson Wild, she will showcase films from the United Nations’ International Big Cat Film Festival. In addition, she will show Tigers and Chandrapur, a film made by TRACT based on communities in fringe forests of TATR, and lead youth in educational activities based on the film. The activities have been developed by Felicita Wight, Allie Erickson, Johanna Jensen, Maria Mills, and Elizabeth Bonert, who are volunteers with Wild Tiger.

Beryl Kahn, a second-year student in the Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology MA program, was featured in a live Story Collider show on the theme ‘Urban Oceans’ in New York City. Story Collider is a nonprofit organization dedicated to telling ‘true, personal stories about science.’

Beryl’s story was chosen to be featured on the Story Collider podcast. To listen to Beryl’s story, click on this link and make your way to the 20-minute spot in the podcast: Ocean Adventures: Stories about the swashbuckling high seas

Congratulations to our PhD student, Ivan Vincent Monagan, for being selected as an awardee in the Ford Foundation 2019 Predoctoral Fellowship Competition!

This fellowship is sponsored by the Ford Foundation and administered by the Fellowships Office of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine.

Ivan’s selection for this prestigious award reflects panelists’ judgment of his scholarly competence as well as the promise that he shows for future achievement as a scholar, researcher, and teacher in an institution of higher education.

PhD student, Shailee Shah, was recently featured by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Youtube channel.

Shailee’s research on the breeding ecology of Superb Starlings gives young scientists a first hand look at the wonders of field work.

Dr. Don Melnick, Thomas Hunt Morgan Professor of Conservation Biology, was elected to the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) in March 2019. The CFR is an independent, nonpartisan membership organization dedicated to being a resource for public sector, private sector, and civil society leaders in order to help them better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other countries. Professor Melnick, who has advised heads-of-state, ministers of foreign affairs, and minsters of environment, as well as the UN, hopes to use his CFR membership to further efforts to bring environmental science into national and international policy discussions.

Prof. Marina Cords and her “Behavior Bio Living Primates” class took a trip to the Bronx Zoo and had a delightful exchange with the resident Gibbon apes.

The first annual E3B Winter Games. An evening of Fun, Fellowship, Food and Science! Inspired and coordinated by graduate students Palani Akana, Beryl Kahn, and Hannah Dancy, and professors Sara Kross and Duncan Menge to celebrate fellowship in the E3B community. With a collection of events inspired by E3B and the Winter Olympics, students, faculty and administrators strove for the gold!

Congratulations to Dr. Andrés Bendesky, who was just named a 2019 Sloan Research Fellow by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for being one of “the most promising scientific researchers working today.”

This year, E3B grad students Sarika Khanwilkar and Pooja Choksi are organizing events to advance communication skills for broader scientific and policy impact. Read more about their first event and save these dates for future events: March 1, April 5, April 18.

Congratulations to all the winners of the E3B 2018/2019 Photo Contest! All of E3B came out to demonstrate yet another level of talent and beauty in the hard work done by the E3B Community. Thank you everyone for participating and supporting this contest. The winners are …

E3B celebrates Dr. Maria Uriarte, who was recently awarded The Lenfest Distinguished Faculty Award by the Department of Arts and Sciences. This elite honor acknowledges exceptional instruction and scholarship, particularly in the mentoring of students in the arts and sciences. The 70 co-authored published papers with her students are a reflection of her effort and dedication to her students. Her guidance and expectations for excellence have manifested in her students by means of appointment to ladder track positions and select fields of their choice. She is a valued member of the E3B community and we celebrate this well deserved honor.