A Celebration of Stories and Science from The Spark Bird Project

Join RTPI and BWD Magazine (Bird Watcher’s Digest) to learn more about The Spark Bird Project from founder Jenn Lodi-Smith, Ph.D., the ongoing community science initiative gathering, sharing, and studying the stories of people’s passion for birds! Connect with fellow bird enthusiasts to learn more about the project, enjoy spark bird stories, and get an update on what we are discovering from over 400 spark birders and growing.

Jen Lodi-Smith will be joining us via Zoom on March 13 at 1 pm. (a 40-minute presentation followed by 10 minutes for questions/comments). Seating and a viewing screen will be set up in the Green Gallery, and the public may speak with Jen in real time during the presentation. Viewers may also engage with the Zoom at home. Light refreshments will be available in the RTPI lobby.

What is the Spark Bird Project?

The Spark Bird Project is an ongoing participatory community social science initiative designed to gather, share, and study the stories of people’s passion for birds while gaining scientific insights into a critical piece in the ecology of birds: birders themselves. The Spark Bird Project also helps birders better understand each other by sharing spark bird stories publicly at https://www.spark-bird.org/stories and through The Spark Bird Podcast.

About the Host

Jenn Lodi-Smith, Ph.D., the founder and director of The Spark Bird Project, is a Professor of Psychology at Canisius University and scholar-in-residence with the Roger Tory Peterson Institute. Jenn has been using mixed methods to longitudinally study identity development for over 20 years, most recently in the context of the transformative power of spark bird experiences. She serves as secretary/treasurer for the Association for Research in Personality, associate editor of the Journal of Personality, on the board of Birds on the Niagara, and mentors the WNY Young Birders Club.