the academy journal
The Bryn Athyn College Deer Study (led by
BAC science faculty) tracks white-tailed deer fitted with high tech GPS/GSM radio collars in the
suburban land preserve of the Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust (PERT). The Deer Study
helps the College and PERT understand the management of suburban deer as well as damage to
vegetation and danger to motorists resulting from
overpopulation. The deer study group presented
its most recent results as a poster at the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Ecological Society of America
meeting at Virginia Tech University in April 2012.
The same presentation titled “Suburban habitat
use by white-tailed deer along disturbance gradients” has been submitted for publication (American Midland Naturalist) and has been accepted
for presentation at the upcoming Wildlife Society
annual meeting in Portland, Oregon in October
2012. Three additional articles are now available
or in press:
annual World Nativities exhibition. The webpage
also serves as a general introduction to Nativities.
It can be accessed through Glencairn Museum’s
website: www.glencairnmuseum.org/nativity-tour.
Eugene Potapov studied the Steller’s Sea Eagle,
an endangered raptor. Dr. Potapov’s grant facilitated monitoring of the Steller’s Sea Eagle population of the Magadan District, Russia and adjoining
territories. Dr. Potapov presented the results of his
summer research at a public meeting of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club at the Academy
of the Natural Sciences of Philadelphia in September 2011. He also prepared a draft paper for publication: Potapov, E., I. Utekhina, M. McGrady, and
D. Rimlinger. 2011 (draft). Impact of global warming on the Steller’s Sea Eagles (Haliaetus pelagicus)
in the northern part of the Sea of Okhotsk.
Martha Gyllenhaal researched Rembrandt’s
studio practices and working methods, especially
the artist’s manipulation of the border between
reality and illusion: his effort to “incarnate” his
sculptural sources by wrapping them in textiles
and giving them the appearance of flesh. Dr. Gyllenhaal presented her research at the Renaissance
Society of America conference in Washington in
March 2012. She also prepared a manuscript for
publication titled Rembrandt’s use of statues and
casts: New insights into his studio practices and
working methods.
Sean Lawing researched the nature of infant
abandonment practices in Norse culture and the
effect Christianity had on them. Mr. Lawing proposed an initial convergence of Christian and
prevailing attitudes that saw deformed children
as evil beings. This attitude gradually softened
until infant abandonment was entirely criminalized. Research was carried out in Iceland using the
facilities at the University of Iceland. This project
yielded two conference papers: “The Place of the
Evil One: Infant Abandonment in Old Norse Society,” presented to the Society of Advancement
of Scandinavian Studies conference in Salt Lake
City, Utah in May 2012; and “Revenant Child: Demon Possession in Old Norse Borgarþing Law,”
to be presented at the International Congress on
Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo, Michigan in May
2013. An article, “The Place of the Evil One: Infant
Abandonment in Old Norse Society,” is currently
under review for Scandin f