A 30-year “snapshot study” of birds in the Pacific Northwest is showing their surprising resilience in the face of climate change. The project started when School of Biological Sciences Assistant Professor Benjamin Freeman found a study by Louise Waterhouse detailing birds in the mountains near Vancouver three decades ago. What followed was an ecological scavenger hunt: Freeman revisited each of the old field sites, navigating using his local knowledge and Waterhouse’s hand-drawn maps.

Freeman, who grew up in Seattle, mainly studies the ecology of tropical birds — but the discovery of Waterhouse’s paper made him curious about research closer to home. The results were surprising: over the last three decades, most of the bird populations in the region were stable and had been increasing in abundance at higher elevations.

The study, “Pacific Northwest birds have shifted their abundances upslope in response to 30 years of warming temperatures” was published in the journal Ecology this fall. In addition to lead author Freeman, the team also included Harold Eyster (The Nature Conservancy), Julian Heavyside (University of British Columbia), Daniel Yip (Canadian Wildlife Service), Monica Mather (British Columbia Ministry of Water, Lands and Resource Stewardship), and Waterhouse (British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Coast Area Research).

“It is great news that most birds in the region are resilient, and by doing this work, we can focus on the species that do need help, like the Canada Jay, which is struggling in this region,” Freeman says. “Studies like this help us focus resources and effort.”

Songbirds and snow

Conducting the fieldwork was a detective game, Freeman says. Each day, he would wake up at four in the morning to locate and visit the research areas — often navigating trails, open forest, and rough terrain on foot.

This area of the Pacific Northwest is punctuated with old-growth stands of trees — sections of forest that have never been logged or altered. “These areas feel like islands,” Freeman shares. “They feel ancient and untouched, but even in pristine habitats, birds are still responding to climate change.”

Most of the work was conducted during the birds’ breeding season, from late May into June. This is when the birds are most vocal, which is ideal for surveys, Freeman says. The downside? Even in June, there is often snow in the mountains. “I was out at dawn, hiking through snow in the freezing cold, wondering why I didn’t stay in bed,” he recalls. “But then I’d hear birds singing all around me and realize it was all worth it.”

Upward expansion — and resilience

By comparing the two “snapshots,” the team showed that while temperatures have increased over the last 30 years, most bird populations in the region haven’t declined — but they have become more abundant at higher elevations. “It’s encouraging,” Freeman says. “Thirty years of warming has led to changes, but for the most part, these bird populations are mostly stable or improving.”

One reason for this resilience could be the stability that old growth forests provide, and Freeman suggests that conserving wide swaths of mountain habitat might help birds thrive as they continue to adapt, while still supporting populations at lower elevations. The study also helps identify which bird species need additional support, like the Canada Jay — a gray and white bird known for following hikers in pursuit of dropped snacks.

It’s just one piece of Freeman’s larger research goal — he aims to do this type of snapshot research in many different places to identify general patterns, especially differences in temperate versus tropical environments.

“In the tropics, most bird species are vulnerable, with only a few resilient species. In the Pacific Northwest, we saw the opposite,” he says. “A pattern is emerging: temperate zones show more resilience, tropics more vulnerability.” 

Freeman is also conducting research with a group of students in Northern Georgia. “We predict that these Appalachian birds will be resilient as well,” he says, “but we need to study and understand what’s happening in nature — not just make predictions.”

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.70193

Funding: Packard Foundation

For the Georgia Tech community, homecoming week is more than just a celebration of Yellow Jacket pride – it's a tribute to the traditions, spirit, and unity that define the Tech experience. For five remarkable students, the week holds an even deeper significance.  

Ramblin’ Royalty, hosted by the Student Center Programs Council (SCPC) within Student and Campus Event Centers (SCEC), celebrates students who embody Georgia Tech’s motto, Progress and Service. Previously known as Mr. and Ms. Georgia Tech, the program has evolved into a more inclusive scholarship initiative to represent all students who are making a positive impact on campus.   

A College of Sciences student was among the five students selected for this recognition.

Centuries ago, some aspiring doctors resorted to grave robbing to study human anatomy. Today, using the recently purchased Anatomage Table, Georgia Tech students can virtually dissect the human body with a swipe of a touchscreen — no scalpels, no skeletons, and no midnight raids required.

A state-of-the-art anatomy and medical education system, the seven-foot-long Anatomage Table features life-size human — as well as several animal — bodies in digital formats, providing accurate representations of three-dimensional anatomy, physiology, and digital pathology.

“Cadaver dissection is still the gold standard,” explains Senior Academic Professional and Director of Anatomical Sciences Adam Decker, who has taught anatomy and other courses at Georgia Tech since 2010. “But the Anatomage Table lets students interact with living systems digitally — and that’s something we couldn’t offer before.”

Decker is a passionate advocate for using the best tools available to prepare students for medical careers. After leading efforts to bring prosections (pre-dissected specimens that students learn from) to Georgia Tech in 2021, he set his sights on acquiring the Anatomage Table.

“Providing the table was the logical next step,” says Decker. “It’s a way to bridge the tactile experience with dynamic visualization.”

The Anatomage Table was purchased with College of Sciences Technology Fee funds, designed to enhance students' experiences using modern instruments and techniques.

“It’s a great resource for our students, especially for those who are interested in pursuing any field of medicine,” says David Collard, senior associate dean in the College of Sciences. “It supports active learning that will enhance students' applications to medical programs, and gives them experiences with technologies they will encounter in post-graduate professional training.”

Anatomy in action

The Series 11 Anatomage Table is housed in the Gilbert Hillhouse Boggs Building and offers a one-to-one display of actual cadavers with five different bodies available for virtual dissection. Students can click on a structure and instantly access detailed information.

“It’s one thing to sit in a classroom and have a professor explain which body parts are which,” says Yusuf Abdalla, a second-year biology student with a pre-med focus. “But being able to independently manipulate the screen to view various parts of the body takes learning to the next level.”

The table offers a cleaner environment with less exposure to odors and chemicals than traditional cadaver dissection.

“Cadavers don’t come with labels. Using the table enables us to see how the body works as a system rather than just viewing individual parts,” adds Rayhan Quraishi, a fourth-year neuroscience major pursuing a career in medicine.

Decker emphasizes that while the Anatomage Table is a game changer, it doesn’t replace prosections. Students will continue to work with real hearts, lungs, and even full spinal cords, thanks to a partnership with Emory University’s Body Donation Program.

Combining cadaver dissection with the table enhances the overall learning experience, explains Decker:

“With prosections, they learn how the veins and arteries feel when you cut into them. With the Anatomage Table, students will see what it looks like when the heart beats or the lungs expand. They can virtually follow a drop of blood through the blood vessel, then use the touch screen to see what that same drop of blood would look like under a microscope. You can’t do that with a cadaver.”

From anatomy to imaging

One of the table’s most powerful features is its integration of diagnostic imaging. Students can compare anatomical structures side-by-side with CT and MRI scans and overlay images as they simulate physiological processes like heartbeats and brain activity.

Decker is currently designing a new course, Anatomy for Diagnostic Imaging, that will use the table to teach students how to interpret MRI, CT, and ultrasound scans. The Anatomage Table contains built-in datasets of MRIs of the spine, heart, and brain, so students can look at the diagnostic image and the actual structure at the same time.

“Some students enter medical school without once taking an anatomy course,” says Decker. “Georgia Tech students, on the other hand, will already have an introduction to imaging and pathology.”

Sameeha Lalani, a third-year biology major who works as an EMT praises the clinical features found in the table. “After one of my EMT shifts, I went back and recreated what happened to my patient using the table. It really made the clinical experience click, so I could better understand what happened.”

Expanding access

The table will soon be in use in BIOS 3754 (Anatomy Lab), which runs five lab sections each fall. Decker is also exploring ways to integrate the table into live lectures, transmitting demonstrations from the table directly into large lecture halls. 

Plans are currently underway to use the table in the wellness requirement course, APPH 1040 (Scientific Foundations of Health). Students will be able to visualize cardiovascular anatomy and heart disease by rotating the heart, opening chambers, and simulating conditions, such as a stroke or heart attack.

Decker is eager to collaborate with other departments and make the table a campuswide resource. He sees opportunities in health-related subjects across campus, including biomedical and mechanical engineering, neuroscience, and physiology. Student clubs like the Student Neuroscience Association, Physician Assistant Club, and Pre-Dental Society are also expected to rotate through the lab.

“Anatomy is an ancient science, but it’s the foundation of all healthcare. There are going to be many students who benefit from this — all across campus,” Decker says. “We’ve barely scratched the surface of what it can do.”

What Can Students Do With the Anatomage Table?

• Perform virtual dissections of life-size, digitized human cadavers with touch-responsive controls.
• Rotate, label, and isolate anatomical structures to study systems in detail.
• Compare anatomy with diagnostic imaging, including CT MRI, and ultrasound scans.
• Simulate physiological processes, such as heartbeats, blood flow, and brain activity.
• Explore built-in pathologies, including stroke, tumors, and liver disease.
• Access thousands of annotated structures from male, female, geriatric, pregnant, and animal cadavers.
• Overlay diagnostic images directly onto anatomical models for side-by-side analysis.
• Use real frozen cadaveric slices reconstructed into three-dimensional digital formats.
• Conduct pre- and post-lab activities to reinforce learning before and after cadaver dissection.
• Take anatomy tests, identifying pinned organs and structures.

This story by Caitlin Hayes is shared jointly with the Cornell Chronicle newsroom.

Study co-author Joel E. Kostka is the Tom and Marie Patton Distinguished Professor and associate chair for Research in the School of Biological Sciences with a joint appointment in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. He also serves as faculty director of Georgia Tech for Georgia's Tomorrow. 

The Kostka Lab works in peatland ecosystems to quantify changes in microbial communities brought on by climate change drivers. In particular, next generation gene sequencing and omics approaches are employed to investigate the microbial groups that mediate organic matter degradation and the release of greenhouse gases.

Peatlands make up just 3% of the earth’s land surface but store more than 30% of the world’s soil carbon, preserving organic matter and sequestering its carbon for tens of thousands of years. A new study sounds the alarm that an extreme drought event could quadruple peatland carbon loss in a warming climate. 

In the study, published October 23 in Science, researchers find that, under conditions that mimic a future climate (with warmer temperatures and elevated carbon dioxide), extreme drought dramatically increases the release of carbon in peatlands by nearly three times. This means that droughts in future climate conditions could turn a valuable carbon sink into a carbon source, erasing between 90 and 250 years of carbon stores in a matter of months.

“As temperatures increase, drought events become more frequent and severe,  making peatlands more vulnerable than before,” said Yiqi Luo, senior author and the Liberty Hyde Bailey Professor in the School of Integrative Plant Science’s Soil and Crop Sciences Section, in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at Cornell University. “We add new evidence to show that with peatlands, the stakes are high. We observed that these extreme drought events can wipe out hundreds of years of accumulated carbon, so this has a huge implication.”

“To me, this study is striking in that it shows that around 10 to 100 years of carbon uptake by one of the most important global soil carbon stores can be erased by just two months of extreme drought,” adds Joel Kostka, Tom and Marie Patton Distinguished Professor in Biological Sciences at Georgia Tech.

It was already well-established that drought reduces ecosystem productivity and increases carbon release in peatlands, but this study is the first to examine how that carbon loss is exacerbated as the planet warms and more carbon dioxide enters the atmosphere. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates extreme drought will become 1.7 to 7.2 times more likely in the near future. 

Read the full story in the Cornell newsroom. 

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Other co-authors include Cornell postdoctoral researchers Jian Zhou and Ning Wei; senior research associate Lifen Jiang; and researchers from Georgia Institute of Technology, Florida State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), ETH Zurich, Northern Arizona University, the Australian National University, the University of Western Ontario and Duke University.

Funding for the study came in part from the National Science Foundation, USDA, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.

Georgia Tech and the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University are partnering to develop a pipeline that prepares more local nurses to meet workforce demands. 

With this collaboration, eligible students who graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Georgia Tech will be able to enroll in the School of Nursing’s Master of Nursing (MN) program.  

Emory’s MN program is an entry-to-practice, pre-licensure degree program designed for students with bachelor’s degrees in other disciplines. Students who complete the 15-month program are eligible to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination and begin practice as a registered nurse. 

“We are excited to participate in a program that will develop future leaders in nursing,” said Steven Girardot, vice provost for Undergraduate Education and Student Success at Georgia Tech. “This direct pathway opens doors for our graduates to launch careers in nursing, living out our motto of Progress and Service in the most meaningful way.” 

The five-year partnership exemplifies the School of Nursing’s ongoing collaboration with metro Atlanta colleges and universities to prepare and empower high-caliber nurses. It represents another milestone in the school’s efforts to address workforce needs and advance nursing education.  

“Partnering with Georgia Tech represents another exciting step forward for nursing education,” said Linda McCauley, dean of the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. “Together, we’re expanding opportunities for future nurses and ensuring that our communities and health systems have the skilled professionals they need to thrive.”

Georgia Tech is the fourth local institution to partner with the School of Nursing, joining Spelman College, Agnes Scott College, and Oglethorpe University.