Splash Biography

SHANNON HONG, Aspiring Professor of Evolutionary Biology

Major: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

College/Employer: Yale

Year of Graduation: 2029

Brief Biographical Sketch:

Hello! My name is Shannon and I’m from Long Island, New York. I adore birds (in fact, I have two parrots), so at Yale, I’m interested in studying avian biology and behavior as well as paleontology more broadly. Aside from my love of the sciences, I am also interested in philosophy and political science.

Past Classes

(Clicking a class title will bring you to the course's section of the corresponding course catalog)

E5289: What Makes a Bird, a Bird? Evolution and Current Approaches to Speciation in Sprout Fall 2025 (Nov. 15 - 16, 2025)

Have you ever wondered how our feathered friends evolved from enormous beasts? Or how scientists can separate all the different sparrows of the world into different species? This course will cover the evolutionary history of birds, starting from their dinosaur ancestors to the great diversity of bird life present today. The class will also examine how scientists determine what separates one species of bird from another and explore historical and modern approaches to speciation.