Dr. Ball's lab studies a variety of avian species that exhibit high degrees of neuroplasticity in response to hormone treatment. These studies are designed to investigate both how hormones act in the brain to affect the learning and activation of behavior and how behavioral and other stimuli are processed by the brain to influence reproductive endocrine activity and the timing of seasonal reproduction. Current research activities include: (1) studies addressing how the neuroendocrine system integrates cues that regulate seasonal reproduction including photoperiod and supplementary factors that augment the photo-induction of gonadal growth, such as the perception of conspecific vocalizations; (2) investigations of seasonal brain changes and neural sex differences mediating bird song learning and production; (3) studies of the interaction between dopamine and the steroid metabolizing enzyme, aromatase, in relation to the activation of male reproduction behavior in quail.
Gregory F. Ball became Dean of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSOS) at the University of Maryland in the fall of 2014. In this role, he oversees one of the largest and most academically challenging colleges at the University, with more than 6,000 undergraduate students and more than 800 masters and doctoral students. BSOS also is home to four of the University’s most popular majors: criminology and criminal justice, psychology, government and politics, and economics.