Corina Logan


 



Corina Logan
Biologist
www.CorinaLogan.com
itsme@CorinaLogan.com
cl417@cam.ac.uk
CV




Eurasian jay
© 2008 Luc Viatour GFDL/CC















Playing coatis!
© 2006 Christopher Montero



















Juvenile coatis playing at La Selva Biological Station, 2004



























































































Our playground
La Cusinga Lodge, Costa Rica, 2006
















































































Corina and Ellie live trapping small mammals
Fort Huachuca, AZ, 2004

EDUCATION
  • Ph.D. student in Experimental Psychology, Cambridge University, 2008-current
    Supervisor: Professor Nicola Clayton, Advisor: Professor Sir Patrick Bateson

  • B.S. degree in Biology, The Evergreen State College, 2004
    Senior thesis: Play behavior in Nasua narica (white-nosed coati) in Costa Rica. Advisor: Dr. John T. Longino

  • A.A. degree in Acting and International Relations, Skagit Valley College, 2002

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Conflict Management in Corvids (the crow family)
I am examining the interaction between conflict management, sociality, and stress in jackdaws (Corvus monedula), rooks (C. frugilegus), and Eurasian jays (Garrulus glandarius). It has been shown that social rooks affiliate with their mates after their partner has been involved in a conflict (by touching bills, preening each other, displaying to each other). Because rooks are monogamous and mate for life, it is assumed that the pair bond is the most stable bond in the social group, and therefore the most valuable relationship. Thus, conflict appears to inflict no damage on non-pair relationships, hence reconciliation with the opponent (affiliative behaviours between opponents postconflict) is not needed.

Postconflict third-party affiliation may act as a stress reduction mechanism for large-brained social birds. I will examine this hypothesis in an additional group of rooks, as well as with social jackdaws, and asocial Eurasian jays. For the latter species, I predict this phenomenon does not occur because they are asocial, forming only temporary pair bonds during the breeding season. With no strong bonds in the group, there should be no need to reconcile or affiliate with a third-party postconflict according to the valuable relationship hypothesis. If this is the case, I expect their stress levels in general to be higher due to a lack of a social stress reduction mechanism, or they may have a different mechanism for coping with social stress when it arises.

Play Behaviour
This understudied topic is fascinating because it is near impossible to define (or at least to widely agree on a definition) and it seems to serve a variety of species-dependent functions, making it difficult to construct an inclusive theory for the ultimate causes of play. I am interested in describing the behavioural ecology of play in species for which play is undescribed, understanding why play evolved and how it is maintained, and determining whether population-level differences in play behavior can be attributed to behavioural traditions.


PAPERS
  • Logan, C. J., and C. Montero. In review. Bothrops asper (terciopelo) scavenging behavior. Herpetological Review.
  • O’Donnell, S., A. Kumar, and C. Logan. In review. Life zone and species differences in nearctic migrant bird attendance at army ant raids. Biotropica.

POSTERS
GRANTS, AWARDS, SCHOLARSHIPS
  • 2008-2011 Gates Cambridge Scholarship
  • 2008-2011 Murray Edwards College Bursary, £3,000
  • 2008 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program Honorable Mention
  • 2007 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program Honorable Mention
  • 2004 Youth Activity Grant, The Explorers Club, $1,050
  • 2004 Foundation Activity Grant, The Evergreen State College, $88 and $140
  • 2003 Foundation Activity Grant, The Evergreen State College, $125
  • 2003-04 K.E.Y. Student Services Award, The Evergreen State College, $3,750
  • 2002-03 Academic Achievement Award, The Evergreen State College, $900
  • 2002 Intern of the Year, Conservation Northwest
  • 2002 Graduated with High Honors and the President’s Medal, Skagit Valley College
  • 2001-03 Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society Member
  • 2000-01 Ann Richards Scholarship, Skagit Valley College, $300
  • 2000-01 Clark Scholarship, Skagit Valley College, $900
  • 2000-01 National Dean’s List
  • 1998 AmeriCorps Education Award, $4,725


    LANGUAGES
    English: native, Spanish: advanced.


    PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

    Public Communicator of Science
    Cambridge University
    Cambridge, U.K.
    October 2008 - current
  • Designed and led an activity on the social intelligence hypothesis and mate choice for 14- and 15-year-old High School students through the School Liaison Project.

    Environmental Planner I
    Marbled Murrelet Long-term Conservation Strategy

    Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
    Olympia, WA
    Jan 2007 - Sep 2008
  • Coordinated the development of the DNR Long-term Conservation Strategy for the Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus). The Strategy will amend the Habitat Conservation Plan to provide protection for this threatened avian species.
  • Completed the Science Team Recommendations Report: rewriting, editing, and coordinating with Science Team members to finish this 300+ page document.
  • Wrote a stakeholder outreach plan and managed Tribal relations.
  • Launched an online community for state scientists.

    Natural Resources Research Technician III
    Northern Spotted Owl Effectiveness Monitoring

    Washington State Department of Natural Resources
    Olympia, WA
    2005-2008
  • Carried out northern spotted owl (Strix occidentals caurina) habitat effectiveness monitoring on timber sales under the DNR Habitat Conservation Plan.
  • Installed fixed-radius plots for vegetation sampling. Identified and measured live trees, snags, and down woody debris with DBH tapes and calipers. Calculated tree height with a laser rangefinder. Estimated canopy closure with hemispherical photos.
  • Collected data with a high level of accuracy on PDAs (Dell Axim and Trimble Field Computer). Managed large data sets and conducted summary statistics in MS Excel.
  • Used judgment to make quick decisions about field protocols while in remote locations. Refined field protocols and wrote protocol manuals. Worked with a programmer to create customized data collection software to improve the level of accuracy in the field.
  • Hired and trained field staff and supervised crews of up to four people. Crew leader for two out of three field seasons.
  • Navigated through remote locations with a map, compass, and GPS; checked in and out everyday on radios; communicated with logging traffic on CB radios.
  • Researched, procured, and maintained equipment, and initiated an inventory system.
  • Conducted a research project resulting in a poster comparing canopy closure estimation methods (hemispherical photos vs. densiometer).
  • Served as a technical editor for the Lynx Habitat Management Plan on DNR-Managed Lands (2006). Searched for and acquired a stock image for the cover.

    Tropical Naturalist Guide and Biological Consultant
    The Biomimicry Guild
    Helena, MT
    Oct 2004 - April 2008
  • One of the two primary naturalist guides for an annual 8-day Biomimicry training in Costa Rica. I led and educated participants through lowland tropical moist forests, mangroves, coral reef, coastal and riparian areas, and cloud forests with a focus on how and why systems do what they do.
  • Coordinated logistics for the 2005 and 2006 Biomimicry in Design trainings including: lodge selection according to detailed criteria, arrangement of a cloud forest tour, securing hotel rooms at reduced rates, drafting the contract between Biomimicry and the lodge, booking in-country flights, compiling transportation information for participants, and coordinating daily on-site logistics.
  • Occasionally served as a biological consultant for companies that want to solve human design challenges by mimicking nature’s designs. I translate design problems into questions for the biological world, conduct research on potential biological solutions, and report my findings to The Biomimicry Guild.

    Research Proposal: Behavioral Traditions among Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the Gulf of California Mexico
    Collaboration with Dr. John Pepper, University of Arizona
    Tucson, Arizona
    Apr - Dec 2006
  • Co-designed this research project and took the lead in establishing connections among Mexican academic, government, and private organizations.
  • Scouted a research station in Puerto Peñasco and assessed project feasibility at this location.
  • Primary author of a $1 million dollar NSF grant proposal to fund this project.
  • The project was not funded, however the experience gained in setting up a PhD project and grant writing was well worth the effort.

    Natural Resources Research Technician II
    Research and Adaptive Management

    Washington State Department of Natural Resources
    Olympia, WA
    Nov - Dec 2006, Nov 2005 - Feb 2006
  • Launched department website: design team member, content writer, and editor. Responsible for website creation (in Dreamweaver) and collaborations with support staff to place it on the Internet.
  • Performed the fieldwork component of a retrospective study on current DNR practices for buffering type 5 streams. This study will contribute to the development of a habitat conservation plan for headwater streams in Washington State.
  • Gathered stream initiation waypoints using a Trimble GPS with a Pocket PC and ArcPad at timber sales throughout western Washington; used ArcView, ArcCatalog, and ArcScene to conduct 3D stream sketching; entered data using Excel.
  • Gathered data for a Riparian Thinning experiment to determine appropriate buffer width along streams using fixed plots. Measured down woody debris, painted leave-trees and buffers at various relative densities, delineated study area with reference points, boundary tags, and flagging.

    Natural Resources Research Technician II
    Northern Spotted Owl Compliance Monitoring

    Washington State Department of Natural Resources
    Olympia, WA
    Jun, Aug - Sep 2005
  • Conducted northern spotted owl habitat compliance monitoring on timber sales under the DNR Habitat Conservation Plan.
  • Performed strip cruises to count legacy trees on logged timber sales. Identified trees to species and measured DBH.
  • Became skilled at navigating through remote locations with a map, compass, GPS, and GIS software ArcPad.

    Bird Conservation Research Assistant
    Stanford University
    Stanford, CA
    Mar - May 2005
  • Mist netted, collected data from, and banded migrant and resident birds for a long-term bird study in southern Costa Rica.
  • Identified birds to species using three guides including the Pyle guide, processed birds, drew blood, placed radio tags, recorded data, set up and took down mist nets, and prepared equipment for the following day.
  • Learned how to track birds using radio telemetry.

    Small Mammal Research Technician
    University of Arizona
    Tucson, AZ
    Aug - Sep 2004
  • Trapped and handled small mammals to determine population densities for a study of trail impacts on animal populations. Collected detailed measurements, tagged ears, and entered data.
  • Set up and took down plots and sampled vegetation. I was responsible for collecting and baiting one 200 meter by 200 meter plot with 196 Sherman live traps everyday.
  • Trained in hanta virus safety.

    Ancient Forest Fundraising Coordinator
    Northwest Old-Growth Campaign
    Bellingham, WA
    Jun - Sep 2002
  • Raised over $4,500 through the coordination and oversight of a house party campaign.
  • Managed volunteers at events, in the office, and through the web.
  • Coordinated and supervised outreach booths.
  • Spoke at events, assisted with mailings, updated the website, and taught co-workers HTML.

    Biology Tutor
    Skagit Valley College
    Mount Vernon, WA
    Jan - Aug 2002
  • Facilitated learning for cell biology students on an individual basis and in groups.
  • Worked with “English as a second language” students as well as native English speakers.
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