Burns lab graduate student Nick Mason was one of three graduate students asked to speak at this year’s Bio Department Symposium. He presented some of his work on plumage and song evolution in the genus Sporophila (neotropical seedeaters) that he is working on in collaboration with former Burns lab student Allison Shultz.  Nick’s research provides evidence for the transfer hypothesis, whereby selection targets vocal signals in some species and plumage signals in others.  Great talk Nick!