Background

Biography

Jamie grew up in the great outdoors of the Pacific Northwest but had a long (and fun) journey before returning to join the faculty at OSU. She earned a B.S. in Zoology at University of Washington and a PhD in animal behavior at UC Davis. After earning her PhD she spent several years as a post-doctoral scholar at the Max Planck Institute of Ornithology in Germany and as a Fulbright fellow at St. Petersburg State University in Russia. She then returned to the United States and instructed at California State University in Monterey Bay before accepting her first position as an assistant professor in the Biology department at Eastern Michigan University. Five years later she joined the Integrative Biology department at OSU. Throughout all of these moves she has maintained a passion for field research, student mentorship and the nomadic birds she studies!

Education

• PhD, Animal Behavior, University of California - Davis, 2009.
• B.S., Zoology, University of Washington, 2001.

Research

Animals and humans must adapt to changing environments if we are to persist on earth. The Cornelius Lab investigates different behavioral and physiological strategies that birds use to cope with unpredictable change in their environments. We hope to learn why some animals survive better than others when the going gets tough. We study birds in the contexts of storms, fire, drought, environmental contamination, urbanization and unpredictable or patchy food resources. We use both natural field experiments and controlled captive experiments to understand what birds need to survive and what strategies might help them to cope with global change. Our research tools include biotelemetry, metabolic measurements, hormone manipulations and behavioral measurements, and we collaborate with other labs that utilize genetic, proteomic and modeling approaches. Together we hope to inform conservation efforts, resource management and policies that can more efficiently and effectively protect our wild birds.

Teaching

Jamie teaches integrative courses that explore how physiological systems help animals to cope with the world around them. She enjoys creating lectures that link material to real conservation problems or human experiences and delivers material with enthusiasm to her students! She challenges her students to think critically about science presented in the news and social media outlets and enjoys making connections with the art and music world during lectures. She might even sing to wake up your brain during lecture!

Courses Taught

• Z 423 / IB 523 - Environmental Physiology: Comparative environmental physiology of animals with emphasis on adaptations to such aspects of the physical environment as temperature, water, ions and gases. Consideration given to interactions between physiology and environment that influence the local and geographic distribution of animals.
• Z 438 / IB 538 – Behavioral Neurobiology: An introduction to the neurobiological basis of animal behavior. Examines behavior in the context of sensory physiology, motor control, neural circuity, and cellular processes.

Awards

• National Geographic Explorer
• Fulbright Scholar
• International Society of Avian Endocrinology Young Investigator Award
• Cooper Ornithological Society Young Professional Award
• Achievement Reward for College Scientists
• Philanthropic Education Organization Scholar
• Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology Best Student Oral Presentation
• Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology Best Student Poster

Research areas