Dr. Kate Sheehan and Graduate Students Participate in Waterbirds Society Conference

Recently, Dr. Kate Sheehan, an assistant professor in the Department of Biology, and Marykate McHale and Sonja Barber, two students in the Applied Ecology and Conservation Biology Master’s program, participated in the annual Waterbirds Society conference in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. The society is an international group of scientists, managers and conservation-minded groups. 

Sheehan led a workshop on quantitative avian necropsy in collaboration with a doctor of veterinary medicine from local wildlife rehabilitation centers and Nova Southeastern University and presented original research on parasites from birds, fishes and invertebrates in Alaska. Sheehan is a member of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, Publications Committee and Conservation Committee; she is also co-chair of the Grants Committee. 

McHale gave her fist conference oral presentation on part of her thesis work, where she performed spatial and ecological models related to avian botulism in the Northern Hemisphere. 

Barber also gave her first oral paper, describing the ectoparasite and microbial community compositions in healthy versus diseased seabirds. She won the best oral presentation award. 

McHale and Barber received travel awards to attend the conference.