The Calder Center is a 113-acre property in Armonk, New York, where Fordham faculty and students conduct ecological research in a relatively undisturbed area of wilderness, just 25 miles north of New York City. Chomri Khayi arrived at the center in February, and ever since she’s been hard at work mentoring students, forging partnerships with local conservation groups, and developing a land management plan for the property.

Before joining Fordham, Khayi worked in land management and conservation at Yale. There, she conducted field research on the ecological recovery of dry tropical forests, developed a plant identification resource for a national park in Ecuador, and helped to manage the health and resilience of over 8,000 acres of forest in Connecticut and New Hampshire.  

Khayi sat down with Fordham Now to discuss her new role. 

What does a typical workday look like for you? 

I usually have volunteers or interns come in. Right now we’re doing an inventory of the forest. We have a brief meeting, gear up, then we head out into the woods. 

What does it mean to do an inventory of the forest? 

In order to manage a particular woodland, you need to know what’s there in terms of the plants and the wildlife, as well as the stressors in that environment.

We have around 37 plots all across the property, and in each plot, we collect data on the mature trees, the smaller trees, the understory vegetation, and also invasive species. We also check the light availability to see if there’s a big canopy opening.

Then we extrapolate data from those small plots to the whole property to understand species diversity and distribution, and use that knowledge to develop management strategies. 

What are some of the challenges related to conservation at Calder? 

The biggest challenge ecologically is the non-native invasive species. 

Not all non-native species are invasive, but the ones that are can get really aggressive, and they can out-compete the native plants since they don’t have natural predators. 

You can’t eradicate all non-native species, and some of them have benefits, but the challenge is managing them. And that’s difficult, considering we’re about 25 miles away from New York City, a big hub of international trade. We have a lot of things coming into the ports, outdoor recreationists that may inadvertently aid seed dispersal, and residential areas where they may bring in seeds and ornamentals (decorative garden plants) that may prove to be aggressive.  

What impact will your work have beyond the Calder Center?

We’re part of several regional partnerships, like PRISM, EMMA, the New York Botanical Garden, Vassar College, and others. We’re not just looking at our own land. We’re collaborating with other sites in the lower Hudson Valley to exchange knowledge and create a network for early detection and monitoring. 

Calder also creates a good opportunity for students to try out different interests and see what they like, or simply provides a green space for students to enjoy. If they really commit and spend a summer or a year at Calder, they would have a very unique, boots-on-the-ground experience. In his role, I really want to continue building this community of students that nurtures their relationships with natural areas and with each other.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. 

Photos by Argenis Apolinario and Taylor Ha

The 113-acre biological field station allows Fordham students, both graduate and undergraduate, to conduct hands-on research with faculty, said director Tom Daniels, Ph.D., during a virtual tour for parents, alumni, students, and friends held in November.

“We’re one of the few field stations in the country this close to an urban center,” Daniels said. “The mission of the Calder Center, in terms of what studies [are done or not]is entirely at the discretion of our faculty. Their interests are what drives that work here, both in terms of the focus their labs take and in the research projects that the students are working on.”

The tour took the viewers through the Calder Center property, showing off photos of the research facilities, natural beauty, and office space. Daniels narrated to tell those in attendance about the facility’s history, how it’s currently used, what research is ongoing, and what wildlife lives on site.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has put some of their work on hold, Daniels said that the center is hoping to re-engage with volunteers in 2021 to conduct new initiatives, including a “bioblitz,” which will help identify the many different species of plants and wildlife on the property, and a phenology trail, which would help record the life cycle of various species of plants.

A Field Season Like No Other

Suffice to say that after the COVID-19 closures, neither Kornreich nor Pandey, who are studying under the guidance of J. Alan Clark, Ph.D., got the summer of fieldwork that they expected. But thanks to extensive planning and a little bit of ingenuity, both graduate students were able to use what was arguably the safest research facility at the University’s disposal—the woods—to complete crucial data collection.

Clark, an associate professor of biological sciences who specializes in birds, said he was determined to help them salvage the field season, having experienced failed ones twice himself while working on his Ph.D. He credited the center’s director Tom Daniels, Ph.D., and assistant director Alyssa Perrone, with making it possible.

“To lose an entire field season is heartbreaking,” he said. “But by working carefully with the Calder staff, they were able to keep moving forward. They were very fortunate; both of them had highly successful summers, and they were able to do it safely.”

For Kornreich, that meant several changes. Because equipment bottlenecks made the Vesper GPS unavailable, they had to use an old-fashioned boom mic and GPS unit to track catbirds, which produce a cat-like mew call that is sometimes mistaken for mockingbirds. Kornreich also had to wait until June—two weeks later than planned—to begin work, when the University granted permission to go ahead. Even then, Kornreich was limited exclusively to outdoor activity—only essential Calder staff was allowed to enter buildings there.

Staking Out A Vocal Visitor

Once safety protocols were established, Kornreich was able to roam the woods, trapping the birds in nets, banding them, and noting where they’d established distinct territories. In two months, they trapped and tracked 45 birds in six distinct areas.

“If we have two territories very close together, or even if we catch them singing to each other back and forth, we can compare the songs from catbirds whose territories are near each other and see to what degree they match,” they said.

“Based on behavioral observations of how they interact when those songs match, we can draw conclusions about how they’re using that mimicry.”

Kornreich had to forego training on trapping and banding birds, due to social distancing requirements. Even so, they said they still learned a lot on their own about recording in the field and has a better sense of how the birds behave now.

“It’s the sort of quick thinking and adaptation that scientists had to do when COVID hit. A lot of people’s field seasons got straight-up canceled, and even though mine wasn’t, it did necessitate a lot of creative thinking to make the season happen. Dr. Clark deserves a lot of credit for it,” they said.

You Trap Mine, I’ll Record Yours

Pandey and Kornreich contributed to each other’s success. Pandey’s fieldwork, which began last summer when she was a master’s student, also involves trapping birds, but Pandey is less interested in the type of bird she catches, and more interested in potential passengers—tick larvae capable of picking up pathogens from bird hosts.

The peak of her season, in August, was at the tail end of Kornreich’s season, so after she helped capture and band Kornreich’s catbirds, Kornreich paid back the favor by recording data on the birds and ticks Pandey caught. That was valuable because, in the end, Pandey caught and released 180 birds and collected 56 blood samples and 250 larvae.

“When most tick larvae are born, they’re pathogen-free, and if they come off the bird infected, it’s most likely the bird is the source of the infection,” she said.

“That’s what I want to confirm, both by testing the ticks and by sampling the blood from the birds.”

Because there were days when the number of birds caught in their nets reached the double digits, Pandey also relied on both an assistant and a volunteer from the Bedford Audubon Society. Even with COVID-19 related restrictions in place, she had more success than last year, when she caught 395 birds, but only collected 50 blood samples and 164 larvae.

“The first two or three times we went out in the field, it was like ‘OK, are we getting too many birds to handle in our social distanced setup? How do we do this safely and effectively for ourselves and for the birds as well?’ We were able to work those kinks out though,” she said.

Depending on the feedback she receives from her dissertation committee, she may have enough samples to move on to lab work.

Grateful For The Opportunity

Both Kornreich and Pandey said the ability to continue their studies greatly helped them weather the challenges of the pandemic.

“I loved helping Medha in 2019. It had been the highlight of my year, and I was really depressed at the idea that I might not be able to do it myself this year,” said Kornreich, who hopes to return to the woods in 2021 with equipment that allows her to play songs back to catbirds.

“I tried to stay optimistic and focus on what I could do, and what options and equipment I did have, rather than what I no longer could do. Trying to balance the craziness of navigating that new reality, navigating your own panic, navigating the panic of everyone around you, and still trying to think straight about science, can be difficult. But the bottom line is, it did work out.”

Due to anticipated icy roadway conditions north of the city, Fordham Westchester and the Calder Center will close at 1 p.m. tomorrow, Saturday, January 18, 2020.  All classes at Westchester Campus starting 1 p.m. and after are cancelled.

The Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses will be open and operating on their normal schedules.

As always, members of the University community should take local conditions into account when traveling to or from campus. Faculty, students and staff should call any of the following numbers for the latest campus weather-related information:

(718) 817-5555
(212) 636-7777
(800) 280-7669 [(800) 280-SNOW]
(877) 375-4357 [(877) 375-HELP]

In an emergency, please call Fordham Public Safety at (718) 817-2222.

“The projects this year run the gamut, from fungus and bats, to lichens to blue-green algae, to an invasive tick, to evolution in lichens, to pollination trials, back to bats and how they are affected by light, and finally diversity in forests,” summarized Thomas Daniels, Ph.D., director of the Louis Calder Center, in his opening remarks. 

In 20-minute-long presentations, seven Fordham students spoke about what it was like to explore the sprawling 113-acre biological field station through CSUR: a 21-year-old program that allows Fordham undergraduates to conduct independent research projects with a Fordham faculty member and a $5,000 stipend. In wooded areas, Ian Sokolowski, FCLC ’20, foraged for Asian long-horned ticks with a white corduroy cloth and forceps. In the middle of Calder Lake, Julia Sese, FCRH ’20, retrieved water samples and analyzed algae blooms. 

Several of the students also shared how their projects began. Joseph Laske, FCRH ’21, recalled the day he found a wild bat while cleaning a Harlem park with members of the Students for Environmental Awareness and Justice club at Fordham. 

“I was raking some leaves, and I heard a squeak. I looked down, and there was this bat curled up on the ground in a fetal position,” recalled Laske, an environmental studies student. 

Concerned about the wild creature’s well-being, Laske snapped a picture of the animal and sent it to his professor, Craig Frank, Ph.D., who studies the effect of white-nose syndrome in bats. Could this bat be affected by the same disease, Laske wondered? 

It wasn’t. But his email sparked a conversation with Frank that would lead to Laske’s application to the CSUR program. For 10 weeks, Laske looked at how white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease, grows at different temperatures and how one species in particular, the Eastern small-footed bat, is able to resist the dangerous disease. 

“Bats are important pollinators [and pest eaters]. They contribute a huge amount to the agricultural industry,” said Laske, who plans on working as a technician in Frank’s lab this fall. 

The keynote address delivered by Alexandria Moore, Ph.D., a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow at the American Museum of Natural History and adjunct professor at Columbia University, also explored science research. Most of her speech spotlighted her work in coastal wetland restoration. But the rest focused on her identity as a queer person of color and how it informs her work as a scientist. 

“What I have talked about so far today has been sort of referencing gaps: The first one is a gap in our knowledge of how ecosystems work and how we can do a good job at recovering them; the other one is a gap in our understanding of the differences between people and the importance of those differences that people have,” Moore said. “What I do now in my work is combine all of those things together …. What I do at the museum is I ask the same kinds of research questions that I asked at Yale. I ask them in areas where we haven’t asked them with people who never really get to be part of those conversations.”

Sitting in the audience were eight local high school students in Fordham’s Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP)—an academic enrichment program for underrepresented youth from 7th to 12th grade—who presented their summer research posters that afternoon. 

The year before was the first time that STEP students participated in the program. One member of the inaugural cohort will be a first-year student at Fordham College at Lincoln Center this fall, said Patricio Meneses, Ph.D., who helped bring the students to the annual program. 

For DaiJon James, a rising senior at Equality Charter High School in the Bronx, the six-week research experience clarified his career path. It showed him that he wants to become a scientist—a first for his family, he said. But what surprised him this summer was the level of respect and collaboration that he experienced with his Fordham mentors, including Rachel Annunziato, Ph.D. 

“It was kind of like …  jarring because as a teenager, you don’t ever really expect to be given the kind of opportunity to show what you know,” said James, who studied how to best use teletherapy to improve post-procedure care for teenagers with liver transplants. “Working with Dr. Annunziato changed that perspective for me.” 

This summer, another student—Alexa Caruso, a rising senior at New Rochelle High School in Westchester County—performed data collection and analysis on perovskites, a promising material in solar cell research. 

“With the people and the resources that we now have in this day and age, we can definitely make something useful,” Caruso said. “What I did, it’s gonna help the future one day.” 

A new image will be revealed every night as we count down to Halloween 2018.

 

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Spooky season is upon us ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Fordham presents: The 13 Nights of Halloween. Enjoy these haunting illustrations by Peter Stults; a new one will be revealed every night. . . [Image: an illustration shows a ghost photobombing two girls standing on a path on the Rose Hill campus] . #fordham #halloween #Fordhams13NightsofHalloween

A post shared by Fordham University (@fordhamuniversity) on Oct 19, 2018 at 3:24pm PDT

 

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You never know who — or what — is watching over the Plaza… ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #Fordhams13NightsofHalloween . . [Image: An illustration of a gargoyle perching on a clock overlooking Fordham Lincoln Center’s Plaza] . #fordham #halloween

A post shared by Fordham University (@fordhamuniversity) on Oct 20, 2018 at 3:44pm PDT

 

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There’s a new resident in Loyola Hall #Fordhams13NightsofHalloween .⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ . [Image: An illustration of a ventriloquist dummy sitting on the floor inside a residence hall room] . #fordham #halloween

A post shared by Fordham University (@fordhamuniversity) on Oct 21, 2018 at 3:33pm PDT

 

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*Turns around and runs the other way* #Fordhams13NightsofHalloween . . [Image: A flock of rams with red eyes blocks a hallway in Lowenstein] . #fordham #halloween #rams

A post shared by Fordham University (@fordhamuniversity) on Oct 22, 2018 at 3:37pm PDT

 

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Spooky illustration or actual @fordhamcats photo? #Fordhams13NightsofHalloween . . [Image: A black cat sits in a graveyard] . #fordham #halloween #blackcat

A post shared by Fordham University (@fordhamuniversity) on Oct 23, 2018 at 3:21pm PDT

 

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It follows #Fordhams13NightsofHalloween . . [Image: A shadowed figure floats next to a Ram Van parked in front of Fordham Lincoln Center] . #fordham #halloween #ramvan #nyc

A post shared by Fordham University (@fordhamuniversity) on Oct 24, 2018 at 3:34pm PDT

 

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When you think you’re finally safe on the Westchester campus but you’re wrong #Fordhams13NightsofHalloween . . [Image: A disgruntled student walks around Fordham’s Westchester campus while bats follow him] . #fordham #halloween #bats #fordhamwestchester

A post shared by Fordham University (@fordhamuniversity) on Oct 25, 2018 at 3:17pm PDT

 

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Go Rave — we mean, Rams! #Fordhams13NightsofHalloween . . [Image: The Ramses mascot stands in front of the football stands holding a raven on his hand] . #fordham #ramses #halloween #raven

A post shared by Fordham University (@fordhamuniversity) on Oct 26, 2018 at 3:43pm PDT

 

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Beware of the Flying Dutchman #Fordhams13NightsofHalloween . . [Image: An illustration of a ghost ship passing behind Fordham Law School] . #fordham #halloween #ghostship

A post shared by Fordham University (@fordhamuniversity) on Oct 27, 2018 at 3:20pm PDT

 

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Down to take a dip in Calder Lake? #Fordhams13NightsofHalloween . . [Image: An illustration of a creature emerging from the lake at Calder Center] . #fordham #halloween #CalderCenter

A post shared by Fordham University (@fordhamuniversity) on Oct 28, 2018 at 3:12pm PDT

 

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Tomorrow is our @fordhamlondon dedication! Be sure to check out our Instagram story and Facebook Live stream for the ribbon cutting ceremony, tours of the building and surrounding neighborhood, and more! #Fordhams13NightsofHalloween . . [Image: An illustration of a werewolf sitting on top of the Fordham London Centre building with a full moon in the background] . #fordham #halloween #werewolf #london #clerkenwell

A post shared by Fordham University (@fordhamuniversity) on Oct 29, 2018 at 4:32pm PDT

 

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Have you seen the pesky poltergeists playing in the Keating Bell Tower? #Fordhams13NightsofHalloween . . [Image: An illustration of poltergeists playing in and around the Keating Bell Tower] . #fordham #keating #bells

A post shared by Fordham University (@fordhamuniversity) on Oct 30, 2018 at 3:17pm PDT

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Happy Halloween, Rams! Thanks for taking this spooky journey with us #Fordhams13NightsofHalloween . . [Image: An illustration of zombies on Eddies as the sun rises over Keating Hall] . #fordham #DawnOfTheDead #Keating #EdwardsParade #Eddies

A post shared by Fordham University (@fordhamuniversity) on Oct 31, 2018 at 3:13pm PDT

“It’s up to us to train everybody about ecology, it doesn’t have to be to understand research protocols like you [biologists]do, but just share your experiences out in the field,” said Schuler, who is director of the botanical garden’s Thain Family Forest.

Nevertheless, Schuler said that in addition to sharing anecdotes with the general public, further engaging them through research holds the potential to transform the science and deepen awareness.

At the Thain Family Forest, volunteers have helped monitor and restore the forest, planting more than 34,000 native species. Tracking invasive species, as well as natives, involved measuring everything in the 50-acre forest that had grown a meter or higher, Schuler said. It was a herculean task that would’ve overwhelmed Schuler and her fulltime staff of two. But since 2008, NYBG engaged hundreds of students and volunteers—citizen scientists—to obtain data sets that helped map out that forest restoration.

Schuler said volunteers in the citizen science program help to document the timing of events in the forest across the seasons, which can reveal important trends. Tracking a tree from when it flowers to when it produces fruit to when its leaves turn color in the fall can help produce a long-term data set that could provide indicators of global warming, for example. She stressed that the garden employs quality control to maintain “the validity of data science, in terms of phenology.”

“Once you get in there to establish these programs, they run and run well,” she said, adding that seasoned volunteers can train others. Plus, practicing science as a volunteer fosters awareness, she said.

Tom Daniels, Ph.D., director of the Calder Center, agreed. “We need a more scientifically literate society and citizen scientists are the way to go,” he said.

20 Years of Undergraduate Research

For the past 20 years, Calder’s Undergraduate Research Program has allowed Fordham students to become citizen scientists themselves as they delved deep into the forests, rivers, lakes, city streets, and labs, in search of answers to research questions. This anniversary year was no different. Ten students took a data-driven look at the metropolitan region’s ecology this summer through a variety of experiments. From tying the roots of pediatric asthma in the Bronx to traffic data, to examining the effects of urbanization on blood glucose in pigeons, to observing seasonal patterns of photosynthesis on American beachgrass, the day’s subjects were as diverse as the city itself.

Engaging High School Students

Though the primary focus of the symposium was on the hard work conducted by undergraduates, this year a group of budding high school scientists were at the symposium to show the results of their Calder Center research for the first time. Their work underscored the focus of Schuler’s talk.

“Think globally; act locally,” she said. “Connecting students to nature teaches them that their data can make a difference and change policy.”

The idea to invite New York City high school students to participate in the Calder-sponsored program came from Patricio Meneses, Ph.D., associate professor of biology. After a meeting in May with Chief Diversity Officer Rafael Zapata, Meneses ran into Renaldo Alba on campus. Alba is the associate director of the University’s CSTEP/STEP program, which prepares minority students for careers in science, engineering, technology, and licensed professions. Within hours, Meneses secured financial sponsorship from Zapata’s office and recruited talented high school students from Alba’s program.

“We wanted to make sure the students would be paid for their research, so they didn’t have to take another summer job,” he said.

By June, selected student began hearing about their internships. That month, Meneses also recruited professors from chemistry, biology, and psychology. Work began in earnest in early July.

Kelechi D. Nnaji, a senior at Mount Vernon High School, researched how plants can be natural filters for polluted water. He’s been in the STEP program since seventh grade. The sumertime program brings students in grades 7 through 12 to Fordham for five weeks of college prep classes. He said the program familiarized him with the college campuses and helped him mature a bit faster than some of his peers.

“I’ve essentially experienced college life and even though I don’t go to the best school I do get excellent grades and I do really great things,” he said. “This is like my millionth time on campus.”

For Joshleen Cruzado, a senior at Young Women’s Leadership School in East Harlem, the program presented a rare opportunity.

“I’ve done research before but it was a retrospective, because the data was already there, but now I’m ready to do data myself,” she said beaming before her poster analyzing proteins of the HPV virus. “For women and minorities like me, we don’t get the opportunities to do these things, but because of this program we got that opportunity.”

Ram Van service from Rose Hill to the Calder Center will begin with the 1 p.m. shuttle on Tuesday. All other Ram Van and Public Safety shuttles will operate on their normal schedules.

Dining Facilities
Rose Hill: The Marketplace will open at 7 a.m.; all other food service venues will operate on their normal schedules.
Lincoln Center: The Ram Cafe will open at 7 a.m.; all other food service venues will operate on their normal schedules.

University Health Services, Counseling and Psychological Services, the Lombardi Center, and fitness centers at the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses, and the the Quinn, Walsh and Law Libraries will be open on their normal schedules.

As always, members of the University community should take local conditions into account when traveling to or from campus. Faculty, students and staff should call any of the following numbers for the latest campus weather-related information:

• (718) 817-5555
• (212) 636-7777
• (800) 280-7669 [(800) 280-SNOW]
• (877) 375-4357 [(877) 375-HELP]

In an emergency, please call Fordham Public Safety at (718) 817-2222.

This message will be updated as necessary during the storm.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding,

John Carroll, Associate Vice President
Fordham University Public Safety

As always, members of the University community should take local conditions into account when traveling to or from campus. Faculty, students and staff should call any of the following numbers for the latest campus weather-related information:

In an emergency, please call Fordham Public Safety at (718) 817-2222.

This message will be updated as necessary during the storm.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding,

John Carroll, Associate Vice President
Fordham University Public Safety

Ram Van service will resume Friday at 7 a.m.

As always, members of the University community should take local conditions into account when traveling to or from campus. Faculty, students and staff should call any of the following numbers for the latest campus weather-related information:

(718) 817-5555
(212) 636-7777
(800) 280-7669 [(800) 280-SNOW]
(877) 375-4357 [(877) 375-HELP]

In an emergency, please call Fordham Public Safety at (718) 817-2222.

This message will be updated as necessary during the storm.