Dr. Andrew Farnsworth – October 2024

7:00 pm, Tuesday, October 8, 2024
Online via Zoom, Free and open to the public
Registration required. Click here to register for the Zoom webinar.

Bird Migration in the Era of Big Data: BirdCast perspectives on the future of monitoring migrating birds

BirdCast is a collaborative project that employs the expertises of computer scientists and ornithologists to harness the power of big data to study movements of birds and more broadly capture the spectacle of bird migration. Andrew Farnsworth will be speaking, in particular, about monitoring bird migration with data collected by citizen scientists and the US weather surveillance radar network, among other sources of information, to forecast where, when, and how many birds will migrate and to observe these movements in near real-time at a continental scale. He will discuss magnitudes and extents of migration, challenges of monitoring birds’ nocturnal movements at scales relevant to their biology, and ways radar can be used to remotely sense interconnected patterns in time and space. Birds truly represent dynamic and global communities, and recent trends in methods and analyses showcase what may be the future of bird migration research and conservation to study birds’ complex roles in terrestrial, aerial, and aquatic systems. In the age of big data and observation, the potential of what remains for us to learn is inspiring. He will also be speaking more specifically about patterns in and around New York City, including forecasts and analyses proximate to the seminar.

Andrew Farnsworth is a Visiting Scientist in the Center for Avian Population Studies at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Andrew began birding at age 5 and quickly developed his long-standing fascinations with bird migration. His current research applies remote sensing technologies, including weather surveillance radar, audio and video recording and monitoring tools, citizen science datasets, and machine learning techniques, to study bird movements. He and his collaborators employ science to educate and to engage audiences in conservation actions, notably with respect to reducing light pollution impacts on nocturnally migrating birds. He has also employed his extensive field and research background for consulting for energy industry (including wind, solar, and geothermal), municipalities, and research institutes. Andrew received his BS in Natural Resources from Cornell, MS in Zoology from Clemson University, and PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Cornell University. He lives in New York, NY with his wife Patricia and two daughters Aja and Elle. He is also active in his family foundation, whose mission includes support for climate change education, promoting women’s health and rights, children’s education, and conservation. He is also a musician when time and space allow.