03/26/2009
SUNY Cortland President Erik J. Bitterbaum, a noted expert on birds, will discuss the migration of birds at a community roundtable on Thursday, April 2, at SUNY Cortland.
Titled "The Long Journey: Understanding Bird Migration," the roundtable takes place between 8-9 a.m. in the College's Park Center Hall of Fame Room. Sponsored by the President's Office and the College's Center for Educational Exchange, the event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served at 7:45 a.m. The Park Center is located off Tompkins Street and parking is available in the Park Center lot.
Bitterbaum, who has traveled extensively throughout South, Central and North America to study avians, will be the sole roundtable panelist. He will engage the audience in a discussion and slide show about the unparalleled movement of birds.
"Human beings have always been fascinated with the movement of birds," said Bitterbaum, who became the College's 10th president in 2003. "Every spring and fall, we witness large numbers of birds arriving and leaving North America. I will explain where birds go, whether they travel during the day or night and how they know where to go."
Bitterbaum is a trained professor of biology and ornithology. He studied bird sounds for his master's degree at Occidental College in Los Angeles, Calif., where he also earned a bachelor's degree. He obtained a doctorate from the University of Florida, where he received a research assistantship to study the behavior of three different species of martins in the U.S., the Caribbean and Mexico. He taught biology on the faculties of the University of Florida and at Nebraska Wesleyan University before pursuing a career in higher educational administration
For more information on the Community Roundtable series, contact the Center for Educational Exchange at (607) 753-4214 or visit the Web site at www.cortland.edu/cee.