Cassandra Lyon
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Mail code: 4601Campus: Tempe
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Student Information
Graduate StudentBiology (Biology and Society)
The College of Lib Arts & Sci
Cassi is a fifth year PhD candidate in the Biology and Society program on the Ecology, Economics, and Ethics of the Environment track. Her work focuses on how human perceptions of other animals and interpretations of their behaviors or temperment have real, tangible impacts on their care and lives. In particular, she studies these themes (anthropomorphism and conservation intent) in great ape exhibits in accredited zoos. Understanding these themes influences not only captive animal care, but also has wider impacts related to conservation psychology and the way we think about, think with, and treat other animals wherever we encounter them: in the zoo, at the horse barn, in our hoomes, on our plates. She is advised by Dr. Ben Minteer.
Previous to coming to ASU, Cassi graduated from Eckerd College with a BA in Psychology and International Relations. Immediately following graduation, she worked and volunteered in a variety of animal-related contexts including a local animal shelter, two therapeutic horse-back riding centers, and three different zoological facilities. Most recently she was the Animal Behavior Research Assistant at Disney's Animal Kingdom.
M.S., Biology and Society, 2021, Arizona State University
B.A.,Psychology and International Relations; Minor, Chinese Language, 2015, Eckerd College
Animal behavior
Human-Animal Interactions
Conservation Psychology
Compassionate Conservation, Animal Welfare, Complexity of captive animal systems
Human perceptions of and interactions with other species
Lyon, C. E., Alba, A. C., Burgess, A., Weibel, C. J., Miller, D., Alligood, C., & Ferrie, G. M. (2023). Visitor engagement with zoo staff and interpretive demonstrations increases visitor stay time in two free‐flight aviaries. Zoo Biology.
Alba, A. C., Wheaton, C. J., Weibel, C. J., Hicks, P., Richards, B., Lyon, C. E., & Ferrie, G. M. (2023). Using behavior and genital swellings to monitor social dynamics and track reproductive cycling in zoo‐housed lion‐tailed macaques (Macaca silenus). American Journal of Primatology, 85(3), e23432.
Colodner, D., Ivanyi, C., & Lyon, C. (2023). This is a Zoo? Reflections on a Wilder Zoo by Visitors to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. In B.A. Minteer & H. Greene (Eds.), A Wilder Kingdom: Rethinking Nature in Zoos, Wildlife Parks, and Beyond (pp. 107-124). Columbia University Press.
Courses
2020 Fall
Course Number | Course Title |
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HPS 340 | Biology and Society |
BIO 311 | Biology and Society |
2020 Summer
Course Number | Course Title |
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BIO 416 | Biomedical Research Ethics |
BIO 416 | Biomedical Research Ethics |
2020 Spring
Course Number | Course Title |
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BIO 416 | Biomedical Research Ethics |
BIO 416 | Biomedical Research Ethics |
2019 Fall
Course Number | Course Title |
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BIO 181 | General Biology I |
BIO 181 | General Biology I |
Associations of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)
International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ)
School of Life Sciences Executive Board, Vice President 2023-2024
School of Life Sciences Executive Board member 2020-2023
GPSA Research Grant Reviewer 2020-Present
GPSA Travel Grant Reviewer 2020-Present
Robinson Ranch, Therapeutic Riding Volunteer, 2022-Present