Interview with long-time volunteer in the Borror lab

Sandy Gaunt was the curator of the Borror Laboratory of Bioacoustics until 2002 when she retired and decided to start volunteering in the lab.

Sandy Gaunt digitizing in the Borror lab (photo A Nelson)

As an adjunct Assistant Professor of our department, Sandy did research on the syringeal structure in various bird species and has published her findings in numerous scientific journals.

In her role as a volunteer digitizer in the lab, Sandy has digitized many recordings. She was pivotal in the NSF-funded digitization project of Don Borror’s over 14,000! recordings. Lately she has digitized recordings by Arthur Borror, Don’s son. Of this collection, Sandy has to date digitized 173 cuts of 113 bird species in three different countries, Belize, Canada and USA from Arthur Borror’s collection.

Listen for yourself as Sandy tells about her favorite bird species, some bizarre recordings, some challenges and what she enjoys about working in the Borror lab:

Here are some photos and sounds of the species that Sandy mentions:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Sandy does not only donate her time to our lab, she also makes a monetary donation each year to support student workers in the lab. We are extremely grateful for having Sandy in these capacities.

Interview by Angelika Nelson, curator of the Borror Laboratory of Bioacoustics with Sandy Gaunt, long-time volunteer in the lab.