Bio:
I graduated from Williams College in 1997 as a biology major. Since then, I have been involved in biology research and environmental education. While in graduate school, I continue to be involved with several education organizations, the Olympic Park Institute (environmental science education for children and adults in Olympic National Park) and Pemi West (a wilderness leadership, mountaineering, and nature immersion program for teenagers and adults in Olympic National Park and the Colorado Rockies). Recently, in conjunction with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the Organization for Tropical Studies, I have developed curriculum and set up environmental education programs for grade school students in Costa Rica and Panama. This year I have also developed,with graduate student Ursula Valdez, a UW exploration seminar on biodiversity and sustainability issues in Peru. Information on this course can be found at:
http://students.washington.edu/timbillo/
More links:
http://www.stri.org/english/research/facilities/marine/bocas_del_toro/
http://www.ots.duke.edu/en/laselva/
www.yni.org/opi/
www.camppemi.com/pemiwest.html
For research pictures and other hobbies:
http://picasaweb.google.com/timbillo
Research Interests:
I study behavioral interactions between two species of birds in a hybrid zone in Panama, and the effects of those interactions on the distribution of traits across the hybrid zone. I have specifically looked both at how vocalizations are distributed across the hybrid zone, and how their use in male-male competition and mate attraction may facilitate the introgression of other traits across the hybrid zone. More recently, my work has taken me to Caribbean islands just offshore from the hybrid zone, where a previously unstudied subspecies is providing insight into the origins of phenotypes found on the adjacent mainland.
My research is sponsored by the following organizations:
American Museum of Natural History
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Organization for Tropical Studies
Association of Field Ornithologists
Univ. of Wash. Snyder Award |
Selected Publications:
Billo, Timothy. 1998. Excerpts from a Study of the Past and Present Ecology of the American Chestnut (Castanea dentata) in a Northern Hardwood Forest. Journal of the American Chestnut Foundation. 12(1): 27-46.
Day, L.B., L. Fusani, E. Hernandez, T.J. Billo, K.S. Sheldon, P.M. Wise, and B.A. Schlinger. 2007. Testosterone and its effects on courtship in golden-collared manakins (Manacus vitellinus): Seasonal, sex, and age differences. Hormones and Behavior. (51): 69-76.
To read an article I wrote on urgent conservation issues in one of my study sites in Bocas del Toro, Panama, please visit the following sites (article can be read in English or Spanish):
http://burica.wordpress.com/2007/06/18/concern-over-conservation-issues-on-isla-bastimentos-and-other-islands-in-the-bocas-del-toro-province-of-panama/
http://www.thebocasbreeze.com/previous-issues/september-septiembre-2007.shtml
Teaching Interests:
My interests are varied, but I prefer to ground my classes in field experiences. Topics I enjoy teaching include: animal behavior, evolution, ecology, tropical biology, forest ecology, ecology of mountain environments, and conservation. I will be leading a University of Washington Exploration Seminar in Peru in August-September 2008 that will incorporate many of these interests. More information on this program can be found at my website:
http://students.washington.edu/timbillo/ |
