Dr. Kamal Islam
<b>Department: </b>Biology<br><b>Research Area: </b>Ornithology, Wildlife Biology and Management, Conservation Biology
Department: Biology
Research Focus: In the past, I have worked with undergraduate and graduate students to examine bird-window strikes on the Ball State University campus. Based on our published findings, my students and I have provided guidelines and recommendations to reduce the incidence of these sources of bird mortality on our campus during the construction of new buildings such as the Foundational Sciences Building. I would likely to continue this study to examine if these modifications in the construction design of new buildings has resulted in a reduction of bird-window strikes.
Potential Student Project(s): Conduct a study on the campus of Ball State University exploring bird-window strikes between older and newer buildings during the fall and spring migrations during the 2022-2023 academic year.
Attributes/skills/background sought in undergraduate: Student who is keenly interested in the fields of Ornithology and Wildlife Conservation and is willing and able to dedicate a block of time each week to investigate bird-window strikes on the campus of Ball State University. The specific student that I have selected for this program is Ashley Fitch student ID# 901357043 and she has agreed to work with me on this project. I would like to request that Ashley Fitch be assigned as my mentee.
Mentoring Plan: The student researcher will work 5 h/week on the project including 1h of 1-on-1 interaction with me. Some of the skills that the student will develop will be to identify bird species that are picked up from the bird window-strike study, research and read the literature on bird-window collision studies, learn about measures that are available to mitigate or reduce bird-window strikes, and learn how to write a research grant proposal for additional funding. In addition, the student will have several opportunities to present research findings at professional conferences, including at the annual Midwest Fish & Wildlife Conference, BSU Student Symposium, and the annual Indiana Academy of Science meetings.
Contact: 765-285-8847, FB 231