Roslyn Dakin Doctoral Candidate Montgomerie Lab Department of Biology Queen s University PHONE (613) 533-6000 xt. 75134 EMAIL 2rd@queensu.ca WEB www.roslyndakin.com Education PhD started September 2008 Queen s University, Ontario, Canada MSc Biology September 2008 Queen's University, Ontario, Canada Thesis: The role of the visual train ornament in the courtship of peafowl, Pavo cristatus. BScH Biology April 2006 Queen's University, Ontario, Canada Honours Thesis: Structural plumage colour as a signal of mate quality in tree swallows. Research Experience PhD and MSc Research (May 2007 May 2010) Co-ordinated studies of peafowl populations at four different field sites (Los Angeles Arboretum, Bronx Zoo, Toronto Zoo, Assiniboine Park Zoo) Hired and trained 9 different field assistants over 4 years of study involving observations, audio and video recording, experimental model presentation and vocalization playback Organized volunteer program to allow members of the general public to assist with breeding bird observations at the Los Angeles Arboretum in 2010 Tropical Field Research Assistant (May June 2006) Assistant to Dr. Stéphanie Doucet of the University of Windsor studying the behaviour and ecology of royal flycatchers in Costa Rica Performed over 100 hours of observations at royal flycatcher nests in a tropical dry forest Mist-netting of multiple bird species for banding, DNA sampling, and collection of morphological data Field Research Assistant (June 2005) Assistant to Dr. Mary Stapleton studying the mating system of tree swallows at the Queen s University Biology Station Used reflectance spectrometry to collect plumage colour data in the field for BScH thesis Assisted with capture and sampling of adult and nestling birds for Dr. Stapleton s PhD thesis ROSLYN DAKIN EMAIL 2rd@queensu.ca EEB www.roslyndakin.com
2 Field Research Assistant (May 2005) Assistant to Dr. Stephen Lougheed of Queen s University studying the phylogeography of spring peeper frogs and conservation biology of five-lined skinks Collected frogs for tissue sampling and DNA analysis Worked with a team of undergraduates on a study of the thermal properties of preferred habitat for five-lined skinks (listed as Endangered) Publications R Dakin and R Montgomerie. (2009) Peacocks orient their courtship displays towards the sun. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 63: 825-834. doi: 10.1007/s00265-009-0717-6 R Dakin and R Montgomerie. (2011) Peahens prefer peacocks displaying more eyespots, but rarely. Animal Behaviour. In press. doi: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2011.03.016 R Dakin. (in review) The crest of the peafowl: a sexually dimorphic plumage ornament signals condition in both males and females. R Dakin and R Montgomerie. (in prep) Experimental and observational evidence that an iridescent plumage pattern is used in mate choice. R Dakin and R Montgomerie. (in prep) Iridescent structural plumage colour reveals male health in peafowl. Presentations R Dakin and R Montgomerie. The peacock s iridescent eyespots: male orientation during courtship influences female choice. Oral presentation, COS/AOU/SCO joint ornithological society meeting, San Diego, February 2010. R Dakin. The peacock s tale: beauty lessons from a bird. Invited speaker for the public at the Los Angeles Arboretum, Los Angeles, February 2010. R Dakin. The peacock s eyes: iridescent colour, mate choice and male courtship behaviour in peafowl. Neuroethology and sensory biology seminars, Queen s University, December 2008. R Dakin. Sexual selection s poster boy and the fickle female. Invited speaker for undergraduate course in the biology of sex, Queen s University, Fall 2008-2010. R Dakin. The peacock s tale: the role of the visual train ornament in courtship. Ecology, evolution and behaviour seminars, Queen s University, September 2008. R Dakin and R Montgomerie. Peacocks orient towards the sun during display. Oral presentation, International Behavioral Ecology Congress at Cornell University, August 2008.
3 R Dakin. Iridescent eyespots and sexual signalling in peafowl. Oral presentation, Iridescence: More than Meets the Eye, Conference on iridescent animal colours at Arizona State University, February 2008. R Dakin. Nanoscale structural colour in peafowl: The function and evolution of a sexual signal. Invited speaker for undergraduate physics course in nanoscience, Queen s University, January 2008. R Dakin. Are people like peacocks? Signalling quality on the lek and in academia. Behaviour, ecology and evolution research seminars, Queen s University, November 2007. R Dakin and R Montgomerie. Iridescence and sexual signalling in peafowl: males maximize eyespot reflectance towards females. Poster presentation, Society of Canadian Ornithologists annual meeting, September 2007. R Dakin. On swallows and sexual ornaments. Invited speaker for undergraduate course in population and evolutionary ecology, Queen s University, September 2006. Teaching Experience Science Rendezvous (May 2011) Designed a display on Flashy Feathers and Dinosaur Colours for a national science festival Incorporated hands-on activities for investigating how birds use iridescence in courtship, and how to reconstruct dinosaur colours by measuring microscopic pigment granules in fossil images History and Philosophy of Biology (Winter 2011) Teaching assistant for a fourth-year biology course at Queen s Helped design writing and seminar assignments Chose tutorial readings and led class discussion and critique of these papers The Biology of Sex (Winter 2007, Fall 2009, Fall 2010) Teaching assistant for a second-year biology course at Queen s Led discussions of current research papers in the biology of sex Helped redesign major writing assignment for a journalistic report in 2010 semester Data Management and Analysis (Fall 2007) Teaching assistant for a second-year statistics course at Queen s Led tutorials demonstrating use of JMP statistical software Differential and Integral Calculus (Fall 2003 Spring 2004) Taught help sessions for a first-year calculus course in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Queen's
4 Awards Canadian Foundation for Innovation Emerging Science Journalists Award (2011) Ontario Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (2010) Dean s Doctoral Field Travel Grant, Queen s University (2009) NSERC Postgraduate Scholarship, Doctoral (2008-2010) Fred Cooke Award, Society for Canadian Ornithologists (2008) Conference Travel Grant, Iridescence: More than Meets the Eye (2008) NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarship, Masters (2006) Ontario Graduate Scholarship (2006, declined) Medal in Biology, Queen s University (2006) NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award (2005, declined) Helen Arlis Denyes Scholarship in Biology (2005) James H. Rattray Scholarship in Science (2004) Wallace Near Prize in Biology (2004) Other Experience Appointments, Review, Tenure and Promotion Committee (April 2010 present) Department of Biology, Queen s University Local Committee, Annual Meeting for the Society of Canadian Ornithologists (2007) Sailing Coach (2004 2007) Taught an elite team of youth athletes in training and in competition across Canada Ontario Sailing Association Leadership Award (2007) Presented to a coach showing exceptional leadership in a learn-to-sail or racing program Reviewer Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, Functional Ecology
5 Extracurricular Activities Graphic Design Created logos and illustrations for several biological conferences, the Queen s Health Sciences Journal, the Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour seminar group, and a book chapter on avian genitalia (in The Evolution of Primary Sexual Characters in Animals, eds. Leonard and Cordoba-Aguilar, 2010) President, Queen's University Sailing Team (2006) Canadian National Sailing Team (2003) Member in the Olympic 470 class Canadian Youth National Sailing Team (2001) Represented Canada at the Youth Worlds in France in the International 420 class Certification Employment Equity Training, Queen s University (2010) Standard First Aid/CPR (2007) Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (2006) Introduction to Animal Care (2005) Fulfills CCAC requirement for National Institutional Animal User Training Program