BioSynthesis

Dr. Lauri Green came to an agreement recently to partner with 10 state parks and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Cavity-Nesting Trails Program , in her Tree Swallow Feather project here at BU.    The goal of the project is to quantify the number, size, density and type of feathers used in Tree Swallow nests. Dr. Green and her students will examine differences in feather use among habitat types as it relates to reproductive success of Tree Swallows.   Parks participating in the project include:  Ricketts Glen State Park Codorus State Park Prince Gallitzin State Park Delaware Canal State Park Chapman State Park Kettle Creek and Ole Bull State Park Nescopeck and Hickory Run State Park Sinnemahoning State Park Little Buffalo State Park French Creek State Park Complex Keystone State Park      In addition to her four private sites and Flue Marsh Lake (run by the US Army Corps of Engineers) these state parts will give the project a total of 16 fie

While Bloomsburg was blanketed in snow and cold weather this winter, BU alumnus Kimberly Baldwin (Biology B.S. '90) , a Naturalist with Lindbald National Geographic Expeditions , was keeping warm exploring the Magdalena Planes of Baja.        In other news, Sean Hartzell, B.S. Biology ‘15 M.S Biology ’17 student, and former adjunct faculty member, recently published an article in the Journal of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science . The work discusses crayfish behavior, directly related to the Masters Thesis Work he completed while at BU. The full article can be accessed at this link .  Congratulations Sean!        Finally, it is every scientist's dream to some day publish in the journal of Science. Alumnus Madison Wisniewski (Biology B.A. Natural History '21 graduate) hasn't quite got there yet, but her dog Caboose has made it! This research was generated by  Darwins Ark , a citizens science project focused on discovery new ways to help pets and their people

Junior B.S. Biology (Ecology, Conservation, and Field Biology) student, Rebecca Burlingame, was recently awards the Wildlife for Everyone Foundation Scholarship which will support her work on the local Tree Swallow Project, run by BAHS faculty member Dr. Lauri Green.                         Congratulations Rebecca, Good Luck on your Research! 🐦👏

Retired faculty member of the Biological and Allied Health Science Department, George Chamuris dedicated his career to the study of plants and trees, particularly those in our beaultiful Pennsylvania wilderness. He retired in 2019, but has since kept up his work. Of note, Dr. Chamuris was recently highlighted in local news for identifying a previous unknown “celebrity” tree right here in Bloomsburg Pennsylvania.           Dr. Chamuris was always curious about a rather large tree sitting at the edge of the Bloomsburg town park. After some research and investigation, this specimen turned out to be Carya cordiformis (a Bitternut Hickory tree). It is not just any Bitternut Hickory tree. As it turns out, it is the second largest Bitternut Hickory tree recorded in Pennsylvania. Measuring a diameter of 50 inches and a 105 ft tall, the tree is likely close to 200 years old. Data was reported to the Bureau of Forestry and confirmed and the results have now been reported to pabigtrees.com .