Mail Code CS
Sarah Partan
Adele Simmons Hall 214
413.559.5559
On leave of absence fall 2023.
Sarah Partan received her B.A. in biopsychology from Wesleyan University and her Ph.D. in animal behavior from the University of California, Davis.
Her research interests are in the areas of animal social behavior and communication. She is particularly interested in multisensory signaling: how and why animals (including humans) combine signals from multiple sensory channels during communication. Partan has studied these and related questions in observational studies of wild African elephants; rhesus macaques; squirrels and lizards; and in controlled laboratory studies of birds and dolphins.
Partan is currently creating mechanized animals that simulate animal displays to use in field playback experiments that combine the rigor of laboratory experiments with the natural setting of the field environment.
The goal of this class is to build a long-term database of wildlife diversity on Hampshire property. Our environment, both local and global, is dramatically changing, and it is important to document biodiversity now before we lose species we may not have realized were here. Students in this exploratory class will work together to learn to identify and document our local fauna. We will spend a good deal of time exploring our woods to learn together what is there. We will add our observational data to our own citizen science database project in iNaturalist, and will learn how to summarize, analyze, and make use of the data. We will also examine how long-term databases are used by other research groups, and explore other citizen science research projects. No experience necessary, however students with interest in natural history, animal identification, and computer databases are particularly encouraged to join the class. Keywords: wildlife, animals, birds, Citizen Science, Natural History
The climate crisis is profoundly affecting animals in many ways, from their behavior to their location to their survival. How can we best help wildlife and domestic animals to survive and cope? In this course we will identify problems of concern for animals facing climate change, including wildlife and also domestic animals at the Campus Farm. Students will then research solutions both in the current scientific literature and also through accessing appropriate sources of Indigenous and Traditional Ecological Knowledge, which can provide us with a longer historical view. Synthesizing ideas from multiple knowledge systems, especially those with different methods and time frames, will be key for developing effective and sustainable solutions for the future. Students will present their research and their recommendations throughout the semester.
