NEWS

Andrew K. Davis

James L. Carmon Scholarship Award 2008

Andrew K. Davis, a doctoral candidate in wildlife ecology, studies the health of amphibians in wetlands. Traditional methods for assessing animal population health can be difficult, time-consuming, and for fragile subjects, even fatal. Instead, Davis uses a new approach in wildlife ecology: computer-based image analysis to measure and record subtle variations in coloration and pattern asymmetry. The technique, already proven to be valuable in the lab, has the potential to greatly improve scientists’ ability to track and sample wildlife populations—and to better understand the relationships between environments and animal health. Davis’ work has already resulted in 13 peer-reviewed journal articles, with five more currently under review.