Tony Wilson – Brooklyn Urban Ecology and Environment Program (BUEE)

08/09/23 – BUEE Science Day!

Tony Wilson — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 23:01:20 +0000

BUEE’s 2023 season wrapped up on August 9, with BUEE Science Day. Ten students and their faculty mentors presented their summer research to more than 50 participants from CUNY, partner institutions, and the surrounding community. Students returned to their home campuses for a well-deserved rest before the start of the Fall semester – it was a great summer!

07/19/23 – Kayaking at Downtown Boathouse

Tony Wilson — Wed, 19 Jul 2023 23:08:12 +0000

An afternoon paddling the Hudson, courtesy of the volunteer team at Downtown Boathouse – many thanks!

06/07/23 – Wildfire smoke reaches NYC

Tony Wilson — Wed, 07 Jun 2023 23:10:15 +0000

We experienced the impact of Canadian wildfires during the first week of the BUEE program. Our excursion to Q Garden’s rooftop beehives was cut short due to smoke from these wildfires, which significantly impacted NYC’s air quality and blotted out the sun. New York briefly had the worst air quality on the planet, striking evidence of the connectivity of the global ecosystem.

Student Project: The dynamics of reproductive behavior in nearshore pipefish (Wilson Lab)

Tony Wilson — Thu, 29 Dec 2022 17:10:57 +0000

Animal reproductive behavior can be influenced both directly and indirectly by anthropogenic impacts. New York’s waterways are home to a diverse aquatic community that inhabit a distinctive urban ecosystem. These species may face unique challenges due to their close proximity to human populations.

BUEE students participating in this project will explore reproductive behavior in the northern pipefish (Syngnathus fuscus), a species with a highly developed form of reproduction, male pregnancy. While the majority of pipefish species are genetically polygamous, the northern pipefish mates almost exclusively monogamously – the explanation for this exceptional reproductive mode is unknown. The collection of pregnant males and their offspring allows us to track how reproductive strategies change over space and time, and how these strategies may be influenced by local ecological and environmental conditions. Students will carry out fieldwork on local populations of pipefish, and participate in behavioral experiments in Brooklyn College’s Aquatic Research and Environmental Assessment Center aimed at determining what factors drive reproductive decisions in this species.

Student Project: Adaptive immunity in nearshore environments (Wilson Lab)

Tony Wilson — Thu, 29 Dec 2022 17:10:20 +0000

Adaptive immunity and immune memory are defining characteristics of higher vertebrates. The ability to retain a record of prior infection allows the immune system to learn through experience and to respond rapidly upon secondary exposure. While the majority of vertebrates have a fully functional immune system, seahorses have a simplified system, providing a tractable experimental model for studying host-pathogen coevolution. Seahorses inhabit both pristine environments with minimal human impacts, and urban sites heavily impacted by human activities. How do these environmental differences influence the functional genetic diversity of seahorses inhabiting these environments?

BUEE students involved in this project will use genetic and genomic methods to probe immune diversity in natural populations of seahorses inhabiting nearshore environments. Depending on student interests and experience, this project could involve the development and testing of immunological tools to explore immune function or expand into more comparative studies, investigating how the functional immunity of nearshore inhabitants is influenced by the conditions of their surrounding environment.

08/10/22 – BUEE Science Day 2022

Tony Wilson — Sun, 18 Sep 2022 00:33:07 +0000

Our fourth year of BUEE wrapped up on August 10, with a much-anticipated in-person event held in Brooklyn’s SUBO building. Eleven students and their six faculty mentors joined a combined event that included SRIJB’s Gateway Fellows, six graduate students supported by the National Park Service. More than sixty participants took part, including collaborators and colleagues from the National Parks Service, Jamaica Bay Rockaway Parks Conservancy, and NY Seagrant, and students from CUNYs College Now program. A fitting conclusion to a summer of research in the city!

07/13/22 – Kayaking at Downtown Boathouse

Tony Wilson — Fri, 15 Jul 2022 17:49:45 +0000

Thanks to Martin Sweeney and the crew at Downtown Boathouse for hosting BUEE for a late afternoon paddle on the Hudson!

06/10/22 – Horseshoe Crab Invasion!

Tony Wilson — Mon, 13 Jun 2022 23:13:59 +0000

Back to Plumb Beach to observe the height of the horseshoe crab nesting season in NYC!

06/08/22 – BUEE Beekeepers

Tony Wilson — Wed, 08 Jun 2022 22:31:47 +0000

The new crew of BUEEers exploring beekeeping with Frank Schellace (BC Urban Sustainability Grad)! Fun in the sun…

02/01/22 – BUEE Application Portal Goes Live

Tony Wilson — Mon, 21 Feb 2022 20:08:33 +0000

The application portal for the Summer 2022 BUEE program has recently gone live at https://buee.blog.brooklyn.edu/apply-here/. Eligible students are encouraged to review potential projects, contact possible mentors, and assemble their application packages before the April 1 deadline. Please note, letters of reference must also be received before the deadline for applications to be considered for admission.