Biodiversity Research Seminar Series (BRS)
BRS Tony Lapansky: Through fluids, forests, and flocks: how birds move through a complex world
September 28, 2022, 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Zoom webinar recording lin:
Passcode: by4?AZDW
host: Doug Altshuler
Title: “Through fluids, forests, and flocks: how birds move through a complex world”
Abstract:
The diversity of our planet offers near-endless opportunities for scientific
exploration and discovery. At the same time, this variety creates a challenge
for any organism that attempts to navigate this complex world. Especially
for mobile organisms, the biophysical environment can change in an instant.
To be successful, an organism must perceive its surroundings and perform
under diverse contexts despite possessing the same underlying traits. How
has selection shaped the morphologies, physiologies, and sensory systems
of organisms for performance across diverse and even novel conditions? I will
discuss my research to address this question using bird flight as a model system.
Dr. Tony Lapansky’s bio:
Anthony (Tony) Lapsansky is from Ferndale, Washington. He earned his
Bachelors of Science from Gonzaga University in 2016 and his PhD from the
University of Montana in 2021. Before committing to science, he worked in a
fish market, golf course, as as a professional falconer. His current work as a
postdoctoral fellow at the University of British Columbia focuses on the control
of complex locomotion - specifically, the neural basis of avian flight.