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• 1 media/Wave5 - Blue-SURF-New.jpg 2020-09-25T18:43:15+00:00 Dr. Walter Piper 9 Schmid plain 2020-10-16T20:05:10+00:00
  
  Email: wpiper@chapman.edu
  Website: loonproject.org
  
  College: Schmid College of Science and Technology
  Department: Life and Environmental Science
  
  Overview of scholarly research/creative activity:  Since 1993, I have conducted field research on loons (Gavia immer), a diving bird, in northern Wisconsin from May to August. The work requires observation of territorial behavior from a canoe, taking concise notes, and entering data into a database. We also capture loons at night and mark them in late July.
  
  Specific projects working on:   Loons exhibit great individual variation in tameness relative to humans. One of our projects, at present, is to use laser rangefinders to measure tameness of each marked individual in the field. The loon population is in trouble in northern Wisconsin, and one question we wish to ask is whether individual loons that are more tame (allow close approach) are better adapted to the presence of humans and are able to produce more offspring than more skittish individuals (which do not allow close approach). If so, our longitudinal (lifetime) investigation, which allows us to count and compare statistically the reproductive success of each adult loon, should be able to detect this. We are looking for reasons why loon breeding might be in decline, and lack of tameness -- that is, inability of loons to cope with humans near them -- might be one reason for the decline. I am open to working with Chapman students to design other field projects that they might wish to carry out in the study area.
  
  Number of students looking to work with: 1-2
  
  Time commitment for students:  2.5 months during the summer
  Requirements for students who work with you:  Comfortable in the outdoors, where it is sometimes cold or hot and where there can be bugs! They must be able to swim well.
  
  When students are needed: Summer 2021
  
  What would students be expected to do​​​​​​: field observations of loons by canoe