Sara O'Brien

Sara O'Brien, Ph.D.

  • Position:
    Assistant Professor

    School of Mathematics & Sciences

    Biology Department

    Marian University, Indianapolis, IN

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  • Advisor:

    John C. Wingfield

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  • Degrees:
     
    Ph.D., Zoology, University of Washington (Seattle, WA)
     
    Ph.D., Zoology, University of Washington (Seattle, WA)
     
    M.Sc., Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Urbana, IL)
     
    B.Sc., Animal Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Urbana, IL)
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  • Past Advisors:
     
    Michaela Hau (as Graduate Student - Masters)
     
    Gene Robinson (as Undergraduate Student)
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  • Research:
    Gonadotropin inhibitory hormone (GnIH) & Kisspeptin (KiSS) characterization in white-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys) in regards to timing of breeding and breeding flexibility.

    I am interested in the way in which animals respond to changes in their environment. Specifically, I am interested in exploring the physiological mechanisms in place that allow animals to time their breeding events to appropriate times during the year for maximal fitness. Using the white-crowned sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) as a model, I am examining how GnIH and KiSS influence reproductive physiology of sparrows throughout the photosensitive, photostimulated, and photorefractory stages. I am also exploring how these two peptides may exert differing influence on the breeding physiology among subspecies of white-crowned sparrows that show different lengths of breeding seasons. Future work includes how different environmental cues influence GnIH and KiSS expression & control. Exploring the degree of breeding flexibility animals show and the mechanisms in place that allow them to do so based on their environment is also a topic for future research.

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  • Other Experience:

    2008 Instructor/lecturer-Comparative Endocrinology, University of Washington

    2007 Instructor/Lecturer-Neuroscience and the Environment, University of Washington

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  • Honors:

    2009 "Best Student Paper" awarded from the Society for Integrative & Comparative Biology (SICB)

    2008 Snyder Award for Zoological Studies

    2007 National Science Foundation Research Coordination Network (E-Bird USA)

    2000 Crary Award for Teaching Excellence

    1999 Excellent TA Award-Daily Illini, student chosen

Life Sciences
Communities:

Sara O'Brien's Genealogy

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Sara O'Brien's Publications (8)



Sara O'Brien's Posters and Presentations (8)

  • Creativity in Science: A discussion of methods to teach creatively in order to engage and enhance learning & creativity in your student (poster)

    Sara O'Brien, Jason E. Davis

    Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), University of Washington; 05/2008
  • Regulation of breeding in white-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys) (presentation)

    Sara O'Brien, GE. Bentley, K. Tsutsui, JC. Wingfield

    Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB), National Conference; 01/2007
  • KiSS increases LH in Gambel’s white-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii) (poster)

    Sara O'Brien, GE. Bentley, JC. Wingfield

    Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB), National Conference; 01/2006
  • Field-injections of Gonadotropin-inhibitory Hormone in Breeding Gambel’s White-Crowned Sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii) Rapidly Decreases Plasma Luteinizing Hormone (poster)

    Sara O'Brien, GE. Bentley, K. Ukena, K. Tsutsui, JC. Wingfield

    Society for Neuroscience (SfN), National Conference; 04/2004
  • GnIH rapidly decreases plasma LH in field-injected, breeding Gambel’s white-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii) (poster)

    Sara O'Brien, GE. Bentley, K. Ukena, K. Tsutsui, JC. Wingfield

    International Symposium on Avian Endocrinology (ISAE), International Conference; 03/2004
  • Effects of testosterone implants on gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone in sparrows (presentation)

    Sara O'Brien, GE. Bentley, K. Tsutsui, JC. Wingfield

    Graduate Student Symposium (GSS), Annual University of Washington Biology Department symposium; 12/2003
  • LH is rapidly decreased by GnIH in field-injected, breeding Gambel’s white-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii) (poster)

    Sara O'Brien, GE. Bentley, K. Ukena, K. Tsutsui, JC. Wingfield

    Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB), National Conference; 01/2003
  • Can food cues alone trigger gonadal growth in tropical spotted antbirds? (poster)

    Sara O'Brien, M. Hau

    American Ornithological Union (AOU), National Conference; 08/2000

One Figure

One Figure for Sara O'Brien

Mistnetting for Nuttall's White-crowned Sparrows (Z.l. nuttalli) at Bodega Bay Marine Labs, Bodega Bay, CA 2005


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