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As Associate Professor of Biology Andrea Townsend was investigating how infectious disease affects the problem-solving performance of American crows, she was surprised to discover how few studies compared the effects of disease on cognition in other species.

Highlights of August’s coverage have been compiled by the Media Relations Office. Links are provided, but some may require subscriptions to access content. Please contact Senior Director of Media Relations Vige Barrie if you cannot open the link and do not have a subscription.

John Myles ’24 has now spent two summers in Utqiagvik, Alaska, a small city in northern Alaska with a dense and unique shorebird population. As part of a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service research team, he searched for shorebird nests, monitored chick hatches, and tagged adult birds.

As any student will tell you, it is difficult to do well on a test when you’re sick. Recent research from Associate Professor of Biology Andrea Townsend and five students indicates that the same may be true for wild animals.

“Mosquito blood-feeding patterns and nesting behavior of American crows, an amplifying host of West Nile virus,” co-authored by Associate Professor of Biology Andrea Townsend, was recently published in the journal Parasites & Vectors.

“We are responsible for 11,700 tons of carbon in the atmosphere every year,” said Brian Hansen, Hamilton’s director of environmental protection, safety, and sustainability. The reduction of this imposing number, which stands between the College and its goal of carbon neutrality, is being approached from a variety of angles, among them, switching energy systems from fossil fuels to greener sources.

Social distancing in crows? Associate Professor Andrea Townsend and Assistant Professor of Psychology Keelah Williams have published a paper about the challenges of social distancing in humans and other animals.

Four faculty members were approved recently for tenure by Hamilton’s Board of Trustees. They include Anne Feltovich (classics), Siobhan Robinson (psychology), Pavitra Sundar (literature and creative writing), and Andrea Townsend (biology).

Though she found her job “through a happy coincidence,” it’s clear that the power of the Hamilton alumni-student network and a palpable enthusiasm for biology led Amelia Boyd ’20 to her upcoming position as an allergist research assistant.

From questioning whether a coup should ever be labeled “good” to protesting recent immigration policies, opinions expressed by faculty appeared in major national publications via essays and letters to the editor throughout the year.