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Hendrix instructor and alum conduct research in Panamá

Dr. Maureen McClung mentors Leah Crenshaw ’20 in Panamá for Judy and Randy Wilbourn Odyssey Professorship

birds

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