biological sciences HONOURs 2014 - The University of Sydney

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44 URBAN ECOLOGY AND BIODIVERSITY EDUCATION Research Interests My research focuses on an integration of urban ecology, scientific literacy and biodiversity education. My students work across a wide range of topics, from the ecology of urban birds (parrots, mynas and noisy miners) to the ecological literacy of kindergarten children. We are currently exploring the extent to which resources, such as food, determine the distribution and abundance of birds. Studies range from tracking spatial and temporal movements of cockatoos, investigating the role of noisy miners and common mynas in urban areas, and measuring flowering and seeding phenology of trees in streets, gardens and national parks. Current projects in biology education use models within the learning sciences and thresholds concepts to investigate how students, schoolchildren, and the general public understand difficult biological concepts. We measure learning in schools as children design experiments in virtual 3D environments and in university as students carry out research projects in biology. We also analyse communication in social media to quantify the public understanding of biological knowledge. Dr Charlotte Taylor Room 313, Heydon- Laurence Building A08 T: (02) 9351 5788 E: charlotte.taylor@ sydney.edu.au Honours projects 1. Urban biodiversity and resource availability. We are currently interested in aggressive interactions amongst bird populations in urban areas, in particular those involving Noisy miners, Common mynas and various parrot species. We are also investigating the impact of limitations in resources for bird populations, with a focus on nectar and seed sources. 2. Learning difficult concepts and Biology literacy. We continue to use the Thresholds Concepts paradigm to explore the ways in which undergraduate students, school children and members of the general public understand or misunderstand key biological concepts. Projects may focus on concepts associated with understanding the complexity of processes such as climate change and human impact on the environment, as well as the concepts underpinning the processes of hypothesis testing and experimentation.
EVOLUTION OF VIVIPARITY 45 Research Interests The main focus of my research has been on reproduction in reptiles, with a particular emphasis on the physiology and ecology of eggs and embryos. I have studied eggs of all the major groups of reptiles in the world and have recently been studying viviparous species. My current research is concerned mainly with the evolution of viviparity (live birth) using lizards as the model. I combine physiology, anatomy and molecular biology to understand the evolution of viviparity across a range of species that have different placental complexities. Other recent projects in the lab include reproduction in shovelnosed rays, the physiology and ecology of invasive lizards, sex determination in lizards, physiological ecology of flat rock spiders and feeding behaviour in desert lizards. Honours projects I have many opportunities around questions associated with understanding the evolution of live birth, including projects that would enable you to master a range of techniques that could be used in many fields, including light and electron microscopy, physiology, immunohistochemistry and molecular biology. I am, however, willing to entertain ideas for projects in other areas that embrace combinations of physiology, ecology, morphology Professor Mike Thompson Room 420, Heydon- Laurence Building A08 T: (02) 9351 3989 E: mike.thompson@ sydney.edu.au and molecular biology. If you have idea for projects that you would like to discuss, please send me an e-mail. 1. Trying to understand the increase in the vascular bed of the uterus (angiogenesis), and a possible link between uterine angiogenesis in lizards and cancer in humans. The work has a large molecular component and includes studies of the uterus and embryos of lizards, and work with human cancer cells. It could also involve confocal microscopy. It is collaborative with Professors Chris Murphy and Georges Grau in the School of Medical Sciences. 2. Understanding fundamental nutrient transport molecules and morphological features in the uterus of a range of species, including marsupials, lizards and snakes. Different aspects of the work involved a combination of morphology (scanning and transmission electron microscopy) and molecular biology (immunofluorescent microscopy, Western blotting). It is collaborative with Professor Chris Murphy and Dr Bronwyn McAllan in the School of Medical Sciences.
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Page 5 and 6: Why do Honours? 5 Flesh fly by Jess
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Page 11 and 12: 11 27 Eddie Holmes Evolutionary gen
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Page 30 and 31: 30 MICROBIAL ECOLOGY Research Inter
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Page 34: 34 REPTILE EVOLUTION AND BEHAVIOURA
Page 37 and 38: NUTRITION, INFECTION AND HOST-FITNE
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Page 42 and 43: 42 PLANT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY Research
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