Phillip Howard, MS student

Phillip Howard, MS student MS candidate
Conservation Biology
Email Phillip
Reseach Assistant
The Center for Tropical Ecology and Conservation

Personal Statement

My interests for tropical ecology and conservation are rooted in birds and coffee. Currently, I am most interested in researching how shade crops, such as coffee and cacao, can help protect and maintain otherwise lost biodiversity in deforested landscapes in the tropics.

Education

Antioch University New England, Keene NH
MS Candidate in Conservation Biology
Fall 2008-Present

Shepherd University - Shepherdstown, West Virginia
Major: Environmental Studies
Concentration: Resource Management
2004-2008

Community, Professional, and Extracurricular Involvement

Research Assistant
October 2008-Present: Center for Tropical Ecology and Conservation, Keene, NH.

Assist CTEC directors with research projects, literature searches, report writing, editing and various other CTEC duties as needed.

Internship
2007: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services National Conservation Training Center, Shepherdstown, WV.

Internship Research Project: Analysis of Rearing Techniques in Captive Breed California Condors Reintroduced in Arizona, 1996-2006 presented at Shepherd University December 2007.
William Finley Project: preserve, describe, and make accessible in the form of an online digital library, approximately 200 William Finley original glass lantern slides recently donated to NCTC. Available at http://digitalrepository.fws.gov/
Brochure: “Disposition and Treatment of Collections Donated or Transferred to the NCTC Museum Archives”

Research Projects

Senior Research Project: Impact of Surface Coal Mining on Bird Populations in West Virginia, 1994-2006 presented at Shepherd University May 2007.
Yankauer Nature Preserve Project: Shepherdstown, WV (Fall 2006): Proposed a land use management plan focusing on establishing a grassland habitat for grassland bird species at the Yankauer Nature Preserve.
Powering an Existing Building with Renewable Energy Sources (Spring 2007): Project involved removing a local day care center from the Shepherdstown, WV electrical grid by use of conservation measures and appropriate renewable technologies.
Coffee, Birds, and Conservation: An Overview (2008)

Citizen Science/Memberships

2008 C&O Canal Winter Bird Survey: 5 mile bird survey for DC Audubon Society
Project Feeder Watch 2007/2008, Poolesville MD
Audubon Action

Computer Skills
GIS (Spring 2008 Course), Excel, Web Soil Survey, Microsoft Word PAST, and Microsoft Power Point.

Travel, Hobbies, Interests

Shenandoah Valley Geological Study Trip (Spring 2006)-Three day hiking and camping field trip to study local geological features.
Fernow Experimental Forest field trip Fall 2007- Two day trip to study hydrological features and learn sustainable management of forests
Bird watching locally and at various national parks

Last Updated: 5/8/09