KIT MUMA'S INTERESTS:
I have a variety of research interests all of which relate to behavioral ecology and evolution. During the summers I conduct research at the Queen's University Biological Station north of Kingston, Canada. I am on the Q.U.B.S. Executive Committee which oversees the operation of the research station.
My research was conducted with a group led by James Fullard (Univ. of Toronto at Mississauga) studying the daily flight patterns of moths and butterflies and the defenses these insects have evolved against predation by bats. James passed away on March 6th 2010 after a 2 year battle with pancreatic cancer. The Nature Conservancy and Rideau Lakes Land Trust have purchased Sugar Bush Island on Lake Opinicon and will name it in his honour (see http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=352265971571 ).
I have been supported by several grants from the Provost's office at Ithaca College. In the summer of 2007, Andrew Furfaro (I.C. Biology '08) participated in several research projects involving bat/moth interactions.
In the summer of 2005, I worked with Patrick Weatherhead (Univ. of Illinois, Champaign) collecting data for a long-term study of sex ratios and the effect of climate change on nesting in red-winged blackbirds. The research has since been published in the Journal of Field Ornithology(2007 Vol. 78:428-435).
I have also collaborated with Mark Forbes (Carleton Univ., Ottawa) on projects investigating the coevolution of parasitic water mites and their dragonfly hosts.
I have recently developed an interest in contemplative education and the connections between neurobiology and meditation. I am studying the Mind-life Dialogues initiated by scientists and his Holiness the Dalai Lama in conjunction with a group of scientists and Buddhist scholars in Ithaca. For information about meditation groups and courses on campus, contact Michael Faber.
