Conor Patrick McGowan

Present Address:                                                

Department of Fisheries and Wildlife

University of Missouri

Columbia, MO.

cpmcg00@hotmail.com

 

EDUCATION:

Ph.D. candidate, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, University of Missouri.

    Advisor: Dr. Mark Ryan

    Dissertation topic: Modeling the effect of water management in the upper Missouri

    River on Piping Plover population viability.

 

Master of Science in Zoology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh NC. 

    Graduation in May 2004. Advisor: Theodore R. Simons.  GPA: 3.95

    Thesis title: Factors affecting nesting success of American Oystercatcher in North

    Carolina.

 

Bachelor of Science in Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, N.C., May

     2000. GPA: 3.2; major GPA 3.4

 

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE:

Masters thesis research on the breeding ecology and nest site attendance behavior of

   American Oystercatchers in North Carolina.

 

Studied non-breeding season ecology of Galapagos Masked Boobies under Dr. Dave

   Anderson for junior and senior year.  The study entailed the writing of possible

   publication and a presentation to the Wake Forest University Scientific community.

   Fall 1998–Spring 2000.

 

TEACHING EXPERIENCE:

Teaching Assistant for five semesters between 2001 and 2004 for introductory Zoology

    course in Animal Diversity. Taught two sections with 24 students each. Graded papers,

    wrote quizzes and gave weekly lectures.

 

Tutor in Introductory Biology at Learning Assistance Center, Wake Forest University.

    Fall 1999.

 

WORK EXPERIENCE:

Field Tech for American Oystercatcher productivity monitoring project in Cape Lookout

    National Seashore.  Located nests, trapped and banded nesting birds.  Summer 2001.

 

Volunteer Wildlife Biologist for the Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project.  Participating in

    extensive introduced species control and endangered bird population research,

    including radio telemetry, prey abundance surveys, and avian translocations.  October

    2000 through March 2001

Summer Volunteer Bird Banding Intern for the Klamath Bird Observatory in Southern

    Oregon and Northern California.  Worked my way into a Primary Bander position.  We

    mist netted, banded and processed passerines and near passerines in a land bird

    monitoring project under the direction of John Alexander and Dr. C.J. Ralph.  May

    through August 2000

 

Summer research assistant for Dr. Dave Anderson at Wake Forest University, 1999

 

Internship for the Town of East Hampton Department Natural Resources, participated in

   a Piping Plover protection program, sub-aquatic vegetation survey, aquatic and marine

   fauna survey, and a survey of water quality tests and nitrate concentrations of local

   lakes.  Summer of 1997.

              

Publications and Reports:

McGowan, C. P., T. R. Simons. In press. Method for trapping breeding adult American

            Oystercatchers.  Journal of field Ornithology.

Simons, T. R, C. P. McGowan, J. R. Cordes, M. Lyons, W. Golder. 2003.  American

Oystercatcher research and productivity monitoring in North Carolina.  2003 Annual Report to the National Park Service and National Audubon Society.

McGowan, C.P., T.R. Simons, W. Golder, J. Cordes. In review. A comparison of

American Oystercatcher reproductive success on barrier beach and river islands

Habitats in coastal North Carolina.  Submitted to Waterbirds, June 20^th 2004.

Davis, M.B., T.R. Simons, E. Nol, C.P. McGowan. In review. Demography of

            American Oystercatchers.

McGowan C.P., T.R. Simons, J. Cordes, M. Lyons. In Preparation.  The effect of human

            Disturbance on American Oystercatcher parental behavior and nesting success.

 

Lectures and Presentations:

McGowan, C. P., T. R. Simons, M. B. Davis, J. R. Cordes, M. Lyons. 2002. Factors

   affecting nesting success of American Oystercathcers (Heamatopus paliatus) in North   

   Carolina. North AmericanOrnithological Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana.

McGowan, C. P. 2003 American Oystercatcher research and productivity monitoring in

   North Carolina. North Carolina Wildlife Commission Waterbirds Meeting

“Adaptations for Flight in Birds” presented to ZO 150 Animal Diversity  in the spring of

   2003

 

HONORS:

Member of Beta Beta Beta, the Biological National Honors Society at Wake Forest

    University.  Inducted in May of 1999.

Awarded $5,000 Research Experience for Undergraduates grant from the National

    Science Foundation for undergraduate research in the Galapagos Islands with Dr.

    David Anderson.

Awarded $2,500 research grant through Sullivan Scholarship Fund to further fund

    Galapagos project.

Awarded $2,500 from the Wake Forest University Environmental Studies Department

    Internship Fund for the Galapagos project (funds were not accepted due to already

    sufficient funding).

Deans List, 6 semesters - Spring 1997 through Spring 2000. 

Eagle Scout Award, Boy Scouts of America, June 1994.  

 

ACTIVITES:

Brandt Lecture Coordinator for the Zoology Grasduate Student Association 2003-

    2004Avian

Collections Volunteer at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.  Spend

    2 hours each week learning how to preserve and catalogue bird skins and skeletons for

    the museums avian research collection. August 2003 - present

President of the Wake Forest University chapter of Student Environmental Action

    Coalition ,1999-2000.

Co-founder of a student environmental organization, the Student Environmental Action

    Coalition.  Acting Facilitator of Communications, Spring 1998.