- Annelise Blanchette
I’m the PhD student working on the mockingbird project. I’m in my second year at Tulane University and will examine how lead uptake affects the behavior of the mockingbirds. I work with both undergraduates and graduate students to accomplish this research and am grateful for all the help I receive from many people.
PhD Advisor
Dr. Karubian’s interests are broad and he works with students on projects in Ecuador, Papua New Guinea, Australia, and of course – New Orleans, on topics that focus on conservation, ecology, evolution, and behavior. He is guiding me as I begin my work on the mockingbirds and will serve as my mentor over the next five years while I develop my research ideas.
Scientific Collaborator
Dr. Finkelstein is an adjunct associate professor at UC Santa Cruz. She is an important collaborator to the mockingbird project and assists us by running the blood and feather lead analysis. Her interests are focused on wildlife toxicology – more specifically, she examines the contaminant induced effects to wildlife due to humans.
Community Outreach Partners
Studio in the Woods: The mission of A Studio in the Woods is to protect and preserve the Mississippi River bottomland hardwood forest and to provide a tranquil haven where artists and scholars can reconnect with universal creative energy and work uninterrupted within this natural sanctuary.
Pippin-Frisbie Calder: Pippin is currently in residency at Studio in the Woods working with the Karubian lab to raise awareness about lead and the mockingbird research to a wide audience during Mardi Gras. Her work celebrates printmaking, utilizing screenprint, and woodcut to create art that connects people to the natural world.
Tulane Bywater Institute: The Institute supports research and outreach – we are working with members through a cross-disciplinary collaboration. Through the Institute, Studio in the Woods is able to host residencies like the one Pippin is currently in, which supports public outreach and community engagement in topics of science and art.
Thank you to GroundsKrewe.org and ArcGNO.org for assistance in recycling our beads!
The Mockingbird Project 