Steven Emslie

Dr. Steve Emslie joined the Department of Biology and Marine Biology at UNCW in August 1998 and maintains an active research program on fossil and living birds, especially seabirds. He has an interdisciplinary background in archaeology, paleontology, and ornithology and co-founded the Society of Ethnobiology and Journal of Ethnobiology with Dr. Steve Weber in the 1980s that remains active today. He began studying living and fossil penguins in Antarctica in 1991 and continues this research with undergraduate and graduate students with funding from the National Science Foundation. His work on fossil birds includes the description of 20 extinct species and five genera from Florida, California, Arizona, and Nevada and he and his collaborators are currently investigating the paleoecology of late Pleistocene plant and animal communities from cave deposits in Nevada with funding from the U.S. Forest Service. He has extensive museum experience and is the Curator of the UNCW Ornithology Collections and a Research Associate at the U.S. National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Division of Birds. Dr. Emslie has published over 170 papers and one monograph in peer-reviewed journals.

Education

Ph.D. in Zoology, University of Florida, Gainesville
M.S. in Biology, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff
M.A. in Anthropology, University of Colorado, Boulder
B.A. in Anthropology, University of Colorado, Boulder

Specialization in Teaching

BIO 366 Ecology
BIO 367 Antarctic Ecology, Geology, History and Policy
BIO 456 Ornithology
BIO 480/580 Field and Museum Methods in Ornithology
BIO 602 Recent Research in Antarctic Ecology

Research Interests

The primary focus of Dr. Emslie's research is the ecology and paleoecology of birds, especially seabirds in North Carolina and Antarctica, but also the fossil record of birds and mammals in North America. He and his students employ a variety of research tools in these projects including stable isotope analysis of fossil and modern tissues, analysis of contaminants in feathers and blood, radiocarbon dating, and systematic analysis of fossil material. Most of Dr. Emslie's current research focuses on two major projects: the paleoecology of Antarctic penguins, especially the Adelie Penguin, and the late Pleistocene fossil record of birds in western North America. These projects are funded by grants from NSF and USFS and include numerous collaborators at other U.S. and international universities.

Professional Service

Chair, Committee for Grants-in-Aid of Field Research, Society of Ethnobiology
Reviewer for National Science Foundation grants
Reviewer for numerous peer-reviewed journals

Community Engagement

Dr. Emslie and his students have developed K-12 curricula on Polar Studies, with a focus on Antarctica, and lesson plans are available on my website at https://itsweb02.uncw.edu/penguins/
He gives presentations on his research to local clubs and organizations every year including Rotary Clubs, Audubon Societies, and retirement communities
He also lectures about his research to passengers on tour ships to Antarctica and engages them in citizen science with sample collecting in the field
Dr. Emslie gives frequent interviews for the media and developed my own podcast, All About Antarctica, that is available ad-free on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. This 19-part podcast summaries highlights from lectures in his course, Antarctic Ecology, Geology, History and Policy (BIO 367) that he designed and began teaching at UNCW in 2015

Honors & Awards

Research Associate, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Division of Birds
Distinguished Ethnobiologist, Society of Ethnobiology
Fulbright Scholar
UNCW Graduate Mentor Award
UNCW Faculty Scholarship Award
UNCW Chancellor’s Outstanding Faculty
UNCW Honors Program Favorite Faculty
Oliver Austin Award, Florida Museum of Natural History