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Elizabeth Zwamborn is a M.Sc. candidate studying the relationship between vocalizations and social structure in the long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas).
After growing up on the west coast of Canada and completing undergraduate work in biology there, she continued to follow her research interests by pursuing a masters degree at Dalhousie University. Her experience over the years has involved participation in research around the world, including northern resident killer whales in British Columbia, sperm whales off the Galapagos Islands, and long-finned pilot whales found in the waters around Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia.
She is currently in charge of the Cape Breton Pilot Whale Project, which is entering its 17th field season. Since 1998, researchers from Dalhousie University have spent two months each summer photographing and cataloguing pilot whales that come to this area. As a comprehensive study, it also focuses on collecting a range of behavioural, environmental, acoustic, and genetic data. This project is conducted off a whale-watching vessel, giving the researchers wonderful opportunities to interact with the public (many of whom are seeing whales for the first time).
Elizabeth is passionate about sharing knowledge about the ocean with those around her. The the long-finned pilot whale wiki article does not portray well what is known of this species. This will be her first exposure to editing on wikipedia, with the goal of correcting, adding to, and maintaining this article in order to share accurate information about pilot whales.