Jessica R. Young
Associate Professor of Biology
Education
1994 Ph.D. Population Biology and Behavioral Ecology, Purdue University
1988 B.A. Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution, UC, San Diego
University Positions Held
2004 – now Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, Western State College of Colorado
2002-2004 Director of Environmental Studies, Western State College of Colorado
2001- present Associate Professor, Western State College of Colorado
1998-2001 Assistant Professor, Western State College of Colorado
1997- 1998 Assistant Professor, Coastal Carolina University, SC
1995-1996 Thornton Visiting Scholar, Western State College of Colorado
1994-1995 Visiting Professor, Hampden-Sydney College, VI
Teaching information
I have been teaching at undergraduate institutions since 1994. I am an Associate Professor of Biology at Western State College of Colorado and Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs. Below are images of my students on field trips in the alpine and in Ecuador. I enjoy teaching courses in ecology, behavior, environmental studies and a variety of other subjects.
Professional Experience and Research Interests
In addition to my teaching, I am highly committed to involving students in research. Because of my background in both field ecology and population genetics, I can assist students in a variety of research projects. My general research 
interests integrate evolutionary theories of behavioral ecology and animal communication with applied aspects of conservation biology and wildlife management. For the past decade I have been involved with research and conservation planning for the Gunnison Grouse. (Check out the link for details!) In 1995, Drs. Clait Braun and I proposed that the Gunnison Grouse was a distinct species and along with Drs. Jerry Hupp, Sara Oyler-McCance and Tom Quinn, we published our findings in the scientific journal, the Wilson Bulletin ( Young et al. 2000 ). The American Ornithological Union recognized the Gunnison Sage-Grouse as a newly named species in 2000 after a review of the scientific data by the AOU Nomenclature Committee which consists of the leading taxonomic specialists in North and Central America. In 2006, the International Ornithological Congress has recommended that the species common name be Gunnison Grouse.
A selection of publications
Taylor, S. E. and J. R. Young. 2006. A comparative behavioral study of three Greater Sage-grouse populations. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 118(1):36–41.
Young, J. R. 2005. Animal Behavior: It's Role in Wildlife Biology. In “Research and Management Techniques for Wildlife and Habitat” Ed. Clait E. Braun 6 th ed. The Wildlife Society, Bethesda MD.
Martin K. M., G. A. Brown, and J. R. Young. 2004. The Historic and Current Distribution of the Vancouver Island White-Tailed Ptarmigan ( Lagopus leucurus saxatilis). Journal of Field Ornithology. 75(3):239-256.
Young, J. R., Braun, C. E., Oyler-McCance, S. J., Hupp, J. W. and T. W. Quinn. 2000. A new species of Sage-Grouse from Southwestern Colorado. Wilson Bulletin 112(4):445-453.
Schroeder, M. A., Young, J. R. and C. E. Braun 1999. Sage Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus): In: The Birds of North America 425:1-28. (A. Poole, P. Stettenheim and F. Gill, Eds.) The Birds of North America, Inc. Philadelphia , PA.
Kahn, N. W., C. E. Braun, J. R. Young, S. Wood, D. R. Mata, and T. W. Quinn 1999 Molecular analysis of genetic variation among large- and small-bodied Sage Grouse using mitochondrial control-region sequences. The Auk 116(3):819-824.
Howard, R. D. and J. R. Young. 1998. Individual variation in male vocal traits and female mating preferences in Bufo americanus . Anim Behav. 55:1165-1179.
Young, J. R., Hupp, J. W., Bradbury, J. W., & Braun C. E. 1994. Phenotypic divergence of secondary sexual traits among sage grouse Centrocercus urophasianus populations. Anim. Behav. 47:1353-1362.
Braun, C. E., Martin, K., Remington, T. E. & Young, J. R. 1994. North American Grouse: issues and strategies for the 21st century. Trans. N. A. Wildl. and Nat. Resour. Conf. 59:428-438.