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Meet Our Staff |
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Dr. Wood is the Director of Environmental Studies on the Piedmont, where he is currently investigating the behavioral and physiological divergent evolution of Dr. Wood is actively involved in several federally funded science education reform efforts including the NSF sponsored projects SENCER (Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities) and PKAL (Project Kaleidoscope Faculty for the 21st Century). His course “Mysteries of Migration, Consequences for Conservation” is a national model course for science and civic engagement. Dr. Wood has received funding from the Dept. of Education Fund for the Improvement of Post Secondary Education (FIPSE) to reform curriculum in Conservation Biology. He regularly consults with faculty teams from universities around the country, and internationally, to improve science education on their campuses. Dr. Wood has co-developed many interdisciplinary, team-taught, learning communities focused on science and civic engagement. He serves as the Dive Control Officer of the George Mason chapter of the American Academy of Underwater Scientists and directs the scientific diving training program at GMU. He is recipient of the George Mason University Excellence in Teaching Award and frequently represents the University at national education meetings. He holds a B.S. from the University of California, Davis, a M.S. from Louisiana State University and a Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Public Policy from George Mason University. Dr. Wood enjoys outdoor activities including SCUBA diving and fish identification, backpacking in the Sierras, bird watching and canoeing.
A retired US Navy Commander and intelligence subspecialist, who chose to pursue a life-long naturalist avocation full time after retiring, While in the Navy in off-duty hours, she updated a twenty year old survey of bird species on the British Indian Ocean Territories' atoll, Diego Garcia, of the Chagos Archipelago, documenting two previously unobserved species, and compiled observations on egg site selection and reproductive success of the Fairy Tern, Gygis alba. As both the Assistant Director and Staff Naturalist, Caryl serves the organization in multiple capacities. Among her responsibilities are building our Education and Volunteer Programs, IT capabilities, biological inventories, and databases. She runs our bird banding station for the summer Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) program and for fall migratory bird banding. She also conducts spring amphibian and summer odonate surveys, and has started systematic photo documentation of the field station's flora and fauna. In her spare time, Caryl pursues aviculture, equine, animal behavior, and gardening interests, ensemble playing (flute, bass and alto recorders), and hiking to explore upland forest and stream habitats. Swan Research Program John Whissel is responsible for the Swan Research Program at Airlie and has extensive experience in capture and marking of swans and other Whissel has extensive aquatic experience with expertise in wetlands, streams, amphibians, benthic macro invertebrates, and bio-monitoring, and regularly publishes in the above fields. He is generally interested in aquatic ecology, and is primarily interested in waterfowl. Whissel has an avid interest in education, having coauthored the first extensive survey of undergraduate Environmental Studies curricula. He is also a former elementary school teacher having taught all academic subjects, as well as high school Biology. Whissel led the SRP field crew capturing and banding swans on the Alaskan North Slope and in the Koyukuk National Wildlife Refuge in July and August 2006. Whissel is a member of the American Ornithologists’ Union. In his spare time John plays kickball, rides his motorcycle, enjoys rock climbing, kayaking and mountain biking, and plays bass guitar and trombone with his band. Selected Publications Michael Maniates and John Whissel. “Environmental Studies: The Sky is not Falling.” BioScience. June 2000: 509-517. Wissinger, S.A., J.C. Whissel, and C. Eldermire. 2006. Predator defense along a permanence gradient: roles of case structure, behavior, and phenology in caddisflies. Oecologia 148:667-678. Wissinger, S.A., C. Eldermire and J.C. Whissel. 2004. The role of larval cases in reducing aggression and cannibalism among caddisflies in temporary wetlands. Wetlands 24(4): 777-783. Jung, R.E., J.A. Royle, J.R. Sauer, C. Addison, R.D. Rau, J.L. Shirk, and J.C. Whissel. 2005. Estimation of stream salamander (Plethodontidae, Desmognathinae, and Plethodontinae) populations in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, USA. Alytes 22(3-4):72-84. Apiarist and Native Bee Pollinator Research German Perilla originally hails from Bogota, Columbia. He earned his B.S. in Biology from University of Maryland and became a naturalized U.S After obtaining his B.S., German returned to Columbia and worked on pollination projects for several years. Among them he worked for the large, well-known Columbian fruit and flower growers and exporters, Delagro and Flores de los Andes, where he and his colleagues pioneered the method of using africanized bees to pollinate the crops grown in the extensive greenhouse system. (Note, each greenhouse covers approximately one hectare of an intensively farmed monoculture.) German and his beekeeping colleagues founded ASOAPICUN, an association of beekeepers open to everyone, to establish a high standard of quality in beekeeping and bee products, and to provide educational programs in apiculture. ASOAPICUN worked with Federacion Nacional de Cafeteros (National Federation of Coffee Growers), staging beekeeping workshops to train beekeepers in keeping the newly africanized European honeybee. These workshops covered all facets of beekeeping, from setting up hive colonies and harvesting products, to africanized bee behavior, working safely with the africanized bee, and explaining genetic selection techniques to produce manageable and highly productive bee lines. German's work with ASOAPICUN also initiated collaboration with CORPOICA (la Corporación Colombiana de Investigación Agropecuariaan, the important Columbian government agricultural research body), on the most efficient methods to collect pollen, including construction of pollen traps. He also led studies of proper pollen drying and packaging which led to the establishment of government industry standards. In the forefront of discovering the first infestations of the Varroa Mite in Columbia, German with his colleagues, pioneered the management of the Varroa Mite parasite in Columbia. Before leaving Columbia, German was hired by the Columbian Presidency to work as a consultant and training facilitator to the United Nations' la Oficina para los Desplazados de la Violencia (Office for Displaced Persons of Violence) to develop programs for self sufficiency for the country's large population of refugees. German was in charge of teaching apiculture and business skills to these refugees and reported directly to the Columbian President's staff. At the invitation of the Israeli government, German became a member of a select multi-national group of university-educated apiarists representing all continents (except Antarctica). He travelled the country and explored all aspects of the beekeeping industry from the classroom to practical field work. The purpose was to facilitate exchange of beekeeping experience from apiarists around the world, and to promote apiculture in Third World countries as a profitable enterprise. Returning to the United States in 1998 with his wife and two sons, German eventually came to work for Dr. Wood in the Master of Arts of Independent Studies (MAIS) in the Zoo and Aquarium Leadership (ZAL) Master's Program at George Mason University. He came to Environmental Studies at Airlie in 2000 to start an apiculture program for research and education. In 2004 German added the additional facet of researching competition of the European honeybee with native bee pollinators on ESA's field station. German enjoys spending time with his family and anything bee-related. Field Station Manager Originally from south Texas, H.T. grew up on the Gulf Coast fishing and shrimping with his dad. He was initially brought H.T. mows, cuts, clears, burns, weeds, removes invasives, maintains the tractor and other equipment, assists the SRP field crew with swan and goose trapping and banding, helps instruct students on K-12 field trips, assists with wildlife documentation and keeps other staff members advised on the effect of weather conditions on the various station habitats throughout the year. H.T. enjoys the outdoors, sports, teaching children of all ages about nature, and getting to know people in general. Waterfowl Research Technician Born and raised in Fauquier County, Virginia, Sean has a deeply rooted passion for conservation of the Piedmont’s natural resources. After volunteering and interning for Environmental Studies through college, Sean was hired shortly after graduation in May of 2006 as a waterfowl research technician. Sean earned a B.A. in Integrative Studies with a concentration in Conservation Studies from George Mason University. Sean will pursue his master’s degree at GMU beginning in the Fall of 2007. Sean’s responsibilities include feeding, trapping, banding, and providing general swan care. Sean also helps with a variety of fieldwork, waterfowl surveys, and promotes current research by performing general technical duties. In his spare time Sean enjoys hunting, fly-fishing, kayaking, playing soccer, wildlife watching, and hiking in wilderness. Waterfowl Research Technician Pamela has lived throughout the country. She was born in CA, raised in NJ and New England, and attended college in CA and upstate NY. Pamela Previously Pamela worked for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service as a student biologist. First she coordinated and managed the Water Bank Program. Later, switching field offices she conducted research on algal blooms in Clear Lake, CA. During her time with the USDA Pamela inspected wetlands for waterfowl habitat and advised landowners in proper land use to ensure continued waterfowl habitat viability. Additionally she published chemical and biological assessments of potential causes of algal bloom with recommendations for restoration, and collated threatened and endangered species lists specific to each county in CA. Later she worked as a Veterinary Assistant for Animal Ophthalmology Services in CA; worked as Assistant Manager for Giauque Enterprises in CA where she designed and constructed landscapes for new homes; and worked with Environmental Systems Service in Culpeper, where she operated and maintained various wastewater treatment plants in compliance with DEQ permit requirements. In her spare time, Pamela enjoys gardening, hiking, running and other outdoor activities, and her cat. Director Emeritus
Dr. Sladen's long-term Antarctic ornithological research, involving the banding of some 50,000 penguins and 60,000 albatrosses was the first of its kind. Moreover, he has over 50 years experience with waterfowl research in North America (including Alaska), Lapland, Iceland and Wrangel Island, Siberia. This research pioneered techniques in capture, circumpolar neck banding, radio-telemetry, and recently with his team at Airlie, teaching geese and swan migration routes with ultralight aircraft. In addition to publishing over 120 scientific papers he has also made TV films to illustrate his research which have been shown on all major USA networks, NOVA and BBC. He was also a consultant for the hollywood movie Fly Away Home. Sladen's awards include Member of the British Empire, the Polar Medal (UK) and the 1991 Explorers Medal (Explorer's Club, NY) for research in the polar regions. A USA citizen since 1962, he was educated in the UK with an M.D. (London) and D.Phil. in Zoology (Oxford).
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North America’s native swans (Trumpeter and Tundra Swans). He is also Associate Professor of Integrative and Interdisciplinary Studies in the New Century College at George Mason University (GMU). Here he co-directs the Conservation Studies curriculum with Andrew Wingfield. He also a Research Associate with the Smithsonian Institution and is GMU’s liaison to the Smithsonian promoting coordinated educational development, where his research interests involve assisted reproduction in mammals and Conservation Studies education reform. He serves as advisor to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Board of Regents, where he directs GMU’s joint Master’s program in Zoo and Aquarium Leadership. . 
Caryl Buck brings a range of experience in analysis, education programs and biological inventories, as well as natural history knowledge, and organizational management and leadership to Environmental Studies at Airlie. 
waterfowl. He holds a BSc (cum laude) in Biology and Environmental Science from Allegheny College, and a Marine Sciences certificate from Duke University. 
. citiizen in 1987. 
into the program in 1998 by Dr. and Mrs. Sladen to help maintain the gardens around the residence, but his role continually expanded. Now he is the caretaker of the field station and our indispensable jack of all trades, lending a hand wherever needed. 
For nearly ten years Sean worked on a local farm in Fauquier County, where he developed skills and appreciation for conservation-oriented land management practices. Sean is a lifelong hunter, angler, and outdoorsman, who has general interests in game species management, White-tail Deer ecology, and waterfowl identification.
has an AAS in Ecology and Environmental Technology from Paul Smith’s College, and studied wildlife biology at UC Davis. Throughout her life she has worked and pursued her love of wildlife and nature. 
The distinguished Dr. William J. L. Sladen, Professor Emeritus, Johns Hopkins University, founded Environmental Studies and served as its Director from 1989-2006. Although retired, Dr. Sladen continues to advise the Swan Research Program.