Pitoccchelli began teaching at Saint Anselm College in 1992 and received tenure in 1996. His service to the college seems to indicate an infinite appetite for hard work. But the duties he takes on simply reflect his many interests: he has been faculty advisor to the ski club, headed the college recycling committee, and led efforts to evaluate and upgrade the college's information technology systems. He's even made a name for himself as a party organizer. (His puffin liver pate was a memorable contribution to the Biology Department's holiday party).

Pitocchelli makes biology and statistics classes relevant even for non-majors by bringing in current issues such as SARS, anthrax, and cancer. "Dr. Jay boils over with enthusiasm," recalls Paul  Music '96. "We set up a couple of birdfeeders behind Gadbois and counted the birds and the number of species we saw. I became somewhat of a statistics geek," he says.

The professor's zeal has motivated many students to continue in biology after graduation. Music has worked as a plover biologist for the Audubon Society, a conservation aide on an Atlantic salmon project, and a contract biologist for NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association). Still trying to figure out whether he's more interested in fish or birds, he plans to pursue a graduate degree in ecology.

Dan Rizzolo '96, who is pursuing a master's degree in wildlife science, says, "Dr. Jay was a big help when I applied for my first job in Alaska because of his reputation and the amount of field work he's done up here. The connections and references I got from that job have led to everything I've done since."

Pitocchelli also enjoys involving students in his own research and supervising majors in directed studies and independent research. Publishing a paper with two undergraduates was one of his most rewarding interactions with students, he says: "I got to watch them synthesize what they've learned and be successful in the writing and publishing process."

For now, the bird man of Saint Anselm can be found close to home: in the classroom, on the ski trails, and on the tennis court. Next summer, however, he will be trekking through the Canadian woodlands with his electronic parabolic microphone, recording the musical notes of sparrows and warblers. He will revisit his thesis topic, the Mourning Warbler, this time to look for changes in song patterns.

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