Sara R. Morris, PhD
Professor of Biology and Director of the Environmental Science Program 

Bird-watching is a spiritual experience for Sara R. Morris, PhD.  “I have had some amazing opportunities to sit quietly alone on an island, and just watch birds interact and fly,” says Morris. “When I take in all of the beauty, it is a clear sign to me that a higher power exists.” 

Morris’ research focus is bird migration, specifically stopover ecology, or how birds use sites in between where they breed and winter to successfully complete their migrations. She conducts much of her research at Canisius, but the vast outdoors serves as Morris’ real lab, as well as her classroom. 

A Peter Canisius Distinguished Teaching Professor, Morris earned her doctorate and master’s degrees in zoology from Cornell University. She also holds a bachelor of arts degree in French and a bachelor of science degree in biology, both from Presbyterian College. 

As part of her professorship, Morris takes her students to such places as Fort Myers, FL and the Galapagos Islands, located approximately 500 miles off the coast of Ecuador, to study birds and other vertebrates.  A research associate at the Buffalo Museum of Science, Morris guest lectures on ornithology and recommends similar experts to speak at the museum, as well. Her Canisius students also have full access to specimens from the museum’s collection for research.  

Morris’s trips and coursework naturally engage students, but also provide them with the fundamental skills to become good scientists and give them a serious appreciation of the natural world around them.  

Morris says, “Years from now when my students set out a bird feeder in their own backyard and teach their young children about nature, I hope that they will look back on my classes and be glad that they had this opportunity.  It is not just the little pieces of nature that are so remarkable to me but the whole package. There are so many magnificent things in our environment and birds are one of the easiest things for people to see.”