BIRDWATCH: Bioinformatic Risk Detection & Waterfowl Assessment for Tracking, Control, & Health

March Speaker Series

BIRDWATCH: Bioinformatic Risk Detection & Waterfowl Assessment for Tracking, Control, & Health with Lisa Kercher

March 12th at 2 p.m. – Free and open to the public!

The BIRDWATCH project seeks to bridge a gap for larger and faster tracking of A(H5N1) in North America.  Because avian assessment is an area that is historically understudied, we have channeled efforts into approaches that would provide the best information. Our network is part of the NIAID Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Response, and the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Studies on the Ecology of Influenza in Animals and Birds and has a 45+ year tradition of avian influenza monitoring.  We are operationally focused on shortening the length of time it takes to collect samples and have them genetically sequenced. We are connecting and enhancing the avian influenza network in the Atlantic, Central, and Mississippi, and Pacific flyways and are beginning to fold-in geographic ‘hot spots’, like the Platte River in Nebraska, where large amounts of birds congregate during migration.  We are currently accelerating the pace at which viruses can be isolated and analyzed for risk assessment. This information can then be made available to the broader scientific community, stakeholders, and the public.

Explore our full list of March Speakers below!

March 6th at 10 a.m.- Private Lives of Sandhill Cranes with Keanna Leonard
March 7th at 10 a.m.- Stories for the Virtual Stream with Kylee Warren, Virtual Programs Producer at Crane Trust
March 7th at 1 p.m.- Segments from The Americas 45 min showing and talk about filming with Alex Wiles
March 8th at 10 a.m.- Crane Counting with Bethany Ostrom, Lead Biologist at Crane Trust
March 8th at 2 p.m.- The World of Cranes: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow with George Archibald
March 11th at 2 p.m.- Wild Cranes in Art and History with Andrew Peters
March 12th at 2 p.m.- BIRDWATCH: Bioinformatic Risk Detection & Waterfowl Assessment for Tracking, Control, & Health with Lisa Kercher
March 13th at 2 p.m.- An issue of scale: building coalitions to address wetland habitat connectivity challenges in the Great Plains using a flagship species with Andrew J. Caven, Vice President – North America Programs, International Crane Foundation
March 15th at 10 a.m.- Science Snippet: Crane Trapping with Abraham Kanz, Director of Conservation Research at Crane Trust
March 15th with three shows at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., & 3 p.m.- Remember the Way with Heather Henson
March 18th at 2 p.m.- Art and Conservation with Linda Syverson Guild
March 21st at 2 p.m.- Raptorology Demonstration with Deb Miller and live birds from Edgerton Explorit Center
March 22nd at 2 p.m.- Raptorology Demonstration with Deb Miller and live birds from Edgerton Explorit Center
March 22nd at 10 a.m.- Pawnee Nation: Past and Present with Matt Reed from Pawnee Nation
March 28th at 2 p.m.- Nebraska Big Year: Chasing 350 with Tobin Brown, Birder and Software Developer
March 29th at 10 a.m.- Science Snippet: Crane Tracking with Bethany Ostrom, Lead Biologist at Crane Trust