Research – Page 2 – WILDLIFE RESEARCH & CONSERVATION

A Trunk of Love Wins Telly Award for WVU

March 28th, 2012tinalc0 Comments

Award-winning videos feature WVU’s true story on YouTube Six WVU University Relations-produced videos honored with prestigious Telly Award. Yes, substantive content does exist on YouTube. Beyond the guitar-shredding cats, personal pleas to Justin Bieber and brouhahas in fast food parking lots, the true stories of West Virginia University’s academic heart and soul can be seen, heard and experienced on the world’s most popular video-sharing website. This month, a New York-based awards institution has sifted through the cyber debris to celebrate six tales of academic achievement and graduate student life at WVU. The Telly Awards honor the finest film and video productions by top …

The Year of the Dragon

February 20th, 2012tinalc0 Comments

The dragon is both revered and feared in many cultures around the world. This year the Chinese will celebrate the upcoming new year as the Year of the Dragon. A symbol of strength and royalty, you can find interpretations of these mythical beasts adorning clothing, wall tapestries, statues, and even etched into flesh. But what do we know about our last remaining dragon, the Komodo dragon, which still walks the earth? What is being done to conserve this magnificent creature and its habitat to ensure that it too remains immortalized? Weighing in at up to 100 kg (220 lbs) and …

WVU Promotional Video Includes Elephants

February 10th, 2012tinalc0 Comments

A new West Virginia University promotional video includes Tina Dow and a few of her elephant friends. You can check it out in the video below at the 14 second mark.

WVU Doctoral Student Pursues Passion

February 1st, 2012tinalc0 Comments

WVU Doctoral Student Pursues Passion By: Kaidy Murdock For the Charleston Daily Mail MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Tina Dow has always had an interest in elephants. From her first Little Golden Book and frequent visits to the Pittsburgh Zoo as a girl, the Cumberland, Md., native’s love for the creatures has transformed into a career and a passion. “In my backpack I still carry the first Little Golden Book that I was given as a child, and that was ‘The Saggy Baggy Elephant,’” said Dow, a doctoral student at West Virginia University. “I keep that around with me all the time. …

Devil Facial Tumor Disease

January 27th, 2012tinalc0 Comments

In honor of Australia Day I thought it would be fitting to write about one of their most beloved species, the Tasmanian devil. Immortalized as the spinning, incoherent cartoon character, the survival of the real Tasmanian devil is in peril. A communicative disease called Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD) is decimating the devil population of Tasmania. As researchers race to understand the etiology behind DFTD the devils face an uncertain future. Devil Facial Tumor Disease was first documented in 1996 in northeastern Tasmanian. The disease is characterized by large, fast-growing cancerous tumors that are found around the face and inside …

A Love For Elephants

December 13th, 2011tinalc0 Comments

West Virginia University has gone to the elephants! Not only were Tina and her pachyderm friends highlighted on the homepage of the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design, but they were also featured on the West Virginia University main homepage. In addition, you can find an interview with Tina regarding her research at the following link Inside WVU

One True Love — Elephants

December 13th, 2011tinalc0 Comments

Recently, Tina’s research was featured in the inaugural issue of the official magazine of the West Virginia University Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Design.

Thank You

November 23rd, 2011tinalc0 Comments

This week, in the United States, we will be celebrating Thanksgiving. This holiday is a time for recognizing the things and special people we are thankful for. Aside from stuffing ourselves with roasted turkey, potatoes, stuffing, and pumpkin pie, the day is spent with friends and family. In addition, I thought it would be the most fitting time to give thanks to all those special people who have inspired me over the years and helped cultivate my passion for wildlife conservation and habitat preservation. If not for these wonderful people, I would not be who I am today. As a …

A Trunk of Love: WVU Doctoral Student Finds Her Calling Researching Elephants

November 14th, 2011atheod0 Comments

The story of Tina Dow’s love for elephants began in another story, tucked away in the pages of her first Little Golden Book. Never could she predict that someday she’d work with the same creatures that fascinated her as a little girl. It was the mighty elephant that steered her back onto an academic path. Dow, who grew up in Cumberland, Md., earned her bachelor’s degree in Animal and Veterinary Sciences at West Virginia University in 2002. After graduating, she didn’t know quite what to do. She enrolled in some courses at the University of Connecticut and took an internship at Roger Williams Park …

An Evening with Jane Goodall: A Story of Inspiration and Hope

October 2nd, 2011tinalc0 Comments

As a child I can vividly remember thumbing through old National Geographic magazines, living vicariously through the adventures of Dr. Jane Goodall. In the 1980s, long before online giants Amazon or Barnes and Noble became popular, I would visit both my school library and the local city-owned branch on an almost daily basis. I was able to read about Jane’s explorations of the forests of Gombe and the chimpanzee ambassadors who greeted here as a friend. Oh to live life amongst the chimps must have been paradise. I soon understood that chimpanzees were very much like humans, one may say …