Norm Bourg, TA and Doctoral Candidate

Department of Biology, University of Maryland – College Park, MD and Ecology Research Fellow, Smithsonian National Zoological Park – Conservation and Research Center, Front Royal, VA

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Academic & Research Interests:

• Fire and Disturbance Ecology
• Metapopulation and Conservation Biology
• Biological & Conservation Applications of GIS
• Population Genetic Structure
• Plant Population Biology & Native Plant Conservation
• Sustainable Development & Cultural Aspects of Conservation

Background:

I am currently in the final stages of my Ph.D. research under the sponsorship of Drs. Douglas Gill at UMCP and William McShea at the SI-CRC. My research is examining fire as a disturbance agent in the southern Appalachians and its influence on the population biology and distribution of turkeybeard (Xerophyllum asphodeloides), a rare forest herb (click here to see a few photos of this interesting plant). I hold B.S. and B.A. degrees in Wildlife Biology and Zoology from the University of Montana, a M.S. in Conservation Biology and Sustainable Development from the University of Maryland – College Park, and am currently a doctoral candidate in the Dept. of Biology at UMCP. My previous conservation experiences include service as a Peace Corps volunteer in Wildlife and National Parks in Liberia, West Africa and work as a Science and Stewardship Assistant for The Nature Conservancy in Pennsylvania. I have field experience working with plants, birds, vegetation and mammals in a number of temperate and tropical environments including Montana, Idaho, the Appalachians, Scotland, Costa Rica and Thailand.