Robert & Patricia Switzer Foundation

Fellowship Year: 2010

Academic Background: University of Massachusetts - Amherst - PhD 2011- (Organismic and Evolutionary Biology)

Noah’s projects involve rare species conservation, natural history education, as well as technical contributions to ecological theory. He has expertise in subjects ranging from animal tracking to experimental physics. He is currently a PhD candidate in the Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, focusing on the terrestrial ecology and conservation of pond-breeding amphibians. His dissertation examines amphibian upland habitat, the impacts of forest fragmentation, new techniques for tracking small animals, and the genetic complexities of a kleptogenetic lineage that hybridizes with two state-listed salamanders. In the course of his research, Noah has worked closely with the Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program to protect rare salamanders.

Noah enjoys teaching in various formats, including through college courses, public natural history workshops, and writing. He recently co-authored a field guide to invertebrate signs of North America, and his photographs from this project have been displayed in art galleries and newspapers. He continues to help run a small community non-profit, the West Meade Conservancy that he founded in 2006 aimed at conservation and natural history education in Nashville, TN.

Expertise: Conservation Science & Biology