CHAIRE graduate students Jade Werner and Brittany Fischer were recently invited to observe Dr. Chris Tonra in his Lab of Avian Ecology. Dr. Tonra is an Assistant Professor in Avian Wildlife Ecology in the School of Environmental and Natural Resources.
He is a conservation biologist who integrates the fields of behavior, physiology, and ecology. His primary research interests lie in examining the underlying mechanisms for how individuals interact with their environments, with a particular focus on avian systems.
Brittany and Jade had the opportunity to learn how corticosterone is extracted from bird feathers and used as a biomarker to measure levels of chronic stress. During their own graduate research, both students will be utilizing hair samples to extract cortisol from their focal species. Jade's research being with equine and Brittany's cheetahs in human care at the Columbus Zoo and Aqaurium.
More information about the Tonra Lab of Avian Ecology can be found here http://www.christophertonra.com/