{"694036":{"#nid":"694036","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Campus Becomes a Living Laboratory for Wildlife","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EWhat\u2019s a lizard\u2019s favorite tree? Where do monarch butterflies stop as they migrate through Atlanta? And how can urban areas make room for wildlife?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ESoon, Georgia Tech students will be investigating these questions and more. A new initiative from the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;is transforming Georgia Tech\u2019s campus into a living laboratory for urban biodiversity research, with students at its center.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EUsing tiny Bluetooth-enabled trackers, students will tag and track butterflies, lizards, and birds. They\u2019ll use the same groundbreaking new technology being employed by conservation biologists worldwide, including\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/benjamin%20freeman\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBenjamin Freeman\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003Eand\u003Cstrong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/james-stroud\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EJames Stroud\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, who are bringing their experience with large-scale wildlife tracking to the new campus initiative. Both Stroud and Freeman are Elizabeth Smithgall Watts Early Career Assistant Professors in the School of Biological Sciences and co-leads of the new project.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cRecording animal behavior in the wild is one of the final frontiers in ecology and evolution research,\u201d says Stroud. \u201cThis new tracking technology will allow students to design and conduct research projects and learn data collection, spatial analysis, statistical modeling, and scientific communication \u2014 all while investigating real conservation questions about urban wildlife corridors, migration patterns, and habitat use.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe program aims to involve more than 800 students each year across multiple programs and degree paths. \u201cThe big idea is to connect Georgia Tech undergraduates with cutting-edge science on campus, and to get them involved with all facets of this research,\u201d Freeman says. Beyond ecology and biology, students will learn to engineer sensor technology, build data visualization tools using computer science, and analyze urban planning decisions through a public policy lens.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cOver the next year, undergraduates will begin deploying these tracking systems and conducting preliminary data analysis, but what\u2019s really exciting is how this project can build on itself,\u201d Freeman adds. \u201cIn five years, the Georgia Tech community will have built a dynamic campus biodiversity map \u2014 one that anyone can access to see hundreds of tagged birds, lizards, and butterflies moving across campus.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETracking Wildlife at New Scales\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThere\u2019s no shortage of animals on Georgia Tech\u2019s campus \u2014 the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thestroudlab.com\/\u0022\u003EStroud Lab\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;recently surveyed a population of green anole lizards in the Kendeda Building EcoCommons area, counting about 50 individuals. That presents a unique opportunity to tag and track each individual, he says, allowing students to study behavioral and ecological questions at the population level.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EFreeman will help students tag northern mockingbirds, northern cardinals, eastern bluebirds, and eastern towhees, in addition to migratory birds that pass through campus in the spring and fall. \u201cWe\u2019ll also tag monarch butterflies and gulf fritillary butterflies as they migrate through the EcoCommons in fall,\u201d he says.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EBoth Freeman and Stroud have deep experience with the technology. For more than a decade, Stroud has pioneered\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thestroudlab.com\/research\/lizard-island\/\u0022\u003Eone of the longest-running evolutionary studies of its kind\u003C\/a\u003E: catching, documenting, and releasing each of the roughly 1,000 lizards living on \u201cLizard Island.\u201d In 2025, he was awarded a Packard Fellowship to equip each lizard on the island with tiny sensor backpacks to document their behaviors and movements in real time.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EIn Ecuador, Freeman is building\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sciences.gatech.edu\/news\/research-takes-flight-benjamin-freeman-named-2024-packard-fellow\u0022\u003Ea similar project with support from a Packard Fellowship\u003C\/a\u003E \u2014 a living laboratory spanning thousands of meters along the flanks of \u201cTech Mountain,\u201d from lowland rainforest to cloud forest. Leveraging the same technology Georgia Tech students will use on campus, he is tagging and monitoring the daily movements of tropical birds and mapping their movements against microclimate sensors placed on the mountain\u2019s slopes. It\u2019s the first project of its kind.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cOne of the most exciting things is how accessible this new technology is,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen it\u2019s deployed on Georgia Tech\u2019s campus, students will get to play a role in every single stage of the research.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EConnecting Campus and Community\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EAt Georgia Tech, that research will build on the living laboratory already centered in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/facilities.gatech.edu\/ecocommons\u0022\u003EKendeda Building EcoCommons\u003C\/a\u003E, where environmental conditions like wind, temperature, humidity, and soil quality are monitored by a variety of sensors. Students are already monitoring environmental data through the popular Living Building Science Vertically Integrated Program (VIP) course.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EConsidering climate information alongside animal movement patterns will offer a unique window into how animals respond to changing conditions, Stroud explains. \u201cHow do these environmental factors affect animals, and how can we use that information to support wildlife as our campus continues to develop?\u201d he asks. \u201cWith this new data, students can lead projects to answer these questions and more.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EFreeman and Stroud also hope that the Kendeda Building\u2019s accessible location will make the research a visible part of campus life, giving community members and visitors the opportunity to encounter the project firsthand.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cThis work can have a meaningful impact far beyond the classroom,\u201d Freeman says. \u201cBy understanding how wildlife uses the spaces around us, we can better support it in a changing world, all while training and empowering the next generation of scientists and leaders.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003EStudents will use cutting-edge tracking technology to follow birds, butterflies, and lizards while exploring how animals navigate urban environments.\u003C\/div\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Students will use cutting-edge tracking technology to follow birds, butterflies, and lizards while exploring how animals navigate urban environments."}],"uid":"35599","created_gmt":"2026-11-12 14:42:30","changed_gmt":"2026-11-12 20:10:01","author":"sperrin6","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-11-12T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2026-11-12T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"681783":{"id":"681783","type":"image","title":"Benjamin Freeman (right) collecting data on native birds with a student on Rabun Bald in North Georgia. (Photo Credit: Jess Hunt-Ralston)","body":"\u003Cp\u003EBenjamin Freeman (right) collecting data on native birds with a student on Rabun Bald in North Georgia. (Photo Credit: Jess Hunt-Ralston)\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1794500451","gmt_created":"2026-11-12 16:20:51","changed":"1794512783","gmt_changed":"2026-11-12 19:46:23","alt":"A smiling Georgia Tech student looks at data while Benjamin Freeman looks on. They are surrounded by ferns and trees.","file":{"fid":"266237","name":"DSC00656.JPG","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/11\/12\/DSC00656.JPG","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/11\/12\/DSC00656.JPG","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":14492264,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/11\/12\/DSC00656.JPG?itok=da0l5OtJ"}},"681784":{"id":"681784","type":"image","title":"A lizard wearing a tracking sensor which weighs just three-hundredths of a gram \u2014 the same as a two grains of rice. (Photo Credit: Jon Suh)","body":"\u003Cp\u003EA lizard wearing a tracking sensor which weighs just three-hundredths of a gram \u2014 the same as a two grains of rice. (Photo Credit: Jon Suh)\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1794500624","gmt_created":"2026-11-12 16:23:44","changed":"1794512796","gmt_changed":"2026-11-12 19:46:36","alt":"A lizard wearing a small, black, sensor \u0022backpack\u0022 rests on a branch. ","file":{"fid":"266238","name":"Liard.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/11\/12\/Liard.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/11\/12\/Liard.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2677038,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/11\/12\/Liard.jpg?itok=vE0INLtt"}},"681779":{"id":"681779","type":"image","title":"A volunteer collects data on native birds during a fieldwork trip led by Benjamin Freeman. 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(Photo Credit: Jess Hunt-Ralston)","body":"\u003Cp\u003EA Georgia Tech student collecting data on native birds during a fieldwork trip led by Benjamin Freeman. (Photo Credit: Jess Hunt-Ralston)\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1794499528","gmt_created":"2026-11-12 16:05:28","changed":"1794512826","gmt_changed":"2026-11-12 19:47:06","alt":"A Georgia Tech student documents birds in a small yellow notebook, surrounded by trees.","file":{"fid":"266232","name":"DSC00713.JPG","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/11\/12\/DSC00713.JPG","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/11\/12\/DSC00713.JPG","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":11922519,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/11\/12\/DSC00713.JPG?itok=xNwdL7ef"}},"681776":{"id":"681776","type":"image","title":"A green anole wearing an ultra-lightweight sensor backpack. (Photo Credit: Jon Suh)","body":"\u003Cp\u003EA green anole wearing an ultra-lightweight sensor backpack. (Photo Credit: Jon Suh)\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1794499443","gmt_created":"2026-11-12 16:04:03","changed":"1794512840","gmt_changed":"2026-11-12 19:47:20","alt":"A green anole wearing an ultra-lightweight sensor backpack.","file":{"fid":"266229","name":"AB4A2056.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/11\/12\/AB4A2056.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/11\/12\/AB4A2056.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":7397649,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/11\/12\/AB4A2056.jpg?itok=0Z3AOnyZ"}},"681780":{"id":"681780","type":"image","title":"Wildlife abounds on Georgia Tech\u0027s campus, including this red-breasted grosbeak. (Photo Credit: Pranav Gokhale)","body":"\u003Cp\u003EWildlife abounds on Georgia Tech\u0027s campus, including this red-breasted grosbeak. (Photo Credit: Pranav Gokhale)\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1794499528","gmt_created":"2026-11-12 16:05:28","changed":"1794500774","gmt_changed":"2026-11-12 16:26:14","alt":"A bird with speckled brown wings eats berries from a tree branch.","file":{"fid":"266234","name":"Screenshot-2026-11-11-at-8.48.38-PM.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/11\/12\/Screenshot-2026-11-11-at-8.48.38-PM.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/11\/12\/Screenshot-2026-11-11-at-8.48.38-PM.png","mime":"image\/png","size":3343549,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/11\/12\/Screenshot-2026-11-11-at-8.48.38-PM.png?itok=BXuOQCZ9"}},"681781":{"id":"681781","type":"image","title":"A barred owl on Georgia Tech\u2019s campus. (Photo Credit: Pranav Gokhale)","body":"\u003Cp\u003EA barred owl on Georgia Tech\u2019s campus. (Photo Credit: Pranav Gokhale)\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1794499528","gmt_created":"2026-11-12 16:05:28","changed":"1794499528","gmt_changed":"2026-11-12 16:05:28","alt":"A barred owl with brown and white speckled wings stares at the camera from its perch in a tree branch.","file":{"fid":"266235","name":"Screenshot-2026-11-11-at-8.48.52-PM.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/11\/12\/Screenshot-2026-11-11-at-8.48.52-PM.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/11\/12\/Screenshot-2026-11-11-at-8.48.52-PM.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1769237,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/11\/12\/Screenshot-2026-11-11-at-8.48.52-PM.png?itok=HbOfhspA"}},"681782":{"id":"681782","type":"image","title":"A northern flicker on Georgia Tech\u2019s campus (Photo Credit: Pranav Gokhale)","body":"\u003Cp\u003EA northern flicker on Georgia Tech\u2019s campus (Photo Credit: Pranav Gokhale)\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1794499528","gmt_created":"2026-11-12 16:05:28","changed":"1794500829","gmt_changed":"2026-11-12 16:27:09","alt":"A bird with black spots and a blush-pink head looks upward from its stance in the snow.","file":{"fid":"266236","name":"Screenshot-2026-11-11-at-8.51.14-PM.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/11\/12\/Screenshot-2026-11-11-at-8.51.14-PM.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/11\/12\/Screenshot-2026-11-11-at-8.51.14-PM.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1241293,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/11\/12\/Screenshot-2026-11-11-at-8.51.14-PM.png?itok=qUcjrhwS"}},"681792":{"id":"681792","type":"image","title":"Gulf fritillary butterflies pass through Atlanta on their fall migration, and are one of the species students will track. (Photo Credit: Jess Hunt-Ralston)","body":"\u003Cp\u003EGulf fritillary butterflies pass through Atlanta on their fall migration, and are one of the species students will track. (Photo Credit: Jess Hunt-Ralston)\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1794512341","gmt_created":"2026-11-12 19:39:01","changed":"1794512341","gmt_changed":"2026-11-12 19:39:01","alt":"A gulf fritillary butterfly on tall grass.","file":{"fid":"266246","name":"IMG_3439.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/11\/12\/IMG_3439.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/11\/12\/IMG_3439.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3733225,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/11\/12\/IMG_3439.jpg?itok=k1swF-rO"}},"681793":{"id":"681793","type":"image","title":"Students will tag monarch butterflies when they migrate through the EcoCommons. (Photo Credit: Jess Hunt-Ralston)","body":"\u003Cp\u003EStudents will tag monarch butterflies when they migrate through the EcoCommons. (Photo Credit: Jess Hunt-Ralston)\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1794512341","gmt_created":"2026-11-12 19:39:01","changed":"1794512341","gmt_changed":"2026-11-12 19:39:01","alt":"A monarch butterfly sits on a red flower.","file":{"fid":"266247","name":"IMG_8329.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/11\/12\/IMG_8329.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/11\/12\/IMG_8329.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2830405,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/11\/12\/IMG_8329.jpg?itok=Ccgx8KZY"}}},"media_ids":["681783","681784","681779","681778","681776","681780","681781","681782","681792","681793"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"}],"categories":[{"id":"142","name":"City Planning, Transportation, and Urban Growth"},{"id":"42901","name":"Community"},{"id":"153","name":"Computer Science\/Information Technology and Security"},{"id":"42911","name":"Education"},{"id":"154","name":"Environment"},{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"150","name":"Physics and Physical Sciences"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"},{"id":"8862","name":"Student Research"},{"id":"194836","name":"Sustainability"}],"keywords":[{"id":"192249","name":"cos-community"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"192254","name":"cos-climate"},{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"39531","name":"Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure"},{"id":"193653","name":"Georgia Tech Research Institute"},{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"},{"id":"194566","name":"Sustainable Systems"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022Mailto:sperrin6@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESelena Langner\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EWriter \/ Editor\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003EGeorgia Tech College of Sciences\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}