Biology
Our Students
Kelsie-Kei Rogers '12
Kelsie-Kei Rogers '12
This summer I had the incredible opportunity to do an internship with the Caribbean Primate Research Center (CPRC) on Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico. Cayo Santiago is home to over 1000 free ranging, rhesus macaque monkeys, which are the subjects of many observational research studies and which I spent most of my days chasing around the island. The first half of summer I worked as a research assistant, collecting behavioral data, specifically agonistic interactions between females, for the CPRC. During this time, I was actually able to design my own study, which I conducted the second half of summer and consequently turned into my I.S.! It was such a unique experience, working alongside people of all different backgrounds: from grad students to post-docs to PhDs, with backgrounds in biology, psychology, and anthropology, from all over the world. It really gives you a new perspective.
My summer in Puerto Rico wasn’t all about research, though. Besides doing some traveling and sightseeing, I had a chance to get involved with something of personal interest, animal rescue. The stray dog problem in Puerto Rico was unlike anything I’d ever seen before and I wanted to do something to change it. I spearheaded, alongside local animal advocates, the organization of a ‘spay and neuter’ clinic for the stray dogs, or “satos” as they are called in PR. I also worked to raise money and find homes in the states for seven dogs! I know that doesn’t seem too huge a feat, but to know that I made a difference in those seven lives…well, that’s what it’s all about folks :) This was hands-down one of the most rewarding and inspiring summers of my life. I can’t wait to go out in the world and make a difference.
Stephen Ferguson '12
During the summer of 2011, I was awarded an NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates position through Indiana University. Ellen Ketterson’s lab at IU has been studying dark-eyed juncos for about 30 years, so I was able to draw on a lot of experience. Recently the lab has begun exploring differences between subspecies across the country, which led to our study on the pink-sided juncos. I spent 8 weeks in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming researching behavior and hormonal responses to different song types in juncos. The occasional grizzly bear wandering through our field station was a small price to pay for the view of Jackson Lake and Mt. Moran from my living room window!
Following the summer I’ve continued to work with the lab as I’ve extended the project as my Independent Study. In November I traveled to Bloomington to assist in running hormone assays and in January I presented preliminary results at the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology national meeting. My experience was somewhat unique in that my research was performed outside of Wooster’s department and offered the chance to work closely with graduate students, postdocs, and professors at other institutions to explore the scientific process from a variety of perspectives.
Alex Vanko '12
I took Dr. Lehtinen’s Tropical Field Biology course in Trinidad and Tobago in 2009, and this summer I returned to Tobago to collect data for my own I.S. Following up on Chase Beach’s I.S. research, which he conducted while we were in Tobago in 2009, my I.S. also studies the Bloody Bay poison frog, and endemic, critically endangered species that may be in the middle of changing its color by natural selection in response to invasive bamboo. Researching in Tobago was exhausting, but incredibly rewarding. It’s hard to feel like you’re doing school work when you’re getting paid to stay in a house on the beach! Don’t miss any chances for unique opportunities like this at Wooster.