Center for Tropical Research October 2006 Newsletter

Feature Articles

Bird Flu Research at the Center for Tropical Research
by Dr. John Pollinger, CTR Associate Director

• Avian Influenza Virus – An Overview
• Avian Flu Surveillance Sampling of Migratory Passerines in North America during the Spring/Summer of 2006
• Evaluating Transmission Pathways of Avian Influenza (H5N1) by Domestic and Wild Birds in Central Africa
• Effects of Avian Migration and Human-induced Change on the Distribution and Transmission Risks of Avian Influenza

Updates

UCLA Institute of the Environment to Host International Symposium, February 8-10, 2007

CTR Director Thomas Smith and Professor Louis Bernatchez are the organizers for a symposium entitled Evolutionary Change in Human-altered Environments: An International Summit. Click here for more information.

CTR Awarded NIH/NIAID Avian Influenza Grant

The Center for Tropical Research was recently awarded $2.5 million by the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIH/NIAID) for a four-year project to study the “Effects of Avian Migration and Anthropogenic Change on the Distribution and Transmission Risks of Avian Influenza.” This research effort targets migratory landbirds in North, Central, and South America.

Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund Names Don Jorge Olivo a Conservation Hero

The Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund (DWCF) selected Don Jorge Olivo as one of eight Conservation Heroes for 2006 and awarded him $1,000. Olivo works as a full-time field biologist with the Center for Tropical Research team at the Mache Chindul Reserve in Ecuador.  According to Disney’s press release, Olivo was chosen “for his work as a field researcher, educator, and a community leader helping to protect valuable habitats and species, particularly the Long-wattled Umbrellabird.” Kim Sams, DWCF Manager, said that “the DWCF Conservation Heroes program rewards the dedication of individuals who, often at the risk of personal safety, work tirelessly to save animals, protect habitat and educate the people in surrounding communities.” Click here to read more on Olivo’s work in Ecuador.

Adam Freedman Receives EPA STAR Fellowship

CTR graduate student Adam Freedman received the prestigious Environmental Protection Agency Science to Achieve Results (EPA STAR) fellowship for three years to study mechanisms of diversification in rainforest lizards in West Africa. Adam has completed three field seasons in Cameroon, spending a total 13 months.

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