Life Science
James Herrera, Mammalogy
Keywords: Bioinformatics, Conservation, Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, Physical Anthropology
Project: During my Ph.D. research between 2011 and 2014, I compared the number of species in habitats that varied in altitude and human disturbance. I caught small lemurs and rodents in live-traps, measured and marked them and then released them again. The SRMP students and I will create a database to manage these data, which consist of capture records and body measurements. With these data, the SRMP students will estimate how many small mammals there were in different habitat types, and what environmental variables might be related to the number of mammals. The results will help us understand what environmental circumstances explain species diversity, as well as uncovering species of conservation concern based on their rarity. http://www.amnh.org/explore/news-blogs/research-posts/research-shows-vital-links-between-lemurs-and-fruit-trees?utm_source=social-media&utm_medium=facebook&utm_term=20160614-tue&utm_campaign=research https://www.facebook.com/naturalhistory/videos/10153441070141991/ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/lemur-family-tree_us_57190fc7e4b0d0042da87f80 Bio: I study ecology and evolution, especially focusing on primates and mammals of Madagascar. I am interested in how many different species live together in different kinds of habitats, and what it is about some habitats that makes them especially diverse compared to others. This question is important to understand ecology, evolution and conservation. I am involved in many different kinds of research, such as collecting data on anatomy from museum specimens, on field ecology such as the diversity and abundance of species, and on genetics, especially using DNA evidence to build the evolutionary tree of species. |
Olivia
Ayesha
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Paul Sweet, Ornithology
Keywords: Bioinformatics, Conservation, Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, Taxonomy
Project: How can we use museum specimens and archival data to produce a historic snapshot of bird diversity and map the expeditions of early 20th century scientists? Learn how to be a biological specimen detective and produce online data visualizations. The AMNH Whitney South Seas Expedition spent a dozen years from 1920 to 1932 travelling around the Pacific collecting some 40,000 bird specimens from over 600 islands, the longest ornithological voyage in history. Although these specimens are critical to our understanding of the biodiversity of the region almost none of them have associated geographic coordinates. We will work to discover geographic information for the bird specimens collected on this expedition. We will examine bird specimens and their original labels; consult the hand-written catalogs and the unpublished field journals, as well as various online and published sources. This hands-on research work will generate data that can be used not only by the students to learn GIS applications, but will also be archived in our database and be available to all researchers with an interest in the Pacific. Once we have obtained our georeferenced locality data we will work with colleagues from Vizzuality, a Brooklyn based digital mapping group, who will guide us in the use of their CartoDB mapping program. We will learn how to visualize our data to generate an engaging and informative digital map showing the WSSE route with links to specimen records and historic photographs. Bio: I grew up in England and have been fascinated by natural history for as long as I can remember. I have always collected specimens and as a child even had a museum in my bedroom, so working in the bird collections at the AMNH is a dream job. I studied Zoology at university and have been working in the Ornithology Department for 25 years. Every day I am amazed by the vast collections that I manage and overwhelmed by the daunting task of caring for these treasures. |
Anna
Charles
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Anthony Caragiulo, Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics
Keywords: Ecology, Conservation, Genetics and Genomics
Project: Coyotes (Canis latrans) have greatly expanded their range in the recent past and are now abundant throughout nearly all of North America having recently colonized highly urbanized areas such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and Toronto. Coyotes are well established to the north of NYC, but have recently been migrating into NYC's dense urban matrix as evidenced by coyotes being captured in parts of Manhattan and Queens. Coyote urbanization studies have used camera trap and scat surveys to examine the presence or absence or coyotes in NYC, with the goal of understanding their colonization pattern. This project aims to use environmental DNA (eDNA) to detect the presence of coyotes in NYC, as well as assess the utility of eDNA for vertebrate biodiversity surveys. eDNA is trace DNA in samples such as water and soil, and is a mixture of potentially degraded DNA from many different organisms. This SRMP project will follow protocols from a metabarcoding study that used "dirt" from a zoological garden to determine if the known species within an enclosure could be detected using eDNA techniques. Soil samples from 14 camera trap sites in the south Bronx were collected for metabarcoding to examine vertebrate biodiversity at each site. Sites were paired with camera traps to validate the species detected via soil metabarcoding. Students will learn molecular genetic techniques (i.e. DNA extraction, PCR, DNA sequencing), and the project has applicability to molecular ecology, conservation biology, and the growing field of eDNA. Additionally, this eDNA approach may provide a quick methodological alternative to classic ecological surveys of biodiversity. Not to mention, your study species is coyotes! An overview of this study was published in Scientific American and accompanying slide show. |
Saimon
Christopher
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Bio: I am a research scientist and Program Manager of the Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics at AMNH. My main interests are conservation genetics and population genetics of organisms. I spend most of my time researching large carnivores (i.e. pumas, jaguars, snow leopards, tigers) using noninvasive techniques (i.e. scat, scent sprays, hair). I’m really interested in using new noninvasive methods for understanding how these carnivores use the landscape. I’m also interested in using genetics to answer ecological questions, such as (1) how long has an organism been in an area? (2) what’s their colonization pattern? (3) what landscape features drive their genetic and population structure/diversity? I am also interested in using museum collections for historic and ancient DNA to examine past genetic patterns.
Jessica McKay, Ornithology
Keywords: Conservation, Genetics & Genomics, Evolutionary Biology, Taxonomy, Systematics
Project: The Amazon rainforest is one of the most biodiverse regions in the world, and new species are still being discovered there today. In collaboration with national and international institutions, the ornithology lab has been studying biodiversity and its processes in the Amazon rainforest using DNA sequences, the museum’s collection of specimens, and geographic and environmental information. Students working with me will study the conservation status of a family of fascinating and beautiful birds, the cotingas, which are found in the Amazon rainforest. They will use research and scientific papers along with conservation websites (IUCN, Conservation International, etc) to gather data on threats to the Amazon rainforest and these birds. Students will then develop a project on one genus of cotingas (TBD). They will sequence DNA from fresh tissues, explore morphological variation using the ornithology department’s collection of skin specimens, and look at how geographical features in the Amazon basin may affect species’ distribution and diversity. Using their results and their study as a proxy, students will identify areas of the Amazon basin that deserve the most attention for conservation. Bio: I studied Physical Anthropology in college, which introduced me to genetics and evolution. After working at a spine surgeon’s office, I interned at the Central Park Zoo as a zookeeper, which made me discover how much fun birds are, and how important conservation is. So, I went back to school and got my Master’s in Conservation Biology. My job here is to use bird DNA and physical attributes to understand how geographical features (mountains, rivers, islands) affect speciation, particularly in areas that might be threatened by deforestation and climate change. How different from one another are two populations that are separated by a huge river like the Amazon? Should those populations be considered different species? What does this mean for conservation efforts in the region? |
Nafilah
Desiree
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Edward Myers, Herpetology
Keywords: Ecology, Evolutionary Biology
Project: Snakes of the genus Pituophis (commonly called gopher, bull, or pine snakes) are large, common snakes of North America. Previous research on this group of snakes has suggested that different species and even different populations of the same species have very different skull shapes, which directly relates to the behaviors of those species or populations. For example, bull snakes in the grasslands of North America are proficient burrowers and therefore have very robust skulls that are adapted for this type of behavior, however gopher snakes in the deserts are less inclined to burrow and as a result have less robust skulls. For this project we will be looking at the head morphology of these snakes where the geographic distributions of bull snakes and gophers snakes meet at the transition from grassland to desert in New Mexico and Texas and correlating shape differences to the habitat that the snakes were collected in. In order to accomplish this goal we will use a set of analyses called geometric morphometrics, which allows researchers to quantify shape differences between organisms. This includes taking high-resolution pictures of specimens and then using user-friendly software to measures the differences in head shape. Students will learn techniques and methods that are applicable to numerous fields in biology and archeology, plus they’ll get to work with an awesome group of snakes! |
Skakel
Yeasha
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Bio: I have always been fascinated with reptiles, and in particular snakes. This interest lead me to graduate school at CUNY where I earned a PhD studying the population genetics of snakes in the desert southwest. For my dissertation I used a combination of genomics, morphology, and ecological niche modeling to address the question of how do species form? I am currently a post-doctoral researcher in the Herpetology Department at the AMNH. My current research is focused on the evolution of venom in rattlesnakes. This work has allowed me to spend a lot of time in the field (within the US, Mexico, Panama, and Brazil!) and a lot of time in the lab. I am very interested in the fields of evolutionary biology, molecular ecology, systematics, and did I mention snakes?
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Gopher Snake
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Shaadi Mehr, Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics
Keywords: Bioinformatics, Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, Genetics & Genomics
Project: With the extensive modification of ecosystems by people and increased urbanization, the disrupted ecology of metropolitan areas must be assessed. The first step in any ecological assessment is correct organismal identification. One new cutting-edge next-generation sequencing method is environmental DNA analysis of genetic material collected directly from water, a new paradigm in biomonitoring. New York City can serve as a model case study in urban ecology, however environmental DNA research here is in its infancy, underscoring the need for environmental DNA research of freshwater biodiversity throughout the NYC “Aquanome”. This study's objectives are to expand our ongoing research on Staten Island freshwater communities, to include other key ponds and lakes along an urban to wild landscape mosaic of human impact into New York City’s five boroughs, and to carry out related educational and outreach activities. This research tests the null hypothesis of no differences in community composition among sites, and involves taxon identification using OUT analysis, and whole genome shotgun sequencing for unique functional adaptation such as antibiotic resistance. In this project, students learn how to prepare and filter water samples for DNA isolation, and run bioinformatics tools for microbial diversity estimation and taxonomical identification between and within ponds. |
Jaharatul
Hoi
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Bio: Dr. Shaadi Mehr, earned her PhD in genomics techniques and molecular, from City University of New York (http://www2.cuny.edu), in 2013. She worked with professors Rob DeSalle at the Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics at the American Museum of Natural History (http://www.amnh.org/our-research/sackler-institute-for-comparative-genomics), and David Gruber at the City University of New York to write her PhD thesis. During her PhD, as a genomic data scientist she used RNA-seq transcriptomics data to identify and characterize novel fluorescent proteins form marine animals. She has published the chapters of her thesis in peer-reviewed journals (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Shaadi_Mehr/publications). During her postdoctoral training, at the New York University (http://www.nyu.edu), she used Next Generation whole genome sequencing method to study population adaptations of S. mutans (caries disease causing pathogen) collected from more than 130 individuals living around the world. She is currently is an assistant professor at the State University of New York (https://www.oldwestbury.edu), and research scientist at Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics at the AMNH (http://www.amnh.org/our-research/sackler-institute-for-comparative-genomics). Her research interests include microbial diversity and functional adaptation using phylogenomics and metagenomics methods. More specifically, she is interested in the role that environmental heterogeneity plays in functional and genomics diversity of bacterial genome, and how these factors influence the functional adaptation in urban environment such as waste water plants, and public areas. She is currently a member of MetaSub (http://metasub.org) international consortium, the largest Metagenomics and Metadesign of Urban Biomes.
Suzanne Macey, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation
Keywords: Conservation Biology, Ecology, Genetics and Genomics
Project: Project Description – Bog turtles are found here in New York State, but are considered one of the most endangered turtle species in the world—primarily because of the loss of their wetland habitat and the illegal pet trade. Unfortunately, a new threat is emerging—an unknown disease that maybe the culprit for the alarming number of bog turtle deaths in the last few years. Conservation managers are searching for answers. What is this disease? What are the effects? When you run diagnostic health tests on bog turtles, how can you tell which turtles are healthy and which are sick? For this SRMP project, students will be analyzing bog turtle health data collected by the Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS) Global Wildlife Health Program. We will be organizing and performing statistics on the health data to help our collaborators at WCS and provide valuable information for the wildlife health community. Hopefully, with a better understanding of the health of bog turtles throughout its range, conservation managers will be better equipped to combat the possible disease threats these small turtles are facing. http://www.livescience.com/14112-america-smallest-turtle-scarce.html https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110510161807.htm Bio: My name is Suzanne Macey and I did my Ph.D. at Fordham University studying the endangered bog turtle. I’ve been researching animals since I was 19 years old—sometimes travelling all over the world to study them. My projects often focus on the reproductive ecology of a species and use that information to help conservation efforts. What’s my favorite animal? I’m not that picky, but small, fat, and round animals make me giggle. I am now a postdoctoral fellow in the museum’s Center for Biodiversity and Conservation working with a program that creates educational materials about conservation. |
Michelle
Ariana
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Mike Tessler, Richard Gilder Graduate School @ AMNH
Keywords: Bioinformatics, Evolutionary Biology, Genetics and Genomics
Project: An arctic fish parasite and tiny worms that live on crayfish are the closest relatives of leeches. While genomic information on leeches is increasingly produced, nothing is available for their relatives. This project will focus on conducting the first profiles of the many genes actively utilized (transcriptomes) by leech relatives. We will scan for major differences between the genes used by leech relatives, more distantly related worms, and leeches, focusing on genetic changes relating to important physical and behavioral modifications such as bloodfeeding. Our data and results will provide a solid base of information for years to come. Students will learn about next generation sequencing, including lab techniques, bioinformatics (computer skills for big data), and numerous analytical tools for comparing our worms. If interested, we can even do some crayfish collecting to find more worms to study! Bio: When I was a kid I loved catching frogs, snakes, and insects. Unfortunately when I got to middle school, there was nothing academic encouraging this passion. But, luckily I’ve grown up and now I get to catch critters for a living! Even better, I get to discover new tidbits of information about them, adding knowledge for future generations to learn about these organisms. My PhD research focuses on leeches, from CT scans of little terrestrial leeches to finding out what anticoagulants shark leeches have. |
Magda
Olivia
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David Kizirian, Herpetology
 David (left) with a friend collecting in Vietnam
Keywords: Evolutionary Biology, Systematics
Project: Indochina represents a major evolutionary hotspot for diverse groups of plants and animals, with hundreds of new species discovered there in the last two decades. Since 1997, AMNH scientists have conducted expeditionary fieldwork to inventory the biota and discover new species in Vietnam. This year, my SRMP team will study Big-Tooth Snakes (Lycodon) collected in the Truong Son Mountains of Vietnam to identify possible new species. Students will collect and analyze morphological data (specifically, the arrangements of scales, color pattern) in the newly collected material and compare them to specimens collected in China by AMNH scientists a century ago. Bio: I am a Curatorial Associate in Herpetology (AMNH) and I study species-level diversity of various groups of lizards and snakes (Squamata). Most of my work has focused on revisionary systematics of poorly known lizards from South America. More recently, I have focused on snakes of Southeast Asia using morphological and/or molecular data. Because my interests are focused at the species level, I also study the models used by scientists to recognize units of biodiversity. In other words, I attempt to answer the question, “What is a species?” I also teach biology courses at LaGuardia Community College. |
Sophia
Nancy
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Brendan Reid, Herpetology
 Brendan with snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina)
Keywords: Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, Genetics & Genomics
Project: For all crocodilians, most turtles, and some other reptile species, an individual’s sex is determined not by genetic factors (like the XX/XY sex chromosome system found in mammals) but by the temperature at which eggs are incubated. The relationship between temperature and sex can be complicated, but for the most part Incubation at temperatures higher than a certain “pivotal temperature” produces mostly females, while incubation at lower temperatures produces mostly males. Pivotal temperatures can vary both within species and among species, and within species pivotal temperatures tend to be higher for populations inhabiting in warmer areas. This suggests adaptation to local climate in this sex-determining system. However, the genetic basis for this adaptation and the potential for adaptation to ongoing climate change remains mostly unknown, although a recent report identified a mutation in a gene called CIRBP that affects pivotal temperatures in snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina). In this study, we will investigate the genetic basis of differences in sex determination and climate adaptation by sequencing the CIRBP gene across reptiles that display differences in their mode of sex determination. You’ll learn how to extract and amplify DNA, handle and analyze molecular data, and test for natural selection and changes in the rate of evolution over time. In learning how turtles and other reptiles with TSD have adapted to changes in climate in the past, we will improve our understanding of how these species might be able to handle ongoing climate change. Bio: My work focuses on turtles, a fascinating and charismatic group of organisms, although I’ve also worked on sloths and lobsters in the past. For my current project at the AMNH I am studying turtle species in eastern North America (a hotspot of turtle diversity), and I am interested in using new genomic techniques to compare how populations and ranges of different species expanded after the last Ice Age and how species traits may have influenced this expansion. I am also interested in how hybridization among species (both recent and ancient) has left its mark on current turtle diversity. |
Rosemary
Michael
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Neil Duncan, Mammalogy
Mark Weckel, Science Research Mentoring Program
Mark Weckel, Science Research Mentoring Program
 Neil Duncan
Keywords: Ecology, Conservation
Project : Instances of coyote sightings within the borders of New York City have received much media attention over the last year. It is no secret that coyotes will continue to move through the boroughs of NYC to eventually colonize Long Island. This study is part of the larger Gotham Coyote Project. Gotham Coyote Project: About Our Project We will be determining the diet of coyotes in around New York City. Over 400 coyote scats have been located from various parts of New York City and just beyond its borders. We will identify prey remains from as many of these as can be done. Last year we analyzed ~50 scat and identified over 100 items. This gave us the first glimpse into the feeding ecology of the largest carnivore in NYC. The first phase of the project will begin with the cleaning and dissection of scat. Students will learn how to separate hard, identifiable prey item parts from scat according to published standards. After learning how to properly prepare hairs for microscopic analysis students will identify prey items from hair and bone. A hair reference collection will be built utilizing the specimens from the Mammalogy collections. Additionally selected specimens will be used for comparison of bone and teeth. We will be using both dissecting and compound microscopes. If you enjoy solving ecological mysteries, have a steady hand and don’t mind staring into a microscope then this project is for you! |
Joshua
Catherine
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Neil's Bio: I am the Collections Manager for the Department of Mammalogy. I am responsible for the day to day operations of the department as well as implanting collections improvement projects. While the collections are an important part of my professional life I still seek opportunities on my own to answer ecological questions. Before I came to the museum I worked in various parts of the country employed in different wildlife and fisheries jobs. One of my favorites was working as a biologist for the US Fish and Wildlife Service studying forest carnivores in Northern California. That is where I became interested in food webs and diet analysis studies. Since that time I have determined prey items from carnivores in over 3000 scats. I have been involved in diet studies of fishers, martens, fox and coyotes from localities around North America. I always feel somewhat like a detective when I conduct a diet analysis study. Every new prey item identified is a small puzzle piece of the bigger picture. Eventually, a clearer picture emerges of the day to day life of an elusive animal.
Mark's Bio: I am a Brooklyn born, Bronx and Manhattan educated, Queens resident, conservation scientist and co-founder of Gotham Coyote . I did my graduate work at Fordham University and the City University of New York where I worked on jaguar conservation and white-tailed deer management, respectively.
Mark's Bio: I am a Brooklyn born, Bronx and Manhattan educated, Queens resident, conservation scientist and co-founder of Gotham Coyote . I did my graduate work at Fordham University and the City University of New York where I worked on jaguar conservation and white-tailed deer management, respectively.
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Alex de Voogt, Anthropology
Keywords: Cultural Anthropology
Project: During a study of the language of the Ju|’hoansi, a group of people living in Botswana, I found out that they also play a number of interesting games. They play card and board games, which they learned from their neighbors, but they also play a ‘gesture’ game that involved clapping, singing and finally arm gestures that determine the winner. After a month of research, I recorded more than twenty of those gesture games that involve up to ten people each time and last from four to twenty minutes. They told me all the details about how it is played but the strategies they use are still unclear. We have about four hours of video footage with people playing this game multiple times. What we will try to find out is what strategies are used and which ones are most effective. We will focus on individual differences and changes in patterns over time. Depending on the results, it will tell us about mathematical intuitions of the participants, individual expression and decision making in a highly original context. Students interested in this project will learn about the Ju|’hoansi and their culture, about the history and distribution of games as well as the multiple ways of doing exploratory research in a new environment. Bio: I am the assistant curator for African Ethnology and I am particularly interested in languages and games. I have studied players and histories of board games in different parts of the world including Sudan and Botswana. Both languages and games teach us about contact between different groups of people both today and in the past.
Four stills of the game in progress with some of the gestures used in the game.
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Mohamad
Rebecca
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Julia Zichello, Sackler Educational Laboratory for Comparative Genomics and Human Origins @ AMNH
Noah Burg, Ornithology
Noah Burg, Ornithology
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Keywords: Bioinformatics, Evolutionary Biology, Genetics and Genomics, Systematics
Project: Genetic and Morphological Diversity of the European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) in North America Genetic and Morphological Diversity of the European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) in North America European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) have a historically well-documented arrival into North America. They were introduced into to New York in 1890. Starlings were part of an effort to populate Central Park with every bird featured in Shakespere’s plays. Sixty individuals were released in 1890, and another 40 in 1891. Since their arrival, starlings have spread rapidly, as far West as California, as far South as Mexico, and as far North as Alaska. Today, there are ~200 million starlings in North America. This project will be the first to investigate mitochondrial (mtDNA) and morphological diversity of European starlings in North America. Estimating genetic diversity will allow us to understand basic population parameters of their dispersal, and allow us to directly compare European starlings in North America with their parent population in England. Starlings are an ideal model for investigating the impact of population size changes on genetic diversity. New York is the location of the first introduced US starling population, which makes it the ideal location to begin an investigation of genetic diversity of these birds. Further, the story goes, the very first nesting pair of starlings was found in the eaves of the American Museum of Natural History. We will sequence several individuals from the New York area, and from populations throughout North America. We will also take standard morphological measurements from each specimen. This will allow us to better understand geographic distribution of genetic and phenotypic diversity and address fundamental evolutionary questions about how species change over time. 
Julia's Bio: I am the Senior Manager of the Sackler Educational Lab inside the Hall of Human Origins at the American Museum of Natural History. My educational background is in studying human and primate evolution. Specifically, I am interested in morphological and genetic diversity within species and how these two types of data mirror or contrast one another. Before I earned my PhD, I was a graphic designer. I made a big career switch because I fell in love with thinking about evolutionary patterns and biodiversity. And I found that there are a lot of similarities between art and science: both require keen observational skills, patience, and creativity. Currently, I am working on a new project investigating diversity in starlings: local birds that we see all over the lawn at the museum. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with SRMP students on this exciting project, and am hopeful that our work will reveal novel and exciting results.
Noah's Bio: Noah Burg has been interested in science since childhood where he grew up on the site of a nature preserve and experienced various wild animals that temporarily resided in his bathtub at home, the most memorable of which was a juvenile great horned owl. He became interested in science education when presented with an opportunity to get involved with a National Science Foundation sponsored chemistry and biology peer teaching program as an undergraduate. This interest in teaching led directly to a job in the Education Department at the American Museum of Natural History coordinating research internships and teaching after school classes in biodiversity and biology. Noah continues to develop his early interest in birds through his graduate research. He is based at Hunter College and the American Museum of Natural History for his doctoral research in ornithology. His research focuses on host parasite coevolution in avian brood parasitism, avian phylogeography, biogeography, and systematics.
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KaiXin
Jade
Angela
Valerie
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Rae Wynn-Grant; Center for Biodiversity and Conservation
Keywords: Conservation, Ecology
Project: I am conducting a large study on the impacts of human land use on carnivore ecology and human-carnivore conflict. This work focuses on the habitat selection and movement patterns of a population of black bears in the Lake Tahoe Basin of Nevada. Part of this work will be to ask “how do characteristics of the landscape influence risk of human-bear conflict?” To examine this, we will use a large database containing thousands of detailed accounts of black bear encounters by residents of Lake Tahoe. We will categorize these reports in terms of the type and magnitude of the conflict and the biological characteristics of the animals involved to look for patterns in the data and to determine what type of conflict is most prevalent in the region and which bears are most prone to conflict. We will then using Geographic Information Systems to map the locations of all of the conflicts and determine the landscape characteristics present at each location. Finally, we will combine both of these sets of information and use statistical modeling to explore trends in the data, including the probability that a certain location on the landscape has a high risk of human-bear conflict.This work is not only interesting for carnivore ecologists to learn more about how bears use their habitat, but also helps us to make recommendations for wildlife management. If we can determine that certain landscape features drive conflict with animals, policy makers in the Lake Tahoe Basin can better develop schemes to reduce conflict in these areas Bio: My name is Rae Wynn-Grant and I just completed my PhD at Columbia University this past Spring. I am now a postdoctoral research fellow at AMNH and study large carnivore conservation and human-wildlife conflict. More specifically, I am interested in how large carnivores use resources in their habitats and the implications for human-carnivore coexistence. I conduct my research in the Lake Tahoe Basin in western Nevada. I grew up in California, so I enjoy getting back to the western part of the country. When I’m not focused on science, I enjoy traveling to beaches, exploring New York City, and finding the best tacos this side of California. |
Omari
Brielle
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Richard Baker; Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics
Keywords: Evolutionary Biology; Genetics & Genomics
Project: My project will involve examining the molecular evolution (i.e. the rate of change for specific proteins) and expression dynamics (i.e. identifying in what tissues and gender these proteins are turned on) of reproductive proteins in stalk-eyed flies. These flies are distinct because of the elongation of the head into long stalks, essentially producing extreme hammerhead flies. The males use the head as a weapon to fight rival males and as an ornament to attract mates. These flies have becomes a model system for studying mating systems and reproductive biology. In addition to male head shape, sperm has undergone rapid change in these flies including the evolution of killer sperm that attacks competing sperm. The most recent SRMP projects have examined the rate of protein evolution among novel genes that are important in sperm production and function. The research involves both lab work (PCR, sequencing and sometimes RNA work) and bioinformatics (collecting and organizing DNA sequences from outside databases). Bio: After receiving my PhD in 1999, I conducted postdoc research at University College London and the Joint Genome Institute (near San Francisco, CA). I joined the Sackler Lab at AMNH in 2007 and have been mentoring SRMP students for the past seven years. I live in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. |
Fem
Prithi
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Luciana Gusmao; Invertebrate Zoology
Keywords: Evolutionary Biology; Genetics, Systematics, Taxonomy\
Project: My research focus on sea anemones, very simple and yet very diverse marine invertebrates found in all latitudes from shallow coral reefs to the deepest marine habitats. Their ubiquitous distribution is facilitated by their propensity to engage in symbiotic relationships with other animals, including hermit crabs, mollusks, and clown fish, as well as the presence of certain anatomical adaptions. We will be focusing on the description of deep-sea anemones collected in the Southern Atlantic and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. In order to identify the species found in these areas, we will examine these animals under stereomicroscope and microscope and use molecular techniques to generate data and test our morphological findings. This will help us identify and distinguish species and evaluate how anatomical changes occurred in evolutionary time. In addition, we will examine the distribution of species in the deep-sea floor to infer biogeographic patterns in the Southern Atlantic. During this study, we will describe an ecologically important group of anemones that exhibit a venus flytrap anatomy analogous to the terrestrial carnivorous plant. These species are found in areas of the deep-sea that display characteristics similar to the environments where these plants are found. In summary, you will be taken through the steps necessary to describe biodiversity, including the identification of species using both morphological and molecular techniques and you’ll become familiar with the computational background used to generate evolutionary and biogeographical patterns. While you’ll be trained in the identification of sea anemones, the techniques we use will be applicable to any organism you may be interested in studying in the future. Bio: I’m a Brazilian postdoctoral researcher at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) and I’m interested in the biodiversity, biogeography and evolution of sea anemones. During my research, I have traveled extensively visiting museum collections as well as scuba diving to collect animals for my studies. Back in the lab I examine the sea anemones whole and in dissections using microscopes, stereomicroscopes and histological sections in addition to molecular techniques in order to describe their anatomy, distribution and phylogenetic relationships. Additionally, I have worked in the medical field (cancer diagnosis) using the histological techniques employed in my work with sea anemones. |
Elena
Sebastian
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Claudia Wultsch; Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics
Keywords: Conservation; Ecology; Genetics & Genomics
Project: Maintaining healthy populations of large predators is crucial for preserving ecosystem structure and biodiversity. Large predators are top-level consumers in the food web and regulate species below them (e.g., browsing mammals, mesopredators), which ultimately helps to maintain ecosystems’ health. In high-diversity tropical environments, however, food webs are more complex and further studies are needed, especially with increasing levels of human impact on the environment. The primary goal of this study is to examine the feeding ecology of jaguars (Panthera onca), the largest wild cat of the Americas, by using noninvasively collected fecal samples and DNA metabarcoding techniques. By studying dietary food habitats of this large Neotropical predator across complex landscapes, valuable baseline data will be gathered, which ultimately helps to improve biodiversity conservation and management efforts. What to expect: This project is great for everybody who has an interest in the ecology of big cats and the application of innovative DNA methods to study them. Students will be helping with various tasks of this research project:
+ Read various scientific papers on jaguar ecology, DNA metabarcoding etc.
+ Application of different software programs (Geographic Information Systems and R) for further ecological inference + If time allows, students will also help with some lab work
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Alejandro
Tatyana
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Bio: I am a postdoctoral research fellow in the Comparative Genomics department at the American Museum of Natural History. I have been working in the field of carnivore conservation studying various bear and cat species in the Americas, Europe, and Asia for over ten years. My current research addresses conservation and management related questions, examining the genetic status and connectivity of various threatened felid species, including jaguars, lions, leopards, and snow leopards existing across fragmented landscapes. I enjoy exploring newest research technologies in the field and laboratory to study these elusive species and gather valuable information, which ultimately improves conservation and management decisions.
And I love dogs!
And I love dogs!
Brian Shearer, Anthropology
Keywords: Evolutionary Biology; Physical Anthropology; Systematics; Taxonomy
Project: The semicircular canals are a series of three interconnected anatomical structures in the inner ear that function to help coordinate balance in mammals. These structures have been studied in adult mammals, but no studies have been conducted on the change in the shape or size of the semicircular canals throughout the life sequence of any group of mammals. For this study, we will be examining the semicircular canals in primates. Our main study group will include gorillas, chimpanzees, and a series of different species of monkeys, which we will examine using CT and MRI scans of whole animals from the AMNH collections. The goal will be to determine if there are significant changes in the shape or size of the semicircular canals in these primates through different life stages, and if these possible changes can inform us about the evolution of different patterns of primate movement. To determine if there is potentially any evolutionary significance to our findings, we will also include CT scans of extinct fossil primates for comparison. Primates are a particularly good study group for this project as 1) they exhibit many different forms of locomotion, 2) these locomotor patterns have evolved multiple times in different evolutionary lineages, and 3) primate infants and juveniles have to move in different ways than their adult counterparts because of the complexity of living in trees. Students will receive training in the theory of generating surface and CT/MRI scans, will actively participate in rendering and segmentation of scans, will learn detailed human and comparative primate anatomy, and will be instructed on how to manipulate and manage large data sets. |
Diana
Elise
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Bio: I'm a Ph.D Candidate at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. I study human and non-human primate evolution from multiple angles. Most of my research involves either either fossils or the study of extant primates through comparative anatomy. Recently I've begun to incorporate technology such as CT and MRI scanners to better understand the evolution of primates in a non-destructive way via digital dissection of rare specimens. I teach a number of courses at different CUNY campuses, and have recently started teaching Gross Anatomy to the medical students at NYU. I also am actively involved in paleontology fieldwork, and am lucky to get to spend my summers in Colombia, where I am part of the La Venta paleontology project.
Personal website
Lais Araujo Coelho and Brian Weeks, Ornithology, AMNH & Columbia University
Keywords: Genetics & Genomics; Evolution, Systematics
Project: Is the relationship between dispersal and diversification rate different for birds on islands and continents? Why have some groups of birds accumulated species quickly, while others have diversified more slowly? This question was underlying a classic study of birds in the South Pacific by two of the most influential scientists of the 20th century: Jared Diamond and Ernst Mayr. Mayr and Diamond suggested that differences in dispersal abilities could determine the rate of speciation, potentially helping to explain why some bird lineages are species-rich, and others are less diverse. We will build on the classic work of Mayr and Diamond by testing the hypothesis that in areas with continuous habitats, dispersal inhibits speciation, while in areas of discontinuous habitats, dispersal stimulates speciation. Our study will be global in scale, and we will use groups of island birds to represent lineages that diversified in discontinuous habitats, and continental relatives to represent lineages that diversified in continuous habitats. Bio: Brian and Lais are both PhD students at Columbia University, but are advised by Joel Cracraft at AMNH. Brian studies birds in the South Pacific – mostly the Solomon Islands – which means a lot of travel to the Solomons to live in a tent in the rainforest watching birds! His research is focused on the feeding behaviors of different bird species that forage in mixed-species flocks, and also on understanding the diversification histories of the birds he’s observing. You can see more about his work and interests at: bcweeks@weebly.com. Lais’ research focuses on the origins of diversity in South American birds, where she focuses on understanding the roles of environmental change in the speciation and extinction of different groups of birds. |
Jannatul
Josh Turner
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Jackie Lacey, Anthropology
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Keywords: Cultural Anthropology
Project: This year, I am inviting SRMP students to join in on a project I began in 2011 looking at the way plants and animals are utilized by people in North Sudan to make medicinal products. The practice of making medicines from animals based on traditional cultural and environmental knowledge is called zootherapy. My project is an investigation in which zootherapeutic practices are part of contemporary Sudanese Traditional Medicine and which practices may have their roots in practices we can learn about from archeological sites that might be hundreds or thousands of years old. The part of Sudan that I work in is an island in the middle of the Nile River, which is isolated from the cities and is an area where Western biomedical practices are less available. You can help me figure out how the knowledge of a place that people have developed over generations is paired with new knowledge gained by people in an ever-changing world to create belief systems and medical practices that contributes to peoples sense of health and well-being. I also explore the way zootherapy helps us to understand the way people and animals form relationships and how humans view animals as part of the natural world (and vice versa!) I will be in North Sudan from late September until mid October completing more fieldwork on this project, so students will be coming into the project right as fresh findings are rolling in! You will learn how to record and interpret field notes, how to identify various plants and animals species based on photographs, field notes and samples and learn how to analyze various phenomena through a social science lens. You will also learn about the chemistry that might be underpinning why a group of people might, say, for example, be treating blurry vision with the urine of a hedgehog. This project sit at the intersection of public health, anthropology, and biology, so students with any interest in any of all are welcome! |
Mahmuda
Raisha
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Bio: Jacklyn Lacey is curatorial associate of African and Pacific Ethnology at the American Museum of Natural History. Her recent work is exploring the intersections of infectious disease epidemiology, medical anthropology, and anthropocene studies. A webinar discussion organized by AAA on the anthropologists' role in Ebola is available on YouTube. Her work at AMNH analyzes museum discourses on African culture and technology. She has a background in virology and medical anthropology, previously working in public health education in Tanzania, HIV/AIDS testing and research at African Services Committee in Harlem, and in Drew Cressman's NSF-funded immunology lab at Sarah Lawrence College.
Physical Science
Juan Marcos Santander, Astrophysics
Keywords: Observational & Theoretical Astrophysics
Project: Cosmic rays are high energy charged particles that continuously bombard the Earth from every direction. More than 100 years since their discovery, the source of these particles remains unknown, although it is expected that they could be accelerated to their extreme energies by supernova remnants, or supermassive black holes at the center of distant galaxies. As cosmic rays travel through space, or as they’re being accelerated, they interact with radiation and ambient gas producing highJenergy gamma rays and neutrinos. Finding an astrophysical object that emits both neutrinos and gamma rays would solve the longJstanding mystery of the origin of cosmic rays. The research project involves the analysis of gammaJray observations taken by NASA’s Fermi gammaJ ray space telescope to search for gammaJray sources at locations in the sky where neutrinos have been detected by the IceCube neutrino telescope located at the South Pole. It is possible that the sources of the neutrinos are very far away from us, and a second project involves the search for new gammaJray sources in the Fermi data that have not been previously detected. Bio: I'm a postdoctoral scientist at Barnard College of Columbia University working on high energy astrophysics with the VERITAS gamma ray observatory and the IceCube neutrino telescope. My main research interest is finding the sources of cosmic rays, the highest energy particles known to exist in Nature. Combining observations of high energy neutrinos and gamma rays could reveal the extreme astrophysical objects emitting cosmic rays. I'm also involved in the design and construction of CTA, a next generation gamma ray observatory. I got my bachelor’s degree in Argentina, where I'm from, and in 2013 I received my PhD in physics from the University of Wisconsin Madison. http://www.nevis.columbia.edu/~santander |
Robyn
Steven
Emma
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Nathan Leigh, Astrophysics
Keywords: Theoretical Astrophysics
Project: This study relates to chaotic gravitational interactions between stars. These types of interactions occur commonly throughout the Universe, and are thought to be at the forefront of some of the most exciting puzzles of modern astronomy. To study these chaotic encounters, I use a computer program called FEWBODY, which performs simulations of gravitational interactions involving small numbers of stars (i.e. 3, 4, 5, etc.). The program is easy to use, and is ideal for research purposes on a modern laptop. A few example simulations can be viewed here (see the section called Stellar Encounters): http://faculty.wcas.northwestern.edu/aaron-geller/visuals.php Surprisingly, a solution to the three-body problem in Newtonian gravity has eluded scientists for centuries. Thus, interactions involving 4, 5, 6, etc. objects have hardly ever been considered, let alone studied in detail. This leaves enormous potential for using FEWBODY to address a number of interesting astrophysical questions related to complex gravitational interactions involving stars, black holes, neutron stars, white dwarfs, etc. Specifically, the goal of this study is to develop an equation for the probability for any two stars to collide. For example, consider an encounter involving three Sun-like stars and one black hole. What is the probability that the black hole will collide with a Sun-like star? Using our derived equation, we will calculate a prediction for the likelihood of this event (let’s take p = 0.10 for the sake of our example). If we run many simulations of encounters between a black hole and three Sun-like stars, the black hole will consume a star in 10% of the simulations. This is a continuation of a similar project I began last year working with SRMP students. We completed a paper that is about to be submitted for publication. This year, we are going to expand on this initial study to further develop the formalism to include more realistic encounter scenarios, for more direct application to real astrophysical problems. Bio: My name is Nathan Leigh, and I am a theoretical astrophysicist. I study gravity and its role in moving stars, clusters and galaxies in space and time. One such focus involves direct collisions between stars in dense environments, such as massive star clusters and galactic nuclei. I also study the dynamics of black holes, and make predictions for what astronomers should expect to find for their properties and numbers when performing observations of the cosmos. |
Harper
Alejandro
James
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Alex Zirakparvar, Earth and Planetary Science
Keywords: Earth and Planetary Science
Project: For many of Earth’s living organisms the difference between going extinct, barely surviving, or thriving is defined by the ability to adapt to changes in the availability of the critical resources in that organism’s environment. As human beings, we are fortunate to live in a time of advanced technology. However, the pace of technological innovation has created a series of looming resource availability crises that will impact different parts of the world in different ways. Specific to this project is the fact that all of our advanced electronics rely on complex materials that are made from elements that were of little economic value 30 years ago. The Rare Earth Elements (REE) are one such group of elements. At present, it is estimated that China produces >95% of the world’s REE, thus leaving the technology innovation and manufacturing sectors of most other countries’ economies vulnerable to supply interruptions and REE price volatility. While China is the #1 producer of the world’s REE, it does not hold the majority of the geologic deposits containing the critically important REE. In the U.S.A., there is currently great interest in both the federal and private sectors to better understand domestic REE reserves and to identify new REE bearing materials. As part of this research project, you will work with me to identify and characterize a variety of geologic materials that have the potential to be new sources of the REE. You will learn basic Earth Science research techniques while also working on a project that utilizes cutting-edge science. You will also be working on a problem of national and global significance. Bio: I am a geologist who uses geochemistry to understand processes operating within the solid Earth. I am a postdoctoral fellow here at the museum where I conduct scientific research in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and teach in the museum’s masters degree program for Earth Science teachers. I came here after finishing a PhD at Syracuse University, but I have lived in many places all over the world throughout my life. When not researching or teaching, I spend time with my wife and son- often subjecting them to one of my favorite pastimes, hunting for rocks and minerals! |
Patrick
Lucie
Issac
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Imre Bartos, Columbia University
Keywords: Observational Astrophysics, Theoretical Astrophysics
Project: You will join the hunt for black holes with the most advanced astrophysics instruments. The LIGO detectors found colliding black holes for the first time last year, and there are many more out there to be discovered. To help get the most out of black hole detections, you will study how black holes can come to collide, in the very centers of distant galaxies. This will involve the calculation of how black holes move and interact with each other and their environment, and what happens to matter as it falls into black holes. This will be an opportunity to learn about the most extreme explosions in the Universe, and how they are studied with a variety of instruments. Depending on your interest, the work can involve analytical or numerical calculations, and the chance to explore the operation of gravitational wave, neutrino or electromagnetic observatories. Bio: I am a Research Scientist at Columbia University, where I study extreme cosmic explosions related to the birth and death of black holes. I am a member of the LIGO Collaboration, which recently discovered gravitational waves from colliding black holes a billion light years away. In my free time I am interested in the biological applications of optics to fight malaria in sub-Saharan Africa and to better understand neurological diseases. I investigate cosmic explosions through studying them with a variety of instruments simultaneously (gravitational wave and neutrino detectors, gamma-ray satellites and telescopes). My tools include data analysis, theoretical studies and computer simulations.. For more information: http://imrebartos.com/ |
Langston
Mariam
Abraham
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Rondi Davies, Earth and Planetary Science
Keywords: Earth & Planetary Science
There are two projects to choose from. One is an observational study of textures in black jade rocks formed in a high-pressure metamorphic environment at a plate tectonic boundary. We will be looking for evidence of the former rock prior to becoming black jade. This will involve petrographic microscope studies documenting the textures in these rocks. In addition, we hope to map the chemical nature of the rocks. This study will lead to a publication in a scientific journal. More specifically: The Guatemala Suture Zone (now a NOAM-CARIB boundary zone) is known for a pair of subduction-related serpentinite-matrix mélanges containing blocks of eclogites, jadeitites, and related rocks that record both high-P/low-T conditions and fluid-transport crystallization products. Among these rocks from the North Motagua Mélange (NMM) but not the South Motagua Mélange (SMM; in relation to the Motagua Fault) is a tough black lithology found with jadeitite, locally referred to as black jade. Black jade is essentially bi-mineralic and appears to be metasomatized metabasalts. However, if they are, there should be vestiges of the pre-existing rock (protolith) somewhere within the textures of them. The SRMP project would be to look carefully at thin sections for evidence of pre-existing or relict minerals within the samples or pseudomorphic textures. The project would largely involve looking at these sections carefully with a petrographic microscope, documenting with images of textures. In addition, students could look at electron probe maps that show some relict features. The second project deals with the mineral collection and bringing one portion of it up to speed by examining specimens to document them better; we cannot be sure that the basic identifications are all correct. This would help the collection and preparation for the new mineral hall. The specimens are from New York City, of which there are over 500. This work will involve going through the database and targeting those that show many species but have not been adequately described. The results could become a web-resource generally available but also linked to the case I intend to have in the new halls about New York City minerals. |
Rosa
Carlos
Khakima
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Bio: Rondi chose geology as she wanted a career doing something where she could be connected with nature, but she soon realized geology offers so much more; it opens a door to understanding the events and processes that have created our Earth. An interest in high-pressure minerals led her to doctorate and postdoctorate research in the study of diamonds at Sydney's Macquarie University. Rondi Davies came to the American Museum of Natural History as postdoctoral research scientist in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences where she studies high pressure minerals. Her research led to the Museum's educational outreach programs such as SRMP. Today she spends a lot of her time teaching about the Earth and how it works. Video Bio
Kim Fendrich, Earth and Planetary Science
Keywords: Observational Astronomy
Project: – Chondrites are meteorites that contain some of the oldest, most primitive materials in the solar system that have not been modified by melting or planetary differentiation. They provide valuable insight into the formation and accretion of the earliest solids in the solar system, the precursors to planets. This project will focus on CM chondrites, which are composed of chondrules, calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs), and minerals such as olivine. Our objective is to characterize the relative abundances, sizes, shapes, and compositions of the free-floating objects in space that combined to form these chondrites. The student will measure inclusions in a CM chondrite by applying quantitative image analysis to x-ray element maps obtained from the electron microprobe (see image). Through this study, the student will develop a better understanding of solar system origins and meteorite petrology. Bio: I am the Confocal Microscopy Specialist in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at AMNH. I graduated with my Master’s Degree in Geosciences from the University of Arizona this past spring. During my graduate career, I studied mineralogy and crystallography, focusing on the identification of the atomic structure of various minerals. I was also part of NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory mission, working on a team that operates the Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) X-ray diffraction instrument on board the Curiosity rover. In 2006, the NASA Stardust mission returned to Earth with samples of dust from Comet Wild 2/81P. Here at the museum, I use a confocal microscope and other instruments to analyze these dust particles to gain insight into the early stages of solar system formation. 
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Vivian
Nathanel
Annie
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