Dr. Maureen McClung
mentors Leah Crenshaw ’20 in Panamá for Judy and Randy Wilbourn Odyssey Professorship
Hendrix College Biology Professor Dr. Maureen
McClung ’01 traveled to Chiriquí Province, Panamá earlier this year to assist
Hendrix alum Leah Crenshaw ’20 with fieldwork for her doctorate from Cornell
University.
McClung,
also a Hendrix alum, took a winding road through biological research with
penguins in New Zealand, monkeys in Peru, and songbirds in the Ozark Mountains
before returning home to Hendrix in 2011. She now teaches classes in ecology,
animal behavior, and conservation in the Biology Department. Her work at
Hendrix also involves mentoring students in research, some of whom are now
pursuing their own graduate degrees. Crenshaw is an example of one such
student.
“Hendrix
College and undergraduate research with Maureen changed the trajectory of my
life,” said Crenshaw. “The field ecology skills I learned as a biology major,
the writing skills I learned as an English major, and the electives I took
through the Hendrix-in-Madrid program have all been instrumental to me getting
a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and working with
birds in Panamá.”
Crenshaw’s
project in Panamá explores the effects of shade-grown coffee practices on
songbirds, which involves surveying birds, capturing them using mist-nets, and
taking data on their body condition. Crenshaw first learned these techniques as
an undergraduate student while studying Carolina wrens with McClung, and these
skills have helped Crenshaw through her master’s and now her doctorate.
“It was
amazing to see Leah in action in the field,” said McClung. “Coordinating a
field season involving bird banding, field technicians, and working with
landowners in another country in another language is a huge undertaking. Leah
handled it with grace and cleverness.”
McClung’s
trip was part of a Judy and Randy Wilbourn Odyssey Professorship, which has the
aim of bringing awareness of bird science and conservation to students and the
Hendrix community. Odyssey Professorships are an extension of the Hendrix
Odyssey Program, carrying an endowment to support faculty projects that create
new engaged learning opportunities, such as undergraduate research, for
students.
Crenshaw added,
“After Maureen first taught me how to see, love, and serve the natural world in
Arkansas, it felt like a full-circle moment to share with her the biodiversity
of Panamá that I am now working to understand and protect.”
While
McClung’s Professorship began with local initiatives such as reducing window
strike hazards on campus and banding birds at the Hendrix Creek Preserve, it
has also allowed her to assist Crenshaw in her research in Panamá.
“Leah was
such a help to my research when she was an undergrad. It felt good to be there
to support her as she launched her season,” noted McClung. She also said, “I’m
so grateful to her hosting me and to this Odyssey Professorship for bringing us
together in the mountains of Chiriquí. Now I can bring what I learned in Panamá
back to the classroom and my research in Arkansas.”
For more
information about Crenshaw’s work, visit https://leahcc.github.io/AOS-2024/index.html.
All birds
handled as part of Crenshaw's research are covered by appropriate permits and
approval from the Ministerio del Ambiente of Panamá, the Smithsonian Tropical
Research Institute, and the United States Geological Survey.
About Hendrix College
Founded in
1876, Hendrix College is featured in Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools
That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges and celebrated among the
country’s leading liberal arts colleges for academic quality, engaged learning
opportunities and career preparation, vibrant campus life, and value. The
Hendrix College Warriors compete in 21 NCAA Division III sports. Hendrix has
been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. Learn more at www.hendrix.edu.
“… Through
engagement that links the classroom with the world, and a commitment to
diversity, inclusion, justice, and sustainable living, the Hendrix community
inspires students to lead lives of accomplishment, integrity, service, and
joy.” —Hendrix College Statement of
Purpose