Graduate alumni
Michelle Hernandez- Masters 2013
Diane Livio - PhD 2011
Diane investigated variation in the strength of sexual imprinting effects in zebra finches.
She is currently an adjunct instructor in the natural sciences division of Pasadena Community College.
She is currently an adjunct instructor in the natural sciences division of Pasadena Community College.
Puya Abbassi - Masters 2010
"In budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus), a social parrot in which females are socially dominant, both juvenile and adult males engage in a range of behaviors with other males that closely resemble the repertoire used in heterosexual courtship. One adaptive hypothesis for this behavior, the "courtship practice hypothesis", posits that males with greater experience in same-sex courtship develop superior skills that increase their success with females. To test this hypothesis, we measured individual variation in affiliation tendency of sub-adult males in single-sex flocks, and asked whether birds' tendency to affiliate in this context predicted subsequent pairing success in competitive pairing trials in which males out-numbered females. We found that affiliation tendency with other males did predict pairing success; but contrary to the courtship practice hypothesis, males that had been less affiliative as juveniles tended to obtain mates. Relative tendency of males to initiate (as opposed to reciprocate) affiliations also predicted pairing success, as did several sexually dimorphic facial traits (iris prominence, cere color, and cap size). We hypothesize that the tendency of males to engage in same-sex "affiliative" behaviors may represent a mechanism of mutual assessment of male abilities; suggest contexts in which such assessment may be useful; and discuss possible signal value of secondary sexual facial traits that contributed to male pairing success. Investigation of allopreening and other affiliative behaviors occurring outside the pair bond may advance understanding of social organization in flocking birds."
Puya is currently teaching English and Biology in Brazil. He has worked as a marine biology naturalist and is interested in acting.
Puya is currently teaching English and Biology in Brazil. He has worked as a marine biology naturalist and is interested in acting.
Marin Beaupre (formerly Moravec) - PhD 2008
"My dissertation work looked at communication, mate choice, and parental care in budgerigars. I studied the possible functions of the
male's tendency to imitate a female's call(s) during pair bond formation and maintenance. First, I explored whether better imitators make more attentive fathers. Then, I conducted mate choice trials asking whether females preferred males she had grown up listening to
in a neighboring flock, and/or males who sounded more similar to her. In my final study, I helped to develop the use of video males in
female mate choice trials to isolate male-female call similarity as a possible deciding factor for females."
Marin currently works as an adjunct instructor at Massasoit Community College.
male's tendency to imitate a female's call(s) during pair bond formation and maintenance. First, I explored whether better imitators make more attentive fathers. Then, I conducted mate choice trials asking whether females preferred males she had grown up listening to
in a neighboring flock, and/or males who sounded more similar to her. In my final study, I helped to develop the use of video males in
female mate choice trials to isolate male-female call similarity as a possible deciding factor for females."
Marin currently works as an adjunct instructor at Massasoit Community College.
Valerie Foster - PhD 2008
Valerie is an assistant professor in the Natural Sciences division of Pasadena Community College.
Undergraduate alumni
Nathalie Kirshman, Viet Nguyen, Vy Pham, Hoang Le, Claudia Tran, Jenny Tran, Angella Phan, Thao Le, Michelle Nguyen, Oliver Pham, Rod Aminzadeh, Mony Son, Shauna Duarte, Adella Farr, Ben Martin, Erin Lacour, Kelsey Stickler, Olivia Lai, Patricia MacDonald, Michelle Manalo, Michelle Kem, Janice Lee, Brian Chang, Elnaz Hamedani, David Ramos, Chelsea Yee, Armando Franco, Leslie Fu, Rafael Gonzalez, Daisy Manapsal, Brittany Ho, Caitlyn, Hwe, Takuma Shito, Gemma Tan, Kristina Bonaparte, Rose Russel, Takuma Shito, John Vu, Mara Cid, Andrew Datu, Jessica McLaughlin, Savannah Lopez, Alanna Chiu, Rupesh Singh, Jennifer Huynh, Marilyn Nguyen, Honey Vo, Anne Nguyen, Tom Hwang, Hannah Martin