HISTORY OF PRIMATOLOGY
Primates in the Real World: Escaping Primate Folklore, Creating Primate Science (University of Virginia Press) opens with a stark image: a series of graves memorializing baboons killed during a 2009 drought in Amboseli, Kenya. The graves symbolize the close emotional connection between primate researchers and their subjects, as well as the intensely human quality of the animals. The bond between researcher and subject is one thread running through my book, as I argue that the history of field primatology is best understood as a series of attempts by individuals within and outside of the traditional scientific community to escape primate folklore and create primate science.
For more on Primates in the Real World or to buy a copy click here. |
INCLUSION & SCIENCE
I have long been interested in topics of gender and science, especially issues of gender in relation to evolution and primate studies. For example, I published “Darwin and Gender” in Michael Ruse’s Cambridge Encyclopedia of Darwin and Evolutionary Thought. My book also reveals that the science of field primatology has long relied on the contributions of women, both with and without formal scientific training. I have also co-authored several articles about issues of inclusion and diversity in team science, particularly interdisciplinary teams working on environmental issues.
GRANTS
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WYTHAM WOODS
This new project represents a continuation of my focus on the development of field methods, the role of place in science, and the contributions of both central scientific figures like Charles Elton and individuals who have received less historical attention, including women and various types of so-called amateurs. An article about the history of Wytham Woods is under review as part of a special issue of The Royal Society’s Notes and Records, which I am also co-editing with Anita Guerrini (Oregon State University). The ultimate outcome of this project will be a book, with chapters focused on each of the key species studied at Wytham, including the badger, bluetit, bat, fox, hedgehog, squirrel, and deer.
GRANTS Here are two grant projects related to my new Wytham Woods project: 1) During the summer of 2021, I will be working under the Bodleian Libraries Visiting Fellows Programme’s Byrne-Bussey Marconi Fellowship at the University of Oxford for the book project, “The Long History of Wytham Woods.” 2) During Fall 2019-Spring 2020, I am working as PI on a HARP Michigan State University Internal Grant for the book project, “The Long History of Wytham Woods.” |
RESEARCH IN THE MEDIA