The Bird-Friendly Campus project, co-hosted by Princeton University’s Council on Science and Technology (CST) and the Stoddard Lab in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB), is a series of three co-curricular activities that aim to increase awareness and appreciation for bird conservation efforts at local and global scales. Bird populations are facing a rapid decline primarily due to collisions with buildings and habitat destruction. Thus, it is imperative that we take action to mitigate bird collision risk on campus by identifying and providing solutions for problematic buildings at Princeton that are prone to strikes. To accomplish this, we will partner with the Princeton Birding Society to gather bird collision data on campus and prioritize buildings that require treatment in the form of artistic, bird-friendly window decals. The design and creation of these decals will take place during a competition where Princeton students can engage with the project together or individually to develop artwork that will be professionally installed on windows throughout campus. This project also includes the creation of a pollinatior garden at Stony Ford (a 99-acre research site 3 miles from Princeton) to address the concern of habitat destruction by providing additional habitats for birds and other pollinators. The final component of this project will be a bird-inspired art exhibit that combines visual and performing arts to celebrate the magnificence of birds while providing a creative outlet to increase awareness of bird conservation efforts.    

The CST seeks a UAF who will engage with the program under the guidance of Dr. Craig Marshall (Assistant Director – STEM Education) to oversee the three main aspects of this project. The UAF will collaborate closely with EEB graduate students in addition to collaborators from other entities on campus to organize, plan, and execute the tasks necessary to carry out the goals of this project. Potential collaborators will include CST’s Student Advisory Board, the School of Architecture, the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the Office of Sustainability, and Princeton Facilities. 

The UAF will assist in engaging with collaborators on campus, recruiting undergraduate and graduate volunteers/participants, coordinating and leading regular meetings with event organizers and volunteers, event advertisement, and day-of planning. The UAF will also engage with a designated undergraduate Bird-Friendly Buildings Officer to organize and interpret bird collision data on Princeton’s campus. Moreover, the UAF will partner with CST’s Student Advisory Board and Brendan Byrne (CST’s StudioLab Manager) to leverage the resources that are currently available at CST to further develop and augment the proposed project.

Graduate students from any discipline are welcome and encouraged to apply!