Curriculum Vitae

Shermin R. de Silva
Contact Information
Department of Biology
Leidy Laboratories
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6018
Phone: 215.898.0332
E-mail: sdesilva(at)sas.upenn.edu
Homepage: www.sas.upenn.edu/~sdesilva
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
2004-Present Doctoral candidate, University of Pennsylvania Graduate Group of Ecology & Evolution, U.S.A.
Advisors: Cheney, Dorothy L. and Seyfarth, Robert M.
1998-2002 B.A. Biology & Philosophy, University of California at Berkeley, U.S.A.
2000-2001 University of Leeds, England.
2006 Introduction to GIS and Remote Sensing for Wildlife Managers - Smithsonian Institute Conservation and Research Center
LANGUAGES AND NATIONALITY
English: Native
Sinhalese: Native, spoken and written
Sri Lankan Malay: Native, spoken only
French: Spoken and written

Citizenship: Sri Lankan-American
HONORS & AWARDS
2006-2008 NSF-IGERT Language & Communication Science Graduate Fellow
2007 Wilidlife Without Borders- Asian Elephant Conservation Program, US Fish & Wildlife.
2007 Animal Behavior Society Student Research Award
2005 Binns/Williams Grant for Research in Ecology and Evolution, University of Pennsylvania
1998-2000 Alumni Leadership Scholarship, University of California at Berkeley
1998 National Society of Collegiate Scholars honoree
RESEARCH
2005-Present Field researcher. Social organization & acoustic communication of free-ranging Asian elephants at Uda Walawe National Park, Sri Lanka. Local collaborator: Dr. Devaka Weerakoon, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
2002-2004 Research assistant. Context of groan vocalizations by spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta), Berkeley hyena colony. Advisors: Dr. Steve Glickman, Depts. of Psychology/Integrative Biology and Dr. Frederic Theunissen, Dept. of Psychology, UC Berkeley.
2000 Research assistant. Secularism and Islam in Europe, national constitutions within & outside Europe. Advisor: Dr. Renate Holub, Dept. of Interdisciplinary Studies, UC Berkeley.
1995-1999 Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program, Spatial memory and caching behavior of free-ranging fox squirrels. Advisor: Dr. Lucia Jacobs, Department of Biology, UC Berkeley.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2004-current Teaching assistant, University of Pennsylvania,Department of Biology
BIOL 219, Introduction to Brain and Behavior (1 semester)
BIOL 231, Animal Behavior (1 semester)
BIOL 121, Molecular Biology of Life, laboratory (1 semesters)
2002 Democratic Education at Cal (DeCal), UC Berkeley
"Prelude to a Non-Profit" - Dept. of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management (1 semester)
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
2005-Current Animal Behavior Society (Student member)
Ecological Society of America (Student member)
2004 Association of Women in Science (Student member)
POSTERS AND PUBLICATIONS

Glaeser, S.S., de Silva, S.R., Cook, M.L.H., "Acoustic communication in Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus)." 2007.
Published abstract, poster, Proceedings of the 2007 International Elephant Foundation Annual Symposium.

Glaeser, S.S., de Silva, S.R., Cook, M.L.H., "Acoustic communication in Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus)." 2007.
Poster, Elephant Managers Association Annual Conference.

PRESENTATIONS

“Social organization and vocal communication in Elephas maximus, the Asian elephant."
Oral presentation, Penn – Princeton – Rutgers Conference, University of Pennsylvania 2006.

OTHER EXPERIENCE
2003-2004 Youth Coordinator - EarthTeam, bay-area based nonprofit promoting environmental activity with high school students.
20030-2002 Co-founder and president - The Environmental Coalition, UC Berkeley.
2001-2002 Society for Conservation Biology, Berkeley student chapter.
2001-2002 Organizer - of Earth Weekend Climate Change Conference, UC Berkeley.
2000-2001 People and Planet student network, United Kingdom.
1999-2000 Students Organized for Using Resources Conscientiously and Efficiently (S.O.U.R.C.E.)