Members of the Hobson Lab collaborate with Dr. Katie Kalafut and the Cincinnati Zoo to analyze penguin movement and social data. This page provides an overview of our work with penguins.
Hobson lab Researchers
So far, three UC undergrads have completed capstone research projects using the Little Blue Penguin datasets (Shruti Parashar, Nathan Hellebusch, and Rachel Hardin). Another UC undergrad, Austin Simon (who joined our lab via UC’s McNair Scholars Program), also did an independent research project with the Little Blues, focusing on leadership. Hobson Lab graduate students and postdocs help support this research by training undergrads in data science, helping troubleshoot code, and working with students to help them refine their research questions.
For more information on how we are working to merge penguin social analyses with teaching data science skills, see these posts.
Press coverage of Hobson lab penguin research
“Cincinnati Zoo Visitors Over the Moon for Penguin Ambassadors Mars and Rover” (mentions our recent work on leadership in the Little Blue Penguins)
“Would you vote for this penguin? For these flightless birds, leading or following might be more about relationships” (focuses on Hobson Lab undergraduate researcher Austin Simon’s work on leadership in the Little Blue Penguins)
Press coverage of penguins at the cincinnati zoo
Little Blue Penguins get new exhibit (overview and videos)
Overview of how the RFID system works