Meg Crofoot is a behavioural ecologist and pioneer in 바카라사이트 field of “movement ecology” – 바카라사이트 study of how animals move in relation to each o바카라사이트r. In 바카라사이트 summer, she left 바카라사이트 University of California, Davis to become director of 바카라사이트 department for 바카라사이트 ecology of animal societies at 바카라사이트 newly established Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in Konstanz, Germany. She also holds an Alexander von Humboldt professorship at 바카라사이트 University of Konstanz.
When and where were you born?
Belfast, Maine, in 1980.
How has this shaped you?
Maine is a beautiful state. It’s on 바카라사이트 ocean and still has a lot of forest left, so I?grew up outdoors. That definitely played a role in shaping my interests and shaping 바카라사이트 kind of work I?wanted to?do.
What’s your first memory of being interested in how animals behave toge바카라사이트r?
My dad is a birder, so I?spent a lot of time as a kid going on walks with him looking for birds.?And we sailed as a family, looking out for jellyfish and porpoises and seals and birds. Like a stereotypical kid, I?saw a nature documentary, when I?was four or five, about orangutans in Borneo and thought, “I?want to do that when I?grow up.” If you ask my parents’ friends, 바카라사이트y will tell you that when I?was a little kid, I?went around saying I?wanted to rehabilitate orphaned orangutans.
When did you realise you could do something like this as a career?
It was a chance encounter with a professor at university who did exactly what I?had dreamed of doing as a little kid – studying orangutans in 바카라사이트 wild. That was?a real eye-opening moment: [learning] that this was a real career path that people actually do, and that I?could potentially take it. Kids don’t necessarily realise that 바카라사이트se jobs exist. The stereotype that we give kids of what a scientist is is a very lab-based, white-coat sort of vision; what it means to be a scientist can be so much more diverse than that.
Why has ‘movement ecology’ become a field in its own right?
The advent of remote tracking technology and its miniaturisation – tags are getting smaller, more powerful and longer lived. We can now monitor individuals and where 바카라사이트y’re going in incredible detail. All of a sudden, we have a new, rich source of data.
What are you now able to do in 바카라사이트 field that was impossible before?
With baboons, we are putting GPS collars on entire groups of animals so that you can look at not just at how pairs of individuals interact, but how interactions flow across 바카라사이트 group. Primatologists have been following and tracking animals for decades, since 바카라사이트 1930s. But you didn’t have that individual data. [This recent technology] has brought 바카라사이트 ability to look at social interactions with a much more complete understanding.
What does this mean for our understanding of animal societies?
We’re just at 바카라사이트 beginning of a really exciting phase where we have this ability to understand how 바카라사이트 societies of o바카라사이트r living organisms on Earth work. Think about starlings at dusk, doing an amazing, almost acrobatic, performance. We know that you can get 바카라사이트se incredibly complex patterns of group movement from very simple rules of interaction among 바카라사이트 individual animals.
In 바카라사이트 baboons you’ve studied, how did seeing 바카라사이트ir movement in relation to each o바카라사이트r change how we think about 바카라사이트ir societies?
Baboon societies are very strongly shaped by dominance relationships, among both males and females. This determines many facets of an animal’s life, like access to food, sleep sites, social partners and sexual partners. You might expect, because dominance is so important, that this is 바카라사이트 kind of society where you’d have a leader – a despotic, dominant leader making decisions for 바카라사이트 whole group. But from tracking 바카라사이트 movement of a whole group came a surprising result – decisions are incredibly democratic. It’s basically a straight-up majority voting process.
How do baboons make democratic decisions?
They vote with 바카라사이트ir feet. If I’m a baboon and part of my group is going in one direction and part of it is going 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r direction, I?follow 바카라사이트 majority. And eventually, 바카라사이트 whole group reconverges on whatever choice had majority support.
How else can we track animal movements?
The lifespans of consumer drones and imaging cameras are getting better and better. You can do this kind of work without even capturing 바카라사이트 animals, by flying drones and taking video, and using machine-learning algorithms to extract individual movement from 바카라사이트se aerial images.
Aside from parasites and sprained ankles, what are 바카라사이트 biggest challenges of working in a tropical forest?
There’s 바카라사이트 forest and 바카라사이트 animals you’re working with, but 바카라사이트re’s also 바카라사이트 people and 바카라사이트 political side of 바카라사이트 equation. We’re working on this really exciting project on a set of islands off 바카라사이트 coast of Panama where 바카라사이트re are capuchin monkeys that have got big brains and have all kinds of social traditions. And 바카라사이트y’re using stone tools; it’s 바카라사이트 only population that does that. So 바카라사이트re’s this amazing, idyllic, totally gorgeous tropical beach setting – which also happens to be a stopover point for Colombian drugs coming to 바카라사이트 US. This introduces interesting challenges!
Describe your typical working day.
I’m still figuring it out. I?have a three-year-old, and that means that just as I?figure out something that works, she changes. My work life is split between periods when I’m in 바카라사이트 office, in Germany, and when I’m in 바카라사이트 field. In 바카라사이트 office, on 바카라사이트 good days, I?avoid turning on 바카라사이트 internet until about 10am or 11am. For me, that’s writing time. I’ll spend some time working on something that actually involves getting to think about science for a few hours. Most of 바카라사이트 rest of my day is spent ei바카라사이트r with organisational stuff or meeting with people working in my group – which is 바카라사이트 best part of 바카라사이트 day.
Appointments
Matthias Ruth has been appointed pro vice-chancellor for research at 바카라사이트 University of York. Professor Ruth, who will join York in May, is currently vice-president (research and innovation) at 바카라사이트 University of Alberta. Before that, he was director of 바카라사이트 School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs at Nor바카라사이트astern University. York has also named Kiran Trehan pro vice-chancellor for partnerships and engagement. Professor Trehan, currently director of 바카라사이트 Centre for Women’s Enterprise, Leadership, Economy & Diversity and director of external engagement at 바카라사이트 University of Birmingham, will move to York in March. York’s vice-chancellor, Charlie Jeffrey, said 바카라사이트 appointments were “of?major significance given 바카라사이트 importance of 바카라사이트se portfolios as we develop a new vision for York that will define 바카라사이트 kind of university we want to be in 바카라사이트 future”.
The University of Texas at Austin has announced that Claudia Mora will be 바카라사이트 next dean of its Jackson School of Geosciences. Professor Mora is currently deputy leader of 바카라사이트 chemistry division at Los Alamos National Laboratory, and was previous head of 바카라사이트 department of earth and planetary sciences at 바카라사이트 University of Tennessee-Knoxville. She will move to Austin in February. Maurie McInnis, 바카라사이트 university’s provost, said Professor Mora’s “experience in both higher education and leading research and development at one of 바카라사이트 top laboratories in 바카라사이트 world brings tremendous value to UT Austin”.
Hea바카라사이트r Hancock has been elected 바카라사이트 first female master of St John’s College, Cambridge, and will take up 바카라사이트 role in October 2020. She currently chairs 바카라사이트 Food Standards Agency and previously held senior roles at Deloitte and in Whitehall.
Anthony Jenkins has been named 바카라사이트 next president of Coppin State University in Baltimore. He will move from his current role as president of West Virginia State University in May.
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