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27 May 2000 - 5 August 2000 A total of 22 students were selected to participate in the 2000 session of the Research Training Program including 4 international students representing Borneo, Colombia, Germany, and Guyana. Schedule
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Program
Summary We sincerely wish we could give all applicants a chance to participate in the natural history research activities at the Smithsonian. However; time, funding, and space limit the number of students we can accommodate. A total of 267 applications were received for placement in the summer 2000 program. All were considered carefully. Unfortunately, only 20 - 24 positions are available this summer in the RTP. Letters of status were mailed to all applicants on Wednesday, 8 March 2000. We thank all applicants for considering our program. Please note: many Smithsonian staff are seeking student volunteers to assist them with various aspects of their research and collections management. If interested in a volunteer/non-paid internship position CONTACT US . Hosted by the RTP, an "Internship Fair" was held at the Smithsonian on Monday, 3 April 2000 to match applications from students interested in volunteering their time at the NMNH with staff seeking an intern/volunteer. Applications from students interested in joining us this summer were posted for staff to review and select. Check this web site for information concerning volunteer internship placement. Following is the list of students selected to participate in the 2000 Research Training Program. In addition, 18 students are identified as alternates. APPLICANT NAME (Last, first) Albright,
Amanda Leigh Ms. Albright is from Altoona, Pennyslvania. She is currently a Junior at Juniata College where she is majoring in both Geology and History. She is particularly interested in anthropology and archeology. Last summer she worked on a research project studying sections of the Reedsville Shale and the Bald Eagle Conglomerate. From this project she will be presenting a formal lecture to the Geological Society of America's northeastern conference this March. She plans to obtain a doctoral degree in the field of Geology. Research Advisor:
Geologist. B.A. (1979) University of Virginia; Ph.D. (1987) University of Manitoba. Research specialties: mineralogy, petrology, and geochemistry of pegmatites; petrogenesis and evolution of pegmatites and pegmatite-generating granites; systematic mineralogy; regional distribution of pegmatites in the Appalachians. Proposed Research Topic: The student and advisor, together, will develop the research topic based on the expertise of the advisor, the facilities and collections available, and the career goals and interests of the student. This research will focus on studying the Emmons pegmatite, a mineralogically and chemically complex pegmatite found in southern Maine. Many aspects of the pegmatite are poorly documented (e.g., mineral diversity, the internal zonation, chemical evolution). The objective of this study is to determine the mineralogical evolution of the pegmatite by examining and describing the textural relationships between major rock-forming and accessory minerals. Chemical analysis of selected minerals may be performed to complement the descriptive portion of the study. A formal proposal summarizing the hypothesis being tested, the protocol designed to test the hypothesis, and a timetable to complete the research is due 6 June 2000. A preliminary manuscript summarizing the research is due 26 July 2000. The results will be presented to the Smithsonian community during a formal seminar 31 July - 1 August 2000 and a poster session 3 August 2000. Funding to support Ms. Albright's participation in the Research Training Program is being provided by a grant from the National Science Foundation's Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program - award number DBI-9820303. Angarita,
Hector Enrique Mr. Angarita is from Santefe de Bogota, Columbia. He is currently a senior at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana where he is majoring in Ecology with a particular interest in conservation biology, evolution and diversity of mammals. He is presently preparing two manuscripts as a result of his honor thesis, to be submitted to Bat Research News and Journal of Mammalogy for future publication. He plans to work as a researcher and teacher at a university in Columbia. Research Advisor:
Curator of Mammals. B.A. (1945) Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; M.A. (1948), Ph.D. (1955) University of Michigan. Research specialties: systematics, biogeography, ecology, and natural history of mammals of the Western Hemisphere; bats of tropical America. Proposed Research Topic: The student and advisor, together, will develop the research topic based on the expertise of the advisor, the facilities and collections available, and the career goals and interests of the student. The details of this research are yet to be determined. A formal proposal summarizing the hypothesis being tested, the protocol designed to test the hypothesis, and a timetable to complete the research is due 6 June 2000. A preliminary manuscript summarizing the research is due 26 July 2000. The results will be presented to the Smithsonian community during a formal seminar 31 July - 1 August 2000 and a poster session 3 August 2000. Funding to support Mr. Angarita's participation in the Research Training Program is being provided by a grant from the Smithsonian Women's Committee. Arunachalam,
Sudha Ms. Arunachalam is from Southport, Connecticut. She is currently a Junior at the University of Southern California where she is majoring in Linguistics with a particular interest in historical linguistics. She plans to continue on to graduate school, and to become a university professor in linguistics. Research Advisor:
Curator, Anthropology (Linguistics). A.B. (1963) Harvard College; Ph.D. (1969) Harvard University. Research specialties: linguistics and North America; general linguistics including descriptive, historical, and theoretical; textual analysis, discourse, philology; Algonquian linguistics, and ethnohistory. Proposed Research Topic: The student and advisor, together, will develop the research topic based on the expertise of the advisor, the facilities and collections available, and the career goals and interests of the student. This project will study the complex shape alternations assumed by morphemes in the inflectional paradigms of Unami (Oklahoma Delaware), an Algonquian language, by being described in different theoretical frameworks. Frameworks that fail to account for the facts in a satisfying way will be identified. The results will be compared to the reconstructed history of the language to help select between alternative solutions. Published and unpublished data will be used. A formal proposal summarizing the hypothesis being tested, the protocol designed to test the hypothesis, and a timetable to complete the research is due 6 June 2000. A preliminary manuscript summarizing the research is due 26 July 2000. The results will be presented to the Smithsonian community during a formal seminar 31 July - 1 August 2000 and a poster session 3 August 2000. Funding to support Ms. Arunachalam's participation in the Research Training Program is being provided by a grant from the National Science Foundation's Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program - award number DBI-9820303. Berger,
Andrea Elizabeth Ms. Berger is from Sherman, Connecticut. She is currently a Sophomore at the Wesleyan University where she is majoring in Archaeology with a particular interest in Biology and Geology. During the summer of 1999, she was a Teaching Assistant at the University of New Mexico's Bio-Archaeology Field School where she sparked an interest in human skeletal biology and its application in archaeology. She plans to attend graduate school and obtain a degree in Archaeology or Osteology. Research Advisor:
Director of the Repatriation Osteology Laboratory. B.A. (1985), The University of Maryland, College Park. M.A. (1993), Ph.D. (1997), The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Research specialties: North American Indian skeletal biology;Forensic Anthropology;Statistical approaches to human variation and skeletal biology. Proposed Research Topic: The student and advisor, together, will develop the research topic based on the expertise of the advisor, the facilities and collections available, and the career goals and interests of the student. However, this project will most likely center on the need for museums involved in repatriation to be able to distinguish between Native American postcranial remains and those from other groups, especially Whites. Discriminant functions perform very well on 20th century Whites and Blacks, but museums need to use data from 19th century samples, such as the Terry collection at the Smithsonian Institution. The project goal is to find the best variables to use on postcranial remains from the 19th century. Since 19th century Whites, Blacks, and American Indians differ enough in measurements of their postcrania (below the head) they can be reliably separated in a discriminant function. A formal proposal summarizing the hypothesis being tested, the protocol designed to test the hypothesis, and a timetable to complete the research is due 6 June 2000. A preliminary manuscript summarizing the research is due 26 July 2000. The results will be presented to the Smithsonian community during a formal seminar 31 July - 1 August 2000 and a poster session 3 August 2000. Funding to support Ms. Berger's participation in the Research Training Program is being provided by a grant from the National Science Foundation's Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program - award number DBI-9820303. Brandley,
Matthew Christopher Mr. Brandley is from Moore, Oklahoma. He is currently a senior at the University of Oklahoma where he is majoring in Zoology with a particular interest in evolutionary biology. He is currently studying the ecological morphology of skinks in the genus Eumeces in North America and will be submitting the results for possible publication in a peer-reviewed journal. He plans to obtain a Ph.D. and become a university professor and researcher. Research Advisor:
Associate Curator. B.A. (1978) University of California, Los Angeles; M.S. (1985) San Diego State University; Ph.D. (1989) University of California, Berkeley. Research specialties: systematics and evolutionary biology of reptiles; theory and methods of phylogenetic systematics. Proposed Research Topic: The student and advisor, together, will develop the research topic based on the expertise of the advisor, the facilities and collections available, and the career goals and interests of the student.This research will focus on the phylogentic relationships among species within a clade of lizards. The student will collect and analyze morphological data to estimate phylogenetic relationships among the species within a clade of scincid or iguanid lizards. The student will learn how to define morphological characters and characters states, to score organisms and species for those characters and states, to perform parsimony analyses of the data, and to interpret the results. A formal proposal summarizing the hypothesis being tested, the protocol designed to test the hypothesis, and a timetable to complete the research is due 6 June 2000. A preliminary manuscript summarizing the research is due 26 July 2000. The results will be presented to the Smithsonian community during a formal seminar 31 July - 1 August 2000 and a poster session 3 August 2000. Funding to support Mr. Brandley. s participation in the Research Training Program is being provided by a grant from the National Science Foundation's Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program - award number DBI-9820303. Chapa,
Diana Noelia Ms. Chapa is from Brownsville, Texas. She is currently a Freshman at the University of Texas at Brownsville where she is majoring in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. She is particularily interested in entomology and in research focusing on the relationship between insects and diseases. She plans to attend medical school and become a physician. Research Advisor:
Research Paleobiologist and Curator of Foraminifera. B.A. (1981) University of Akron; M.S. (1984), Ph.D. (1988) Ohio State University. Research specialties: study of Cretaceous climates and oceanography; biostratigraphy and paleobiogeography of Cretaceous and Paleogene foraminifera; evolution of Late Cretaceous planktonic foraminifera. Proposed Research Topic: The student and advisor, together, will develop the research topic based on the expertise of the advisor, the facilities and collections available, and the career goals and interests of the student. This research will focus on editing digital Scanning Electron Microscope images using Adobe Photoshop and maintaining the information in an Excel spreadsheet. A formal proposal summarizing the hypothesis being tested, the protocol designed to test the hypothesis, and a timetable to complete the research is due 6 June 2000. A preliminary manuscript summarizing the research is due 26 July 2000. The results will be presented to the Smithsonian community during a formal seminar 31 July - 1 August 2000 and a poster session 3 August 2000. Funding to support Ms. Chapa's participation in the Research Training Program is being provided by a grant from the National Science Foundation's Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation Program (LSAMP)- award number HRD-9732790. Chischilly,
Stella Lindsay - canceled Ms. Chischilly is from Window Rock, AZ. She is currently a Sophomore at the Haskell Indian Nations University where she is majoring in Biology/Chemistry. She is particularily interested in biomedical research. Her career goal is to work in the biomedical research field. Research Advisor:
Research Botanist and Director, Biological Diversity of the Guianas (BDG) program. B.S. (1969), M.S. (1975), Ph.D. (1980) Ohio State University. Research specialties: systematics of the Compositae, theoretical cladistics and biogeography, and methods for estimating biodiversity. Proposed Research Topic: The student and advisor, together, will develop the research topic based on the expertise of the advisor, the facilities and collections available, and the career goals and interests of the student. The details of this research are yet to be determined. A formal proposal summarizing the hypothesis being tested, the protocol designed to test the hypothesis, and a timetable to complete the research is due 6 June 2000. A preliminary manuscript summarizing the research is due 26 July 2000. The results will be presented to the Smithsonian community during a formal seminar 31 July - 1 August 2000 and a poster session 3 August 2000. Funding to support Ms. Chischilly's participation in the Research Training Program is being provided by a grant from the National Science Foundation's Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation Program (LSAMP)- award number HRD-9732790. Dikow,
Torsten Mr. Dikow is from Rostock, Germany. He is currently in the fourth year of a five year program at the University of Rostock, Germany where he is majoring in Zoology with a minor in entomology and botany. He is particularly interested in systematics and taxonomy, specifically in phylogenetic systematics. In order to gain experience with fauna and flora very different from Germany, he decided to study abroad for one year and registered at the University of Natal in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, where he is currently studying entomology. He plans to develop his career as a systematist and ultimately work at a natural history museum or at a university. Research Advisor:
Curator of Diptera, Department of Entomology. B.A. (1969) Brigham Young University; Ph.D. (1976) Oregon State University. Research specialties: systematics, biology, and zoogeography of Canacidae, Tethrnidae, and Ephydroidea, with special emphasis on Ephydridae. Proposed Research Topic: The student and advisor, together, will develop the research topic based on the expertise of the advisor, the facilities and collections available, and the career goals and interests of the student. This research will focus on a collections based systematic project on Diptera or true flies. The research will primarily entail discovery and analysis of morphological evidence to determine the identities and relationships of a specific group of Diptera. A formal proposal summarizing the hypothesis being tested, the protocol designed to test the hypothesis, and a timetable to complete the research is due 6 June 2000. A preliminary manuscript summarizing the research is due 26 July 2000. The results will be presented to the Smithsonian community during a formal seminar 31 July - 1 August 2000 and a poster session 3 August 2000. Funding to support Mr. Dikow's participation in the Research Training Program is being provided by a grant from the Smithsonian Women's Committee. Farke,
Andrew Allen Mr. Farke is from Armour, South Dakota. He is currently a Freshman at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology where he is majoring in Geology with an emphasis in biology and vertebrate paleontology. He is particularly interested in applying new methods to the field of paleontology. He plans to obtain a doctoral degree in vertebrate paleontology and work at a museum or university. Research Advisor:
Curator of Arachnida and Myriapoda. B.A. (1975) Yale; M.A. (1978), Ph.D. (1984) Harvard University. Research specialties: systematics and behavior of spiders. Proposed Research Topic: The student and advisor, together, will develop the research topic based on the expertise of the advisor, the facilities and collections available, and the career goals and interests of the student. This research will focus on the problem of a long statistical pedigree in estimating the number of unknown classes in a population. The most obvious biological applications are estimating population size from mark-recapture studies or the number of species in a local community, but problems at large scales may be similar in kind. This project will employ known statistical techniques to investigate the feasibility of estimating clade size from sample data. The data will be drawn from diverse paleontological and neontological sources such museum collections, taxonomic monographs and internet data bases. Taxa will range from thoroughly censussed clades to scarcely understood megadiverse groups. A formal proposal summarizing the hypothesis being tested, the protocol designed to test the hypothesis, and a timetable to complete the research is due 6 June 2000. A preliminary manuscript summarizing the research is due 26 July 2000. The results will be presented to the Smithsonian community during a formal seminar 31 July - 1 August 2000 and a poster session 3 August 2000. Funding to support Mr.Farke's participation in the Research Training Program is being provided by a grant from the National Science Foundation's Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program - award number DBI-9820303. Fuentes,
Stephanie Renee Ms. Fuentes is from Whitestone, New York. She is currently a Junior at the State University of New York where she is majoring in both Geological Sciences and Anthropology. She is particularly interested in paleoecology and evolution. Last summer she worked on the Frasnian-Famennian extinction and biostratigraphy with conodont fauna where she toured the country and conducted an independent project on the black shales of Kentucky. From this project she will be presenting a paper in a formal lecture to the Geological Society of America's northeastern conference this March. She plans to obtain a doctoral degree and pursue a career in research and academia. Research Advisor:
Research Paleobiologist and Curator Paleozoic Mollusks. A.B. (1980) Colgate University; Ph.D. (1985) University of California, Santa Barbara. Research specialties: large scale evolutionary radiations and the Permian mass extinction; evolutionary history and systematics, particularly the Cambrian metazoan radiation and Cambrian-Triassic gastropods. Proposed Research Topic: The student and advisor, together, will develop the research topic based on the expertise of the advisor, the facilities and collections available, and the career goals and interests of the student. This research will focus on the biogeographic patterns associated with the radiation of the earliest animals, known as the Ediacaran Fauna, during the late Neoproterozoic. This project will involve developing a database from the literature, conducting statistical analyses, and synthesizing the results. A formal proposal summarizing the hypothesis being tested, the protocol designed to test the hypothesis, and a timetable to complete the research is due 6 June 2000. A preliminary manuscript summarizing the research is due 26 July 2000. The results will be presented to the Smithsonian community during a formal seminar 31 July - 1 August 2000 and a poster session 3 August 2000. Funding to support Ms. Fuente's participation in the Research Training Program is being provided by a grant from NASA. Helgen,
Kristofer Michael Mr. Helgen is from Coon Rapids, Minnesota. He is currently a Junior at Harvard University where he is majoring in Biology. He is particularly interested in mammalogy. He also works in the Mammal Department at the Museum of Comparative Zoology as a collection assistant, speciman preparer, and independent researcher. He plans to enroll in a graduate program in mammalian systematics and obtain a curatorial position in a museum or university. Research Advisor:
Director, Office of Biodiversity Programs. B.A. (1965) University of Arizona; M.S. (1967), Ph.D. (1970) University of New Mexico. Research specialties: evolutionary biology of mammals, especially bats. Proposed Research Topic: The student and advisor, together, will develop the research topic based on the expertise of the advisor, the facilities and collections available, and the career goals and interests of the student. The details of this research are yet to be determined. A formal proposal summarizing the hypothesis being tested, the protocol designed to test the hypothesis, and a timetable to complete the research is due 6 June 2000. A preliminary manuscript summarizing the research is due 26 July 2000. The results will be presented to the Smithsonian community during a formal seminar 31 July - 1 August 2000 and a poster session 3 August 2000. Funding to support Mr. Helgen's participation in the Research Training Program is being provided by a grant from the National Science Foundation's Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program - award number DBI-9820303. Hensley,
Tabitha Michele Ms. Hensley is from Lilburn, Georgia. She is currently a Senior at University of New Orleans where she is majoring in Geology. She is particularly interested in igneous petrology, but is also interested in geochemistry, volcanology, and tectonics. She plans to obtain a doctoral degree in the geosciences and pursue a career in research and academia. Research Advisor:
Geologist; Director, Global Volcanism Program. B.A. (1975) University of Illinois, Urbana; M.A. (1977), Ph.D. (1980) University of California, Berkeley. Research specialties: Mexican volcanoes; petrology of volcanic rocks from subduction- related continental arcs; petrology of volcanic rocks and xenoliths from continental rift zones; magmatic volatiles. Proposed Research Topic: The student and advisor, together, will develop the research topic based on the expertise of the advisor, the facilities and collections available, and the career goals and interests of the student. This project will center on examining a compiled petrologic database from the Quaternary volcanoes of Central America to investigate regional geochemical trends, and relationships to age, position, and tectonic parameters, such as crustal thickness, distance from the trench, and proximity to cross-arc fracture zones. A formal proposal summarizing the hypothesis being tested, the protocol designed to test the hypothesis, and a timetable to complete the research is due 6 June 2000. A preliminary manuscript summarizing the research is due 26 July 2000. The results will be presented to the Smithsonian community during a formal seminar 31 July - 1 August 2000 and a poster session 3 August 2000. Funding to support Ms. Hensley's participation in the Research Training Program is being provided by a grant from the National Science Foundation's Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program - award number DBI-9820303. Jackson,
Matthew Walker Mr. Jackson is from Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is currently a Freshman at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology where he is majoring in Biology with a particular interest in Botany. He has previously conducted research on the grass Bouteloua eripoda using two-dimensional chromatographic analysis. While conducting this research he became interested in systematic studies and evolutionary biology. Research Advisor:
Associate Curator, Botany. B.A. (1962) City College of New York; M.S. (1964) University of Michigan; Ph.D. (1975) Washington University. Research specialties: systematics of Commelinaceae (worldwide); systematic anatomy; flora and phytogeography of East Africa; reproductive biology of angiosperms; evolutionary biology. Proposed Research Topic: The student and advisor, together, will develop the research topic based on the expertise of the advisor, the facilities and collections available, and the career goals and interests of the student. However, this project will most likely center on a systematic investigation of the plant family Commelinaceae (wandering Jews, spiderworts and their relatives). The focus will be on the three genera that comprise the paleotropical subtribe Coleotrypinae of tribe Tradescantieae. The genera of this subtribe share a unique inflorescence morphology, and DNA sequence show that the subtribe is monophyletic. Using living plants in the Department of Botany Research Greenhouse as the main source of material, leaf anatomy will be studied using paraffin embedded sections, epidermal scrapes, leaf clearings and scanning electron microscopy. The questions to be addressed include: Does subtribe Coleotrypinae have anatomical features that will distinguish it from related subtribes? Can the genera of this subtribe be distingusihed by their leaf anatomy? Do species within the genera have distinctive anatomical characters? Techniques employed will include paraffin embedding, scanning electron microscope analysis, epidermal scrapes, and leaf clearings. A formal proposal summarizing the hypothesis being tested, the protocol designed to test the hypothesis, and a timetable to complete the research is due 6 June 2000. A preliminary manuscript summarizing the research is due 26 July 2000. The results will be presented to the Smithsonian community during a formal seminar 31 July - 1 August 2000 and a poster session 3 August 2000. Funding to support Mr. Jackson's participation in the Research Training Program is being provided by a grant from the National Science Foundation's Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program - award number DBI-9820303. Johnson, Sarah Stewart - declined Ms. Stewart is from Lexington, Kentucky. She is currently a Junior at Washington University where she is double majoring in Earth and Planetary Sciences and Mathematics with a minor in environmental studies. She plans to pursue a doctorate in planetary science with a focus on Mars exploration as well as a law degree. Research Advisor:
Geologist, Associate Curator. B.S. (1986) Eastern Illinois University; M.S. (1990) University of New Mexico; Ph.D. (1994) University of Hawaii, Manoa. Research specialties: meteorites, igneous evolution of small bodies in the early solar system, martian volcanological history derived from meteorites. Proposed Research Topic: canceled Lyon, Mandela Ann - declined Ms. Lyon is from Tempe, Arizona. She is currently a Senior at the University of Arizona where she is majoring in Geosciences with an emphasis in paleontology and a minor in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. As part of her undergraduate honors thesis, she is studying paleoclimate aspects of a fossil leaf collection of near 500 specimans from the Middle Eocene Green river Fromation of Douglas Pass, Colorado. From this research she has become very interested in pursing paleobotany and paleoclimatology in her graduate career. Her goal is to become a university-level professor. Research Advisor:
Research Paleobiologist and Curator of Paleobotany, Co-director ETE Program. B.A. (1976), Ph.D. (1981) Yale University. Research specialties: paleoecology; angiosperm history and systematics; plant taphonomy; Cenazoic and Mesozoic paleoclimate; fossil plants of the Rocky Mountain region. Proposed Research Topic: canceled Mann,
Melanie Moanikeala Ms. Mann is from Waianae, Hawai'i. She is currently a Senior at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa where she is majoring in Anthropology with an emphasis in Forensic Anthropology and Skeletal Biology. As part of her undergraduate honors thesis, she is studying the pathology within the native Hawaiian population and the implications of that pathology in modern Hawaiian populations. She plans to attend graduate school, receive a Ph.D. in Forensic Anthropology, and work as a Forensic Anthropologist. Research Advisor:
OUSLEY, Steve, Director of the Repatriation Osteology Laboratory. B.A. (1985), The University of Maryland, College Park. M.A. (1993), Ph.D. (1997), The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Research specialties: North American Indian skeletal biology; Forensic Anthropology;Statistical approaches to human variation and skeletal biology. Proposed Research Topic: The student and advisor, together, will develop the research topic based on the expertise of the advisor, the facilities and collections available, and the career goals and interests of the student. This project will center on the need for museums involved in repatriation to be able to distinguish between Native American remains and those from other groups, especially Whites. Discriminant functions using traditional craniometrics perform very well on 20th century Whites and Blacks, but museums frequently have partial remains, and the data needs to come from 19th century samples, such as from the Terry collection at the Smithsonian Institution. Three-dimensional digitizers record landmark data as coordinates, and all interlandmark distances can be calculated. Currently, the Repatriation Osteology Lab records 90 landmarks, which provide over 4000 calculatable measurements and over 4000 calculatable angles. The project involves finding the best measurements and angles to use to distinguish between 19th century American Indians, Whites, and Blacks. Since 19th century Whites, Blacks, and American Indians differ enough in nontraditional craniometrics they can be reliably separated in a discriminant function. Nontraditional craniometrics are calculated from landmark coordinate data collected using a three-dimensional digitizer. A formal proposal summarizing the hypothesis being tested, the protocol designed to test the hypothesis, and a timetable to complete the research is due 6 June 2000. A preliminary manuscript summarizing the research is due 26 July 2000. The results will be presented to the Smithsonian community during a formal seminar 31 July - 1 August 2000 and a poster session 3 August 2000. Funding to support Ms. Mann's participation in the Research Training Program is being provided by a grant from the National Science Foundation's Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program - award number DBI-9820303. Maldonado,
Elisa Marie Ms. Maldonado is from Wilmington, California. She is currently a Sophomore at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she is majoring in Marine Biology. Through an independent research project on salt marsh trematode parasites in a chemical ecology lab at UCLA, she became particulary interested in behavioral ecology. She plans to attend graduate school and receive a Ph.D. in Zoology and to pursue a career in research. Research Advisor:
Senior Research Zoologist, Curator of Echinoderms. Associate in Invertebrates, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University. B.A. (1960), M.S. (1961), Ph.D. (1964) Victoria University, New Zealand. Research specialties: systematics and ecology of sea cucumbers and sea urchins, worldwide. Proposed Research Topic: The student and advisor, together, will develop the research topic based on the expertise of the advisor, the facilities and collections available, and the career goals and interests of the student. This project will center on studying the deep-sea crinoids (sea lilies and feather stars) collected during manned submersible dives in the Bahama Islands. Including developing familiarity with the general structure of these animals, followed by a study comparing still color photographs (color slides) and videotapes of collected specimans and specimans in NMNH collections. The objective of the study is to determine if the identifications of the specimens match the color slides and videos, and to research and resolve any existing problems. Also, to study behavior patterns (especially feeding behavior), preferred habitats, and other biological aspects of specimens in the videotapes and in insitu color slides. Stomach contents may also be studied in an attempt to correlate observed feeding behavior with stomach contents. A formal proposal summarizing the hypothesis being tested, the protocol designed to test the hypothesis, and a timetable to complete the research is due 6 June 2000. A preliminary manuscript summarizing the research is due 26 July 2000. The results will be presented to the Smithsonian community during a formal seminar 31 July - 1 August 2000 and a poster session 3 August 2000. Funding to support Ms. Maldonado's participation in the Research Training Program is being provided by a grant from the National Science Foundation's Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program - award number DBI-9820303. Martin,
Erik D. Mr. Martin is from Burbank, California. He is currently a Sophomore at the Los Angeles Valley College where he is majoring in Biology with a particular interest in Forestry and Ecology. He plans to attend graduate school and pursue a degree in Forestry or Ecology. Research Advisor:
Research Paleobiologist and Curator of Paleobotany. B.A. (1974) Drexel University; M.S. (1976), Ph.D. (1979) University of Illinois. Research specialties: morphology, systematics, and paleoecology of late Paleozoic plants, particularly the structure of late Paleozoic ecosystems and the relationship between long-term ecological and evolutionary patterns. Member, ETE Program. Proposed Research Topic: The student and advisor, together, will develop the research topic based on the expertise of the advisor, the facilities and collections available, andthe career goals and interests of the student. This research will focus on the question of the existence of species life cycles. In the 1940's Otto Schindewolf proposed that species go through a life cycle of youth, maturity and old age. Although essentialistic in tone, this idea may have some merit and can be tested statistically. This project will examine changes in variance and character correlation through time in a long-ranging species of fossil plant, Neuropteris ovata. If Schindewolf's hypothesis is correct, we propose that variance will decrease and correlation increase through time. Data will be taken by direct measurement of quantitative characters from many fossil specimens. A formal proposal summarizing the hypothesis being tested, the protocol designed to test the hypothesis, and a timetable to complete the research is due 6 June 2000. A preliminary manuscript summarizing the research is due 26 July 2000. The results will be presented to the Smithsonian community during a formal seminar 31 July - 1 August 2000 and a poster session 3 August 2000. Funding to support Mr. Martin's participation in the Research Training Program is being provided by a grant from the National Science Foundation's Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program - award number DBI-9820303. McPherson,
Tsitsi Yetunde Ms. McPherson is from Georgetown, Guyana. She is currently in the fourth year of a five year double major program at the University of Guyana where she is majoring in both Biology and Geography with a minor in Chemistry. She is particularly interested in tropical ecosystems. She plans to attend graduate school and pursue a degree in Environmental Policy and Environmental Ecology. Her goal is to obtain a career as a Policy Writer for Tropical Countries. Research Advisor:
Research Entomologist, Systematic Entomology Lab., ARS-USDA. B.S. (1983) San Diego State University; Ph.D. (1988) University of California, Berkeley. Research specialties: systematics and biogeography of Tortricoidea (Lepidoptera); biogeography of Baja California; coservation biology. Proposed Research Topic: The student and advisor, together, will develop the research topic based on the expertise of the advisor, the facilities and collections available, and the career goals and interests of the student. The details of this research are yet to be determined. A formal proposal summarizing the hypothesis being tested, the protocol designed to test the hypothesis, and a timetable to complete the research is due 6 June 2000. A preliminary manuscript summarizing the research is due 26 July 2000. The results will be presented to the Smithsonian community during a formal seminar 31 July - 1 August 2000 and a poster session 3 August 2000. Funding to support Ms. McPherson's participation in the Research Training Program is being provided by a grant from the NMNH Office of the Director. Menendez-Delmestre,
Raissa Ms. Mendendez is from San Juan, Puerto Rico. She is currently a sophomore at the University of Puerto Rico where she is majoring in General Sciences. She is particularly interested in marine biology. She plans to attend veterinary school and combine the DVM program with a PhD in marine biology. Research Advisor:
Research Associate, Systematics Laboratory, National Marine Fisheries Service, Department of Commerce, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C.. B.S. (1956), Ph.D. (1960) Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. Research specialties: systematics, evolution, zoogeography, and biology of marine fishes, especially Scombroidei, Beloniformes, and Batrachoididae. Proposed Research Topic: The student and advisor, together, will develop the research topic based on the expertise of the advisor, the facilities and collections available, and the career goals and interests of the student. This research will focus on the needlefishes family Belonidae, which constitute an atherimorph family of about 32 species with elongate tooth-studded upper and lower jaws found in marine and freshwaters throughout much of the world. One of the remaining taxonomic problems is to determine how many species of the Indo-West Pacific freshwater genus Xenentodon are valid. Most researchers have considered the genus to be monotypic, containing only Xenentodon cancila, but recently other researchers believe that there may be two more species in the genus. Using standard morphometric and meristic characters including X-raying specimens to count vertebrae, available material will be examined to answer this question. A formal proposal summarizing the hypothesis being tested, the protocol designed to test the hypothesis, and a timetable to complete the research is due 6 June 2000. A preliminary manuscript summarizing the research is due 26 July 2000. The results will be presented to the Smithsonian community during a formal seminar 31 July - 1 August 2000 and a poster session 3 August 2000. Funding to support Ms. Menendez's participation in the Research Training Program is being provided by a grant from the National Science Foundation's Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation Program (LSAMP)- award number HRD-9732790. Miller,
Emilie Elisabeth Ms. Miller is from Zionsville, Indiana. She is currently a Senior at the University of New Mexico where she is majoring in Biology. She is particularly interested in insect systematics, specifically tropical diversity, the systematics of predacious orthopteroid insects, and the evolution of mating systems. She plans to continue on to graduate school to study insect systematics and pursue a career in research and development of educational materials. Research Advisor:
Curator of Coleoptera. B.A. (1964), M.A. (1966) San Jose State College; Ph.D. (1969) University of Alberta. Research specialties: evolution, systematics, natural history, and zoogeography of world ground beetles (Carabidae); ecologic aspects of Neotropical forest canopy insects and their allies, conservation of tropical forests. Proposed Research Topic: The student and advisor, together, will develop the research topic based on the expertise of the advisor, the facilities and collections available, and the career goals and interests of the student. This project will center on studying canopy fogging samples taken at two similar sites in Ecuador. From this all species will be extracted and sorted to morphospecies. Within the site distributions viz-a-viz tree species distributions will be examined and species lists between the two sites compared to test the hypothesis that insect species turn over (B-diversity) within short distances in the western Amazon Basin. A formal proposal summarizing the hypothesis being tested, the protocol designed to test the hypothesis, and a timetable to complete the research is due 6 June 2000. A preliminary manuscript summarizing the research is due 26 July 2000. The results will be presented to the Smithsonian community during a formal seminar 31 July - 1 August 2000 and a poster session 3 August 2000. Funding to support Ms. Miller's participation in the Research Training Program is being provided by a grant from the Smithsonian Women's Committee. Raithel,
Jarod Douglas Mr. Raithel is from The Woodlands, Texas. He is currently a Junior at the Texas A&M University where he is majoring in Wildlife & Fisheries Management with an emphasis in Conservation Biology and Biodiversity. He is particularly interested in evolving techniques of maintaining endemic biodiversity within the realm of Conservation Biology. He plans to continue on to graduate school within a Wildlife Management program. Research Advisor:
JAMES, Helen, Museum Specialist, Division of Birds. B.A. (1977) University of Arkansas, Fayetteville; D.Phil. (2000) Oxford University, Oxford, UK. Research specialties: fossil birds of the Hawaiian Islands, evolution of island birds, island paleoecology, human-caused extinctions. Proposed Research Topic: The student and advisor, together, will develop the research topic based on the expertise of the advisor, the facilities and collections available, and the career goals and interests of the student. The museum houses a large collection of Hawaiian fossil birds. The intern will choose among several projects involving comparative osteology, including: an osteometric study of sexual size dimorphism in flightless Hawaiian waterfowl. Pronounced sexual size dimorphism characterizes flightless birds from other island groups, such as the kakapo (Strigops habroptilus) of New Zealand and the dodo (Raphus cuculatus) of Mauritius, but has not been documented in Hawaiian waterfowl. Research includes measuring bones of the commoner Hawaiian species and analyzing the data for bimodal distribution. Results will be compared with data from sister taxa of the Hawaiian species and with published information on dimorphism in other flightless birds. A formal proposal summarizing the hypothesis being tested, the protocol designed to test the hypothesis, and a timetable to complete the research is due 6 June 2000. A preliminary manuscript summarizing the research is due 26 July 2000. The results will be presented to the Smithsonian community during a formal seminar 31 July - 1 August 2000 and a poster session 3 August 2000. Funding to support Mr. Raithel's participation in the Research Training Program is being provided by a grant from the National Science Foundation's Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program - award number DBI-9820303. Rubis,
June Mary Ms. Rubis is from the island of Borneo. She is currently a Senior at Simon Fraser University where she is majoring in Biology with emphasis in evolution and ecology. She is particularly interested in Bornean prosimians and their evolutionary history. She plans to obtain a doctoral degree and pursue a career in conservation research where she can be actively involved in raising the Malaysian public's awareness of wildlife conservation. Research Advisor:
Director of the Plant Conservation Unit (Department of Botany). B.A. (1990), Ph.D. (1996) University of California, Irvine. Research specialties: Conservation biology of plants and habitats at a local and international level; Conservation bibliographic database. Proposed Research Topic: The student and advisor, together, will develop the research topic based on the expertise of the advisor, the facilities and collections available, and the career goals and interests of the student. In a collaborative project with the World Wildlife Fund, we are attempting to assign plant species richness and endemism values to the nearly 900 Ecoregions of the world recently delineated by their Conservation Science group as part of an analysis of global extinction risk. An ecoregion is defined as a relatively large area of land that contains a geographically distinct assemblage of natural communities. These communities share a large majority of their species, dynamics, and environmental conditions. Ecoregions function effectively as conservation units because they encompass similar biological communities and because their boundaries roughly coincide with the area over which key ecological processes most strongly interact. These features can help conservation planners better achieve representation and persistence of biodiversity when developing conservation strategies for individual ecoregion. The challenge at hand is that each ecoregion has a set of boundaries different than standard political geographic boundaries. With the help of a research training student, we will use published floras of several countries to designate individual plant species to the ecoregions in which they exist. We will use this data to determine which plant species are endemic to each ecoregion, and calculate percent endemism for each ecoregion. WWF has consulted with various experts and have rough estimates of endemism for each ecoregion. We will compare the estimates provided by WWF to our results, which will indicate our success at using the floras. We have started to examine the Flora of Thailand. Next we will expand the project by using published floras of other Indo-Malaysian countries. A formal proposal summarizing the hypothesis being tested, the protocol designed to test the hypothesis, and a timetable to complete the research is due 6 June 2000. A preliminary manuscript summarizing the research is due 26 July 2000. The results will be presented to the Smithsonian community during a formal seminar 31 July - 1 August 2000 and a poster session 3 August 2000. Funding to support Ms. Rubis' participation in the Research Training Program is being provided by a grant from the Smithsonian Women's Committee and the World Wildlife Fund. Schennum,
Chad Edward Mr. Schennum is from Woodstock, Virginia. He is currently a Junior at Virginia Tech where he is majoring in Biology. He is particularly interested in vertebrate paleontology. He plans to obtain a doctoral degree in vertebrate paleontology and pursue a career in a museum setting. Research Advisor:
Research Paleobiologist and Curator of Fossil Mammals. B.A. (1966) Colorado State University; Ph. D. (1970) Columbia University. Research specialties: Tertiary Mammalia, of North America and Central Asia; mammalian biostratigraphy; stratigraphy of Tertiary continental deposits of western North America. Proposed Research Topic: The student and advisor, together, will develop the research topic based on the expertise of the advisor, the facilities and collections available, and the career goals and interests of the student. The Asian Brontothere Protitan might be a Hippo ecomorph semiaquatic, short-legged, barrel-torso rather than a rhino ecomorph, as is usual for brontotheres. Brontotheres, an extinct family of the mammalian Order Perissodactyla, are typically reconstructed as rhino-like in size and body proportions. However, preliminary evidence, viewed in the field in Kazakstan, before the specimens were encased in protective plaster jackets, suggest that the brontothere Protitan might have exceptionally long ribs and short limbs. This posed the question as to whether this genus of brontothere might have adopted an aquatic lifestyle, and evolved into a morphological ecomorph of the hippo. Brontotheres for which postcranial skeletons are know have body proportions more like those of rhinos. But it is interesting to note that Teleoceras, a genus of extinct rhino that lived in North American during the Miocene, did adopt an aquatic lifestyle and became an ecological vicar of the hippo, with body proportions similar to those of hippos. The brontothere Protitan might have evolved similar adaptations. Material from Kazakstan, now undergoing preparation, will have sufficient postcranial material to answer the question. The project will require some preparation, mainly cleaning and assembling the ribs of one individual, and then comparing measurements of the trunk and limb of this individual, and proportions derived from these measurements, to those of typical hippos, of Teleoceras, of normal brontotheres, and of rhinoceroses. A formal proposal summarizing the hypothesis being tested, the protocol designed to test the hypothesis, and a timetable to complete the research is due 6 June 2000. A preliminary manuscript summarizing the research is due 26 July 2000. The results will be presented to the Smithsonian community during a formal seminar 31 July - 1 August 2000 and a poster session 3 August 2000. Funding to support Mr. Schennum's participation in the Research Training Program is being provided by a grant from the National Science Foundation's Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program - award number DBI-9820303. Schroeder,
Stephanie Lynn Ms. Schroeder is from DePere, Wisconsin. She is currently a Junior at University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee, where she is majoring in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. She is particularly interested in invertebrate zoology. She plans to attend graduate school and obtain a degree in marine biology and pursue a career focusing on deep sea technology. Research Advisor:
Research Zoologist, Curator of Mollusks. B.A. (1972) Drexel University; M.S. (1978), Ph.D. (1982) University of Delaware. Research specialties: systematics and molecular biology of marine bathyal and abyssal mollusks, worldwide. Proposed Research Topic: The student and advisor, together, will develop the research topic based on the expertise of the advisor, the facilities and collections available, and the career goals and interests of the student. This research will focus on studying the population genetics of a group of sinistrally coiled gastropods (subgenus Sinistrofulgur) using randomly-amplified polymorphic DNA. A formal proposal summarizing the hypothesis being tested, the protocol designed to test the hypothesis, and a timetable to complete the research is due 6 June 2000. A preliminary manuscript summarizing the research is due 26 July 2000. The results will be presented to the Smithsonian community during a formal seminar 31 July - 1 August 2000 and a poster session 3 August 2000. Funding to support Ms. Schroeder's participation in the Research Training Program is being provided by a grant from the National Science Foundation's Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program - award number DBI-9820303. Research
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