Introduction to EEB Undergraduate Studies



Introduction Courses: Prerequisites Courses: Plan of Study Junior & Senior Independent work Marine Biology Summer Program Semester in the Field
	Suzanne B. Alvarez '06 I spent roughly 5.5 weeks this summer in the Sarapiqui region on the Caribbean slope of Costa Rica. I worked at La Selva Biological Research Station, a private biological reserve and station comprised of 1,600 hectares of tropical wet forests and disturbed lands. It is bordered on the south by Braulio Carrillo National Park, which contains more than 46,000 hectares of forest land. My project involved comparing forest and pasture streams in terms of macro-invertebrate community, geomorphology, sediment, leaf decay rate, and leaf litter inputs. The purpose was to determine the importance of a riparian zone and characterize the ecological integrity of the stream types by measuring the above variables. I studied six streams in total. The three forest streams were located in La Selva, and the three pasture streams were located in El Tigre, a neighboring rural community whose dominant land use is cattle pasture. I had an absolutely wonderful time this summer and highly recommend Costa Rica, and La Selva as great places to do research. Costa Rica is very friendly and easy to get around in (I used only public transportation). La Selva is an ideal place in which to conduct research. It has a beautiful location and great facilities, and pretty much everything you could need to do tropical biology. Photo: Taking Surber samples in one of my pasture streams. I used Surber samples to collect macro-invertebrates from the stream bottom.
Genevieve Maquilan ’06 Since the spring of my junior year, I’ve been working in Professor Laura Landweber’s lab on ciliate genetics. Doing this research has been incredibly exciting and rewarding. I am currently working on sequencing the rDNA locus in one of the two nuclei of Oxytricha trifallax and am characterizing its structure. I have also tried to identify regulatory sequences of the rDNA chromosome. This investigation involved sequencing a putative regulatory region of the rDNA chromosome in several species of ciliates and then using different programs to search for conserved motifs in the sequences that could potentially have a regulatory function. Being a part of Professor Landweber’s lab has been a great learning experience and has also given me the chance to feel the thrill of discovery.
	Devan Darby '06 I spent 5 weeks this summer volunteering in government hospitals and slum clinics in some of the poorest sections of Mumbai, India. Under the auspices of the non-profit organization, Child Family Health International, I rotated in a total of eight hospitals and two small clinics and was able to observe patients presenting with malaria, tuberculosis, leptospirosis, bacillary and amoebic dysentery, hepatitis, and even diphtheria. The education that I received in infectious disease was truly remarkable. I was able to see things first-hand that many practicing professionals in the United States have never seen. I also met with physicians and made contacts that will be very helpful as I write my thesis. I was mentored by Indian physicians at each site and was able to discuss their encounters with patients presenting with endemic infectious diseases. I even had the chance to interview a suspected cholera patient in Kasturba Medical Hospital. I was also able to discuss the environmental, social, and cultural factors that influence epidemics of cholera, dengue, and malaria in and around Mumbai. I am indebted to the Princeton Environmental Institute, the Office of the Dean of the College, the Fred Fox Fund, and the Class of 1978 Foundation. Photo: Devan Darby poses with Dr. Santosh Mhatre in his clinic in the Wadala slum area of Mumbai.)
	Heather Larkin '06 For my senior thesis, I was able (thanks to Professor Rubenstein and Ilya Fischhoff [graduate student]) to go Kenya with the purpose of studying leadership and decision-making in Plains Zebra. This involved going out every morning and/or evening to look for harems of zebra, taking 3-minute scan samples, and taking notes on individual and harem movement. Sometimes the zebra grazed nonstop for an hour, othertimes we saw the zebra do pretty amazing things: males fighting vehemently over a recently sexually matured female; females obstinately refusing to go where the male was pushing them (to the obvious frustration of the male); and a very rare event: a new born foal being fought over by the mother and another female of the same harem! Photo: On the reserve there is a chimpanzee sanctuary for chimps who had been rescued from horrible owners all over Africa. This baby, along with two others were bring cared for by the owner of the sanctuary before entering the sanctuary.
Julia Manasson ’06 I started working in Paul Schedl’s lab second semester of sophomore year. I was really lucky. The lab proved to be exactly what I wanted. Immediately after joining I was matched up with a grad student and given my own project. I started attending weekly lab meetings and discussing scientific papers with Daryl on a regular basis. The summer after sophomore year I stayed at Princeton and worked in the lab, mostly learning how to conduct genetic screens and cross flies. I loved the lab so much that I decided to continue working there for my junior independent work and senior thesis.
	Laura B. Westwood '06 This summer I studied how wild bees use different types of habitats in human-altered landscapes. I collected data on an organic farm, a conventional farm, a fallow field and woodlands, all within less than a mile of each other. By conducting observations on bee abundance and floral densities throughout the spring, summer and early fall, I am looking at the relationships between those parameters and the different habitat types. It is critical to understand the entire suite of habitats used by bees so as to best direct conservation efforts.
	Luke Gibson '05 I ventured into the rugged habitat of the endangered Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep by climbing mountains one normally only sees in dreams. My experience atop the Sierra crest helped me to understand the dire situation these sheep face and the management actions needed to restore them to natural numbers.
	Olympia Moy '05 I spent the summer at the Wolong Nature Reserve in Sichuan, China with the research team of Prof. Jianguo Liu of Michigan State University. Wolong is home to an estimated one tenth of the world’s giant panda population as well as the famous Hetaoping Panda Breeding Center. Less publicized is the fact that the reserve is also home to approximately 4,400 residents, mostly ethnic Qiang and Tibetan farmers. Human activity, particularly fuelwood collection for heat and cooking (of food and pig fodder) is the primary cause of panda habitat degradation. Recently, three different policies including a logging ban have been implemented that could have positive and negative effects on this situation. My study focused on the implementation of “Grain-to-Green,” a national reforestation policy that provides farmers with saplings and grain subsidies so that they will plant trees instead of crops. From May to August, we sampled reforested fields of 220 households by measuring saplings and collecting spatial data using GPS. It was a challenging but amazingly rewarding experience to live in rural China and collaborate with the local farmers and biologists. I’m eternally grateful to Prof. Liu and his team, Prof. Levin, and the Colvin Family for the opportunity.
Michelle Savard '05 This summer I worked in the White Mountain National Forest in NH as an air quality research intern for Georgia Murray of the Appalachian Mountain Club. I measured fine particles and ozone levels as well as rain and cloudwater pH. I conducted my thesis research on acid deposition on spruce trees at various elevations, including the alpine zone. I used an anion resin method that I developed in conjunction with Kathleen Weathers of the Institute for Ecosystem Studies. Living in the mountains was great; it was the best summer I've had in a long time and I'd encourage people who are interested to look into working with the AMC research staff.
	Wenfei Tong '05 My summer in Kenya was spent collecting zebra dung, from which I tried to extract DNA for microsatellite genotyping (which I performed at Oxford). I hope to find out if genetic relatedness is one of the factors driving associations between zebra harems and alliances between stallions. In addition, I was interested in the genetic diversity and structure of Laikipia's zebra population, as this could help wildlife managers to allocate zebra hunting permits without severely reducing the genetic diversity of Laikipia's zebras. Aside from hours watching constipated zebras and scuttling about with bags of dung, I enjoyed observing the life around me, from ants, acacias and birds to the occasional biologist.
	Tara Whitty '05 I spent 7 weeks in the central highlands of Kenya, collecting zebra dung from Grevy's and Plains zebras and analyzing the dung samples to determine parasite loads. I'm looking at different factors that could affect parasite load and thus host health, these factors include host age, sex, and dominance status, as well as different land management practices employed by various ranches and conservancies. Doing research in beautiful Kenya was a dream come true, and being able to spend time at two great research stations (the Lewa Conservancy and the Mpala Research Centre) was amazing and rewarding. Thanks to Professor Rubenstein (my adviser), Julia Chase Grey and Wenfei Tong (fellow students), the help of staff at the research stations, and the cooperation of ranch and conservancy managers, this summer was an extermely valuable experience in field work.


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