Teaching

Instructor on Record:
Introduction to Behavior (BIONB2210) - Cornell University, Summer 2019. Designed and implemented course.
Sustainable Land Use in Developing Countries (912342) - University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Summer 2020

R Resources:
- Comprehensive R Archive Network: http://cran.r-project.org/
- R Cookbook: http://www.cookbook-r.com/
- ggplot2 help: http://docs.ggplot2.org/0.9.3.1/index.html
- forum for FAQ, specific questions, coding help: http://stackoverflow.com/
- helpful blog on all things R: http://www.r-bloggers.com/

Check out a story map about some of our outreach work here: https://arcg.is/1be9f5

One of the most rewarding facets of my work is the opportunity to reach out to audiences beyond the classroom.

Channel Islands Future Scientists Camp
​In addition to a number of presentations to lay audiences, from elementary school to birding clubs, I am lucky to collaborate with UC Santa Barbara's Office of Education Partnerships to give students that would otherwise not be exposed to field ecology and STEM experiences an opportunity to participate in hands-on experiences in fascinating places such as Santa Rosa Island in the Channel Islands National Park. Students from community colleges, as well as young undergrads from UCSB and CSU Channel Islands, are joining a group of researchers and faculty members for week-long trips to the Channel Islands National Park. In addition to learning about the scientific method and the island's ecology, the students will collect real-world data as citizen scientists. Read more here: ​http://www.news.ucsb.edu/2016/016733/mentorship-and-motivation

UCSB Smithsonian Scholars Mentoring

Starting in the fall of 2015, I have had the pleasure of mentoring UC Santa Barbara's initial group of Smithsonian Scholars. The students attended a number of workshops at the Sedgwick Reserve in Los Olivos, CA, where they learned about the ecological dynamics in oak ecosystems, from pollination to seed dispersal. During the 2016 spring field season, they joined me for weekly phenology surveys of our study population of valley oaks (Quercus lobata), learned how to enter and analyze data, as well as write a summary paper about scientific literature.

Presentations
During my time on Santa Cruz Island and at the Hastings Natural History Reserve, I have had the opportunity to reach out to many school groups that visited. Furthermore, I have organized several field trips with friends that are teachers at local schools.

• Sunday with a Scientist at the Nebraska State Museum (organized by Sabrina Russo & Stacey Smith, link)

• Jepson Herbarium, California Ecology class: June 2014
• Santa Barbara City College, Habitat Restoration Class: October 2014 - February 2016
• Carmel Valley Community Meeting, Acorn Woodpecker Protection: January 2015
• Walter Colton Middle School, Monterey, Guest Lecture on Becoming a Scientist: January, 2015
• Audobon Society, Monterey Chapter, Seed Dispersal by Scatter-hoarding Corvids: February 2015
• Sedgwick UC Reserve Lecture Series, Santa Ynez: March 2015
• University of Chicago, Field Ecology: March 2015
• Adventure Risk Challenge, Youth Group: March 2015
• UCSB Office of Education Partnerships, Sedgwick, Santa Ynez: September 2015
• California Academy of Sciences Youth Group: March 2015
• York Middle School (Toro Park, CA): April 2015
• CSU Monterey Bay Ecology Class: December 2015, May 2016
• UC Berkeley Cal Day: April 2016
• Alvarez High School, Salinas, AP Biology guest lecture. May 2016
• UC Berkeley California Ecology Class, May 2016

If you are interested in an outreach event about i) oaks, ii) ornithology, iii) behavioral biology, iv) how to become a scientist etc, please contact me (mario.pesendorfer@yahoo.com). I consider it my privilege to talk to as many open ears as possible.