Some hearty congratulations are due for Patricelli lab members!

First, our honors student Rebecca was awarded the College of Biological Sciences citation as one of the top graduates across all biology majors in the college. She has been working with us for several years, most recently on a thesis project to examine vocal behavior in sage-grouse in response to changes in female behavior. She presented this at last month’s Undergraduate Research Conference, and is completing her thesis soon.

Gail, Rebecca, and Anna celibrate Rebecca's award.

Second, recent Ph.D. (and former Wyoming field assistant) Conor Taff received two major honors yesterday. First, Conor’s dissertation was named the Merton Love Award for best dissertation across the ecology graduate groups here at UC Davis. Given the large number of high-quality graduate students here, this is an enormous distinction! He will be giving the Ecology and Evolution seminar next week. Second, he has been given a prestigious young investigator award by the Cooper Ornithological Society [not the American Ornithologists' Union as I originally wrote]. Conor’s dissertation project was an integrative study of development and sexual signalling in a warbler called the Common Yellowthroat. You can read more about it on his website.

Congrats to both Conor and Rebecca!