Olivia E. LeDee

Supplemental Instruction and the Performance of Developmental Education Students in an Introductory Biology Course.

Although first-year students in Supplemental Instruction (SI) earned similar average numerical-grades in an introductory biology course as non-SI students, their grade distributions were different: SI students earned fewer Ds and Fs than non-SI students. SI students who earned As and Bs had similar admissions scores as those who earned Ds and Fs, but were distinguished by their academic behaviors: they submitted more extra-credit work and came to more classes, help sessions, and office hours than non-SI students. These data indicate that SI can help at-risk students in an introductory biology course to engage in positive academic behaviors and to improve their academic performance.

A remote sensing analysis of coastal habitat composition for a threatened shorebird, the piping plover (Charadrius melodus)

Abstract Most migrant shorebirds require coastal and estuarine habitat in the nonbreeding season and their overwinter survival is contingent upon the composition and quality of these winter sites. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the distribution and abundance of the piping plover, a federally threatened and endangered shorebird, and its nonbreeding habitat along the Gulf of Mexico coastline. We identified sites consistently used by wintering piping plovers and quantified landscape and anthropogenic features within a subset of those locations. Using published literature, we documented that piping plovers consistently winter at 49 locations on the U.S. Gulf of Mexico coast (Marco Island, Florida to Padre Island, Texas). At 31 sites, we conducted a remote analysis of aerial photos for 11 features (e.g., intertidal area, urban area, beach). Linear regression was used to test correlations between plover abundance and landscape characteristics. We found that certain shoreline features (e.g., landform, intertidal area, total area) and measures of urbanization (e.g., urban area, length of roads) were significantly correlated, positively and negatively, respectively, with piping plover abundance across the Gulf of Mexico coastline. This information is critical to prevent or mitigate negative impacts of urbanization and subsequent coastal landscape change on shorebird populations.

The Challenge of Threatened and Endangered Species Management in Coastal Areas

A substantial proportion of U.S. federally listed species inhabit a small fraction of the nations land mass, the coastal zone. Historically, management in this region has been conflict-ridden among diverse parties interested in natural resource extraction, land use, and conservation. This tension persists today, albeit in a more contemporary form: public access demand versus ecosystem conservation. The focus of this study is the influence of this tension on local-level management of federally threatened and endangered species. We surveyed managers of 43 locations of ecological importance for a threatened shorebird, the Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus). Reflecting the federal mandate to accommodate both public access and ecosystem conservation, we detected a shift in mission from sole-purpose initiatives (e.g., public access or ecosystem conservation) to a multiple-use mission (i.e., resource-based recreation). Public access and ecosystem conservation were the primary management goals at surveyed sites, 97 and 93%, respectively. Accessible public recreation is common at most locations; however, active management for listed species is rare. Ultimately, local land managers are accountable for managing coastal sites for dual use, thus the tension; however, coastal management activities have yet to resolve the conflict between concurrent management of public access and ecological requirements of listed species.

Training a New Scientist to Meet the Challenges of a Changing Environment

The transboundary nature of global environmental change demands collaborative, multiscale, interdisciplinary research [U.S. National Academy of Sciences, 2005]. This requires “a new kind of scientist” [Schmidt and Moyer, 2008]; collaborators must develop both sufficient understanding of one anothers work and the skills to integrate data sets and expertise. Although numerous interdisciplinary academic programs have emerged to address this demand, success varies widely. While many address cultural and financial impediments to interdisciplinary research [Weingart, 2000; Rhoten, 2004], there is little discussion of the skills that facilitate interdisciplinary scholarship and how to obtain them.