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Class
of '03
CONTACT US
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Research
& Collections
"In research, as in life, you sometimes have to kiss a lot of toads before finding your prince." - Jen Maloney |
24
May 2003 - 2 August 2003
A total of 15 students were selected to participate in the '03 session of the Research Training Program, including three (3) international students; 2 from Canada and 1 from Bolivia. Schedule
of Events |
Poster |
Program
Summary
However; as a program dedicated to providing quality research experiences for students selected to participate, time, funding, and space limit the number of positions available. A total of 202 applications were received for placement in the summer 2003 program as of the February 1st application deadline and an additional 6 applications were received after the deadline but before 1 April 2003. All 208 applications were considered carefully. On 8 March 2003 nine (9) positions were filled and three (3) were reserved. Beginning 15 March 2003 we conducted a complete reevaluation of all applications, including late applications, for placement consideration in the remaining slots. Following is the list of students selected to participate in the '03 Research Training Program including a short summary about each student. This summer we also welcome two (2) students selected to participate in the University of Notre Dame - National Museum of Natural History Internship in Anthropology Program who will join in some RTP events and one (1) student selected as part of the Smithsonian MIP Program. Through March and April the '03 RTP summer curriculum was finalized and updates posted on the web at "Schedule of Events" along with apartment assignments and more information for students joining the RTP Class of '03. 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, visit the Volunteer Internship page for more information. Research
Training Program
Participant List 2003
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Career Goals: After graduate school achieve a career in organismal and evolutionary biology with a focus on fish morphology. Sponsor: Participation in the 2003 summer session of the Research Training Program was provided by a grant from the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates program - Award #DBI-0243512. |
Amanda
Cass
ancass@mtholyoke.edu
Ms. Cass is from Mt. Desert, Maine. She is currently a Junior at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts where she is majoring in Biological Sciences and History with a concentration in functional morphology and evolution, and modern europe. She plans to attend graduate school in the field of organismal and evolutionary biology with a focus on fish morphology. She won the Bernice MacLean award for excellence in biology, is President of Mt. Holyoke College Biology Club, and was recently named a Sarah Williston Scholar. Her senior thesis is a biological and historical review of flatfish evolution. The RTP was recommended to Ms. Cass by her professor of biomechanics, Dr. Gary Gillis, a participant in the 1989 RTP who also interned in the NMNH Division of Fishes, with Bruce Collete serving as his research advisor.
On the personal side: Mandy says she has a great interest in horses. "I've been riding since I was six years old. I started out western, switched to riding hunter/jumpers and about 7 years ago began eventing. When I started eventing I bought Al, a 16.2 HH thoroughbred cross gelding, the same horse I still have. When I'm at school he stays at the Mt Holyoke College Equestrian Center and when I'm in Maine he stays in the barn at my house. Al and I haven't been apart for more than a couple of weeks at a time since I've had him, and I'm working on finding a place for him to stay in the DC area. For the past few years we've competed all around New England during the spring/summer/fall at the training and preliminary levels and recently began training with Stephie Baer, a well known competitor in international advanced level eventing.
When I'm home in the winter I love to downhill ski (there isn't much else to do in Maine in the winter!). My parents started me out about the time I could walk, and going is always a family event."
Research Advisor:
Lynne Parenti
(202) 357-3313
parenti.lynne@nmnh.si.eduCurator of Fishes. B.A. (1975) State University of New York at Stony Brook; Ph.D. (1980) City University of New York. Research specialties: systematics and biogeography of Indo-Pacific freshwater fishes, in particular atherinomorph and gobioid fishes; historical biogeography; reproductive and nerve characters in fish systematics. Science Unit: Department of Systematic Biology, Vertebrate Zoology Section, Fishes Division.
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Dave Johnson
(202) 357-2740
johnson.dave@nmnh.si.eduCurator of Fishes. B.A. (1967) University of Texas at Austin; Ph.D. (1977) Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Research specialties: systematics, comparative anatomy, ontogeny, phylogeny, and early life history of fishes, particularly acanthomorphs. Science Unit: Department of Systematic Biology, Vertebrate Zoology Section, Fishes Division.
Additional research contacts: Tom Munroe
Title: The Phylogeny of Pleuronectiformes:
A Reanalysis of Existing Hypotheses in the Light of New Osteological Observations
Project Summary: This research focuses on an osteological survey of the Pleuronectiformes (flat fishes). Previous studies on osteological characters of this group are problematic, as they do not identify the specific taxa used for scoring and therefore matrices can neither be compared nor combined legitimately. Based on these newly collected data, a preliminary phylogeny of the interrelationships of the order will be produced. As no well supported sister group has been identified for this order, homologous structures will be examined in several possible outgroup taxa, including those proposed by recent molecular phylogenies.
Project Description: The Pleuronectiformes (flat fishes) are of interest to many branches of biology, mostly due to their exceptionally asymmetrical body plan, the extent of which is unmatched in the animal kingdom. They are also a remarkably successful order, with a current count of 537 species. The significant adaptive radiation of this bauplan has produced many different and unique variations. The relationship of these asymmetrical taxa both to each other and to other teleosts has been an object of interest for nearly 200 years, and is still debated today. The bulk of work in flat fish classification was conducted in the early half of the 20th century (Regan, 1910; Norman, 1934; Hubbs, 1945) and these works still stand as useful tools in determining flat fish interrelationships. However, using such old studies is difficult due to their lack of specific taxa identification and limited taxon sampling. When scoring characters for phylogenetic analysis, especially in groups as variable as the Pleuronectiformes, it is essential to identify the specific fish used, due to the possibilities of sub-family, genera or species polymorphisms. Not only do these early studies lack this information, but many of the later studies do as well, including the current standard (Chapleau, 1993). For this reason, it is difficult to use existing matrices for subsequent phylogenetic efforts. Though the scoring in these studies is difficult to reproduce, the characters used certainly can be reexamined and scored on known taxa. These characters are the result of centuries of observation, and, having stood the test of time, deserve to be reevaluated.
The goal of this study is to reevaluate adult and larval osteological characters taken from Chapleau (1993), Hoshino (2001) and Hensley & Ahlstrom (1984) in several traditionally critical taxa from the suborders Pleuronectoidea, Soleoidea and Psettoidea (sensu Hubbs). The exact taxa to be observed is pending, and depends on which fishes are available in both adult and larval form and how quickly these specimens may be prepared for osteological observation. Once scored, these characters will serve as the basis for a new preliminary phylogeny, and it is hoped that this phylogeny will address several lingering questions in Pleuronectiformes systematics, such as the monophyly of the Citharidae (a small family of fishes combined by Hubbs, 1945 whose monophyly has been repeatedly been attacked, as in Hensley & Ahlstrom, 1984 and Chapleau, 1993), whether the Scophthalmidae should be considered soles (Hoshino, 1998) or highly derived flounders (Chapleau, 1993) and whether the Psettodidae belong within the order Pleuronectiformes or constitute their own lineage of asymmetrical fishes derived from a generalized percomorph ancestor (Hubbs, 1945). This final question is one which has not often been addressed in recent systematic studies, due to the order's uncertain placement within the percomorphs, a group of doubtful credibility in and of itself (Johnson, 1993). The relationship of the Pleuronectiformes to other percomorph taxa is virtually unknown, a problem which makes determining suitable outgroups very difficult. As an unsuitable ougroup could lead to the production of poor trees, the convention for this order is currently to use Psettodidae as outgroup taxa. The justification for this methodology is the psettodids retention of many plesiomorphic characters lost in the more derived families (i.e. dorsal fin spines, vomerine teeth, basically symmetrical jaws) and the subsequent belief that they are the basal family of the order. However, the Pleuronectiformes is an order founded on only three synapomorphies (ocular asymmetry, the recessus orbitalis and an anteriorly extended dorsal fin) and were the Psettodidae excluded, there would be many more. This lack of the synapomorphies which define higher pleuronectiform taxa has led many to question whether the psettodids could indeed have arisen separately from the order; as Norman states in his monograph, "apart from the asymmetry and the long dorsal and anal fin, Psettodes might almost be placed in the percoid family Serranidae" (Norman, 1934). This question cannot be examined while the Psettodidae are used as the Pleuronectoidei (sensu Norman) outgroup.
A study currently underway to create a new molecular phylogeny of the teleosts has produced a seemingly well supported node placing the Serranidae as the sister group of the Pleuronectiformes, a taxon which has not been seriously considered as a flatfish relative since Norman's above statement. Further, in this study the Psettodidae are drawn away from the rest of the order thus proposing a polyphyletic Pleuronectiformes. In order to further investigate these possibilities, the characters scored for pleuronectiform taxa in this study will also be examined for available serranids, and "basal percoids". Further studies are already planned, including a total evidence analysis of these morphological data with 12s and 16s mitochondrial genome sequences (to be obtained during the fall of this year). Some experimentation with combining the morphological matrix generated and one generated from GenBank 12s sequences may also be done.
Materials and Methods
The project requires OFF-SITE
investigation. Specifically, a good portion of our flatfish holdings are at
the Museum Support Center (MSC) in Suitland, Maryland; the types are at NHB.
Free shuttle service between MSC and NHB is provided. Also, the research advisor
and contacts will be unavailable from 25 June 2003through 3 July 2003 to attend
the AISH meetings in Brazil and possibly the Evolution meetings from 19-21 June
2003.
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Career Goals: Achieve a Ph.D. in molecular anthropology with focus on DNA repair and its relevance to anthropological skeletal remains Sponsor: Participation in the 2003 summer session of the Research Training Program was provided by a grant from the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates program - Award #DBI-0243512. |
Ms. Chang is from Wahiawa, Hawaii. She is currently a non-graduating Senior at University of Hawaii, Manoa in Honolulu, Hawaii where she is majoring in Biology and Anthropology. She plans to attend graduate school with focused study in biomedical anthropology and a particular interest in DNA repair and its relevance to anthropological skeletal remains.
Ms. Chang is a MARC U*STAR Scholar and has research experience as part of the "Research on Gap Junction Proteins" project at the Cancer Research Center Hawaii. This research examines the binding interaction between the proteins connexin43 and ZO-1 in vivo. She has also spent two semesters working in archeological and skeletal anthropology laboratories on the University of Hawaii campus.
Ms. Chang has an interest in evolutionary lineages, human population divergence, and population genetics. She comments: "The variance in human genetics at the protein and DNA levels as subjects of exploring the evolutionary history of populations living in various geographical regions is an area of study I would like to pursue. One of the most attractive facets of molecular anthropology is DNA repair and its usage in the reconstruction of DNA obtained from prehistoric skeletal elements."
On the personal side: "In my spare time...as though there were any...I like to hike, read, and spend time with my dog. I love love love going to the beach, and I am currently "attempting" to learn to surf. I also like to sleep (on the off-chance that I get everything done) and eat (if there is any money left after bills)."
Research Advisor:
Douglas Owsley
(202) 786-2553
owsley.douglas@nmnh.si.eduCurator, Physical Anthropology. BA (1973) University of Wyoming; M.A. (1975), Ph.D. (1978) University of Tennessee. Research specialties: skeletal biology; forensic anthropology; historic populations in North America; North American Plains Indians; Polynesia. Science Unit: Department of Anthropology.
Additional research contacts: Kari Bruwelheide, Ashley McKeown, and Kate Spradley.
Title: 1862 Cast Iron Burial
Project Summary: The discovery and excavation of a cast iron casket from the civil war period comprises an exceptional opportunity to study relatively well preserved human remains and associated artifacts. Previous research suggests that cast iron caskets serve as excellent instruments for the preservation of remains. This research focuses on the compilation of historic data and information collected from the examination of skeletal remains derived from a cast iron casket excavated from an 1862 burial in Pulaski, Tennessee. Historical documentation regarding the primary and secondary excavations, casket manufacture, and genealogical data will be examined alongside the skeletal information in order to understand the circumstances surrounding the life and death of this civil war individual.
Project Description:
As part of the project
described above, carbon and nitrogen isotope studies will be completed in order
to investigate the diet of the individual from the 1862 Tennessee iron casket
burial. In addition, two individuals from similar burial environments from the
mid-1800's will also be tested for stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes. Dietary
information can be obtained from stable isotopes found in the protein collagen
and apatite of bones and teeth. All through life, an individual's diet is recorded
in bone collagen and apatite by the accumulation of carbon and nitrogen isotopes
contained in food. Because these substances retain good isotopic signatures
without much variation for long periods of time, tests on both the carbon and
nitrogen isotopes generally yield good results leading to the identification
of the primary diet within a population.
Materials and Methods: Isotope analysis will be conducted on three individuals of known identity. All three individuals were buried between 1850 and 1870 in cast iron caskets. Two of the individuals are from Tennessee and the other is from Maryland. Five grams of bone were removed by cross-sectioning a selected long bone from each individual. Each sample will be weighed, appropriately labeled and sent to the Stable Isotope Laboratory of Augustana College, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Due to the specialized lab equipment and techniques required for processing the bone samples, technicians from the stable isotope lab of Augustana College will be prepping and running the samples for 12C/13C and 14N/15N isotopes according to their procedures and standards. The Research Results will be sent to our office for interpretation.
Research Staff and Facilities
Stable isotopic analysis
will be conducted by: Michael Chapman, Lab Manager, Augustana College.
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Career Goals: To become a university professor teaching Evolution, Phylogenetic Systematics, and Herpetology. Sponsor: Participation in the 2003 summer session of the Research Training Program was provided by a grant from the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates program - Award #DBI-0243512. |
Raul
Diaz
rauldiaz@uclink.berkeley.edu
Mr. Diaz is from Baldwin Park, California. He is currently a Junior at University of California, Berkeley in Berkeley, California where he is majoring in Integrative Biology (Systematics and Evolution). He previously attended La Sierra University.
In 2001 Mr. Diaz joined
a research trip to Pulau Tioman, West Malaysia as part of La Sierra University.
He was a summer intern (1997) at the Stephen Birsch Aquarium at the Scripps
Institute of Oceanography at the University of California in San Diego and a
summer intern (1998) with Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts in Washington
DC and served on the Committee on Labor and Human resources to help increase
minimum wage. Mr. Diaz is currently assistant to www.Kidgloveentertainment.com
as an independent promoter for punk/metal bands to play in Berkeley.
On the personal side: "Life beyond herpetology is fairly small, but I do enjoy Origami, Graphic Design, learning to cook (I eat to live, not live to eat … so I don’t mind eating a sandwich everyday all summer!). I enjoy hiking and getting in and out of shape. I also like to make up original pick up lines and jokes."
Research Advisor:
Kevin de Queiroz
(202) 357-2212
dequeiroz.kevin@nmnh.si.eduAssociate Curator. BA (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; principles and methods of systematic biology. Science Unit: Department of Systematic Biology, Vertebrate Zoology Section, Amphibians and Reptiles Division.
Additional research contacts:
Title: Phylogenetic relationships among corytophanine iguanid lizards inferred from morphological characters.
Project Summary: Corytophanine lizards form a clade within the Iguanidae whose major diagnostic character is a head crest supported by a bony projection of the parietal bone. This project will infer the phylogenetic relationships among the species of corytophanine lizards using morphological characters. Characters will be obtained from the literature and verified and supplemented using museum specimens. Phylogenetic relationships will be estimated using parsimony and likelihood methods and compared with estimates based on molecular data. Combined analyses of morphological and molecular data will also be performed. Constrained phylogenetic analyses will be used to test various hypotheses about the systematics and evolution of corytophanine lizards, including hypotheses about the monophyly of various groups, the evolution of head ornamentation, and historical biogeography.
Project Description:
Corytophanine lizards are unique within the Iguanidae in having head crests
and casques supported by the posterior extension of the parietal bone. Their
Neotropical distribution extends from Mexico to Colombia, with its main concentration
in Central America. Three genera of corytophanines have traditionally been recognized:
Basiliscus (four species), Corytophanes (three species), and Laemanctus
(two species). The head crests in Basiliscus develop after birth and
are more pronounced in males than in females. Basilisks are also well known
for the presence of lateral toe fringes, which are thought to enhance the ability
of the lizards to run bipendally across the surface of water by providing extra
surface area. There is no sexual dimorphism in crest size in either Corytophanes
or Laemanctus. Although the head crests are thought to function in communication,
neither head crest sexual dimorphism within Basiliscus or the presence
of a crest in both genders of its sister genera are yet well understood.
G.A. Boulenger (1885) first grouped the three genera Laemanctus, Basiliscus,
and Corytophanes into a group; later E.D. Cope (1900) proposed the subfamily
Basiliscinae within the Iguanidae based on osteological and pulmonary features,
but only Laemanctus and Basiliscus were included. R. Etheridge
(1959) formally included Corytophanes and called it the basiliscine group.
More recently, Etheridge and de Queiroz (1988) provided a comprehensive analysis
of the iguanids and found 15 synapomorphies for the basiliscinae. However, Fitzinger
(1843) had earlier proposed the family Corythophanae (based on Corytophanes
of Boie, 1827), so even though he included only species now included in Corytophanes,
and not those in Basiliscus and Laemanctus, under the traditional
rules of nomenclature the correct name for the taxon containing all three traditional
genera is Corytophanidae if it is ranked as a family (Frost and Etheridge, 1989)
or Corytophaninae if it is ranked as a subfamily (Macey et al., 1997). Lang
(1989) comprises the most recent work on the basiliscine lizards. His work,
based on cranial osteology, supports the Corytophanes-Laemanctus
clade and Basiliscus as the sister taxon, as well as being the earliest
to diverge. Since Basiliscus runs bipedally and is specialized for a
semiaquatic/semiarboreal existence, its sister taxa have become secondarily
arboreal.
The goal of this study is to find the best-supported phylogeny for the corytophanines
and to test various hypotheses about the evolution of the group. The phylogeny
will be inferred primarily based on osteological characters, of which many will
be taken (and reevaluated to confirm their scoring) from past literature (Etheridge
and de Queiroz, 1988; Frost and Etheridge, 1989; Lang, 1989). Another goal for
this project is the identification and incorporation of other phylogenetically
relevant characters for this group, such as those dealing with scalation, morphometrics,
and characters that may become apparent through the examination of specimens
and literature. Karyotypes, ecological data, and reproductive modes will be
used as characters for the species for which they are available. Molecular data
from a study conducted by another group of researchers will be used for both
separate comparisons and combined analyses with the morphological data.
Materials & Methods
Morphological Data
Collection: Specimens analyzed in this study will consist of those preserved
in alcohol and skeletal preparations from the NHM collection. Observations will
be made with the use of a Wild M3B® (Heerbrugg, Switzerland) stereoscope
or through inspection with the naked eye. Measurements will be conducted with
the use of calipers. In addition to visual examination of alcohol preserved
specimens, radiographs will also be taken. Radiographs will be prepared using
the Vertebrate Zoology digital X-ray machine. Drawings will be made with the
aid of a camera lucida. Characters will be examined and their states will be
recorded in a taxon x character matrix.
Phylogenetic Analysis:
Phylogenies will be inferred from morphological, molecular, and combined data
using parsimony and likelihood methods (see Swofford et al. 1996 for review).
The presence of useful phylogenetic information in our collected data will be
analyzed using permutation (PTP) tests (Faith and Cranston, 1991) and skewness
tests (Hillis and Huelsenbeck, 1992). Different data sets will also be analyzed
for their incongruence/congruence using partition homogeneity tests (Bull et
al., 1993; Barker and Lutzoni 2002), and reciprocal comparisons will produce
the optimal trees from different data sets (e.g., Larson, 1998). Evolutionary
hypotheses will be tested by constraining the results (trees) to conform to
a particular hypothesis (such as monophyly or non-monophyly of a particular
group) and then testing for significant differences between the trees resulting
from constrained and unconstrained analyses using methods such as Templeton's
(1983) use of the Wilcoxon signed ranks test and Kishino and Hasegawa's (1989)
use of the paired t-test.
The primary hypotheses to be tested in this study concern the monophyly of the
previously proposed groups within the corytophanine clade. Certain biogeographical
hypotheses about the relationships between different parts of Central America
may also be amenable to testing with our data.
Staff and Research Facilities
The research advisor will be away for at least two weeks during the appointment. Specifically, he was invited to speak at the California Academy of Sciences and will also be attending the annual meetings of the Society of Systematic Biologists 16-26 June 2003.
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Career Goals: To work for a government agency or an international conservation organization as a native Bolivian biodiversity scientist with integrative skills. Sponsor: Participation in the 2003 summer session of the Research Training Program was provided by the Alice Eve Kennington Endowment. |
Mr. Fernandez is from La Paz, Bolivia. He is a graduating Senior at Universidad Mayor de San Andres in Bolivia where he is majoring in Biology and Vertebrate Zoology. He plans to work for a government agency or international conservation organization as a native Bolivian biodiversity scientist with a focus on herpetology.
Mr. Fernandez has extensive field experience, including participation in multitaxon biodiversity surveys. He has worked closely with indigenous villagers and has 3 years experience as ecotour guide in the lowland Bolivian Amazon for Fremen Tours & Travel. He also volunteered for two years in the Herpetology section of the National Museum of Natural History, La Paz, Bolivia. He has received the BOLFOR-USAID thesis scholarship award and is the recipient of the 2003 Environmental Award from La Razon Newspaper for co-founding the first environmental volunteer organization in La Paz. He is also the co-founder of "Armonia", the Bolivian branch of Bird Life International and the co-founder and first vice president of Conservacion y Medio Ambiente (CYMA), a science-based conservation and enviromental organization in La Paz city.
On the personal side:
Research Advisor:
Don Wilson
(202) 786-2944
wilson.don@nmnh.si.edu
Senior Scientist. B.S. (1965) University of Arizona; M.S. (1967), Ph.D. (1970) University of New Mexico. Research specialties: evolutionary biology of mammals, especially bats; Mammal Species of the World Project. Science Unit: Department of Systematic Biology, Vertebrate Zoology Section, Mammals Division.
Additional research contacts:
Title: Testing a predictive model of amphibian distributions in Bolivia using Leptodactylidae
Project Summary
In Bolivia today, there is no balance between the many conservation problems and the time and resources available to confront them. Often social and political concerns outweigh any conservation attempts. The identification of priority sites for conservation is necessary and urgent in this country, requiring the implementation of faster and more useful tools to set priorities. Using the NMNH database and other sources, combined with a Geographical Information System (GIS), Leptodactylid richness will be analyzed for Bolivia, a map of the localities will be built, and then it will be compared with a predictive distribution model for the same taxa, created by Steffen Reichle for his doctoral thesis. From this analysis, the distribution for each genus will be used to suggest conservation approaches. This project will highlight all regions with high levels of herpetological richness that were not considered inside Reichle's model. This research is important because, together with other studies in different taxa, it can be used to improve the Bolivian National System of protected areas.
Project description
Resources for conservation always are too limited. In order to maximize the benefits of any action, it is necessary to focus on the highest priorities. Much of practical conservation implies making judgments about the relative importance of different areas at different scales. Most of the time the decision to preserve an area is based on a biological survey, using species as the base units. Surveys try to find out what species are present in the area and sometimes to estimate the abundance of some key species. Nevertheless, this is not an easy and inexpensive process. It has been estimated that a single species survey in 40 square meters costs between one- and two-thousand dollars. This raises the question: How to use information and resources available to provide the best priority evaluation in conservation before any evaluation in situ?
Last year Bolivia was included in the list of mega diversity countries. However, most of the high diversity areas in Bolivia remain out of the National System of Protected Areas. Previous studies using birds suggested that some areas in the eastern Andean slope needed protection, but the information on distributional patterns for other taxa is still insufficient. One attempt is being developed by Steffen Reichle for his doctoral thesis in Bolivia. He is trying to build a predictive model of distributions for amphibians using locality information from Bolivian museums. The purpose of the present research project is to test Reichle's model using one amphibian Family, Leptodactylidae, with a base layer provided by Reichle and locality information obtained from NMNH and other data sources: Heyer, 1994. For each species a map will be constructed that will be superimposed on Reichle's predictive distribution maps. This will highlight the areas that were not included in Reichle's model.
Material and Methods
Computer
Arc View Software
Scanner
Digital Camera
Amphibians in NMNH collection
Locality data for revisionary study (Heyer, 1994)To achieve the project goal I will collect data from the NMNH amphibian collection. Data from other museums with significant herpetological collections from Bolivia will also be added. I will evaluate the data for the number of localities, the possibility of locating coordinates, and taxonomic status. I will transform all localities into latitude and longitude and map them in a base layer of Bolivia. The resulting map will be overlain with Reichle's model and analyzed.
Staff and Research Facilities
To develop this research project I'll work under the supervision of a team: Dr. Don Wilson, Dr. Ron Heyer and Dr. Roy McDiarmid. However for the GIS component, Dan Cole will be a key person. The maps will be developed in the ADP facilities.
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Career Goals: To earn a graduate degree in volcanology and geological research in a government, academic or museum setting Sponsor: Participation in the 2003 summer session of the Research Training Program was provided by an endowment from the Smithsonian Women's Committee. |
Ms. Johnson is from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. She is currently a Junior at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada where she is majoring in Geological Sciences. She plans to attend graduate school with focused study in volcanology and become research geoscientist in the fields of either volcanology or tectonics, and hopes to obtain employment with a government survey, museum, or university
Ms. Johnson has joined field excursions to Manitoba Escarpment; Nevada, Death Valley and Mojave Desert; Black Hills, South Dakota; and Whiteshell region, Manitoba. She has attended the Trades and Mines Conference in Winnipeg and the Western University Inter Geological Conference in Winnipeg. She has worked at the Manitoba Geological Survey and attended field school at Star Lake in the Whiteshell region, Manitoba.
On the personal side:
Research Advisor:
Ed Vicenzi
(202) 357-2594
vicenzi@volcano.si.eduSupervisory Research Geochemist. B.Sc. (1982) McGill University; M.S. (1985) University of Oregon; Ph.D. (1991) Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Research specialties: microchemical studies of minerals and glasses. Science Unit: Department of Mineral Sciences.
Additional research contacts: Scott Whittaker and Tim Rose.
Title: A Microchemical Investigation of
Fossilized Wood: Biological Preservation and the Influence of Mineralization
Project Summary: A set of six fossilized wood specimens will be examined using a variety of micro-imaging techniques. The goal of this experiment is to determine whether the type of mineral species replacing the biological structure determines the degree of structure preserved during fossilization.
Project Description: The six fossilized wood specimens will be examined using a variety of micro-imaging techniques to determine if degree of biological structure preserved is dependant on the fossilizing mineral species. The six specimens include at least four different species of wood and six mineral species. The specimen ages range from Permian to Eocene. These specimens are described as follows:
4. Callixyon sp.,
fossilized, replaced by apatite (Ca phosphate), Upper Devonian.
7. Coal Ball, fossilized, replaced by dolomite (Ca, Mg carbonate), Pennsylvanian.
8. Coniferous wood, fossilized, replaced by hematite (Fe oxide), Permian.
13. Coniferous wood, fossilized, replaced by limonite (hydrated Fe oxide), Cretaceous.
17. Angiosperm wood, fossilized, replaced by chalcedony (Si oxide), Eocene.
20. Coniferous wood, fossilized, replaced by opal (hydrated Si oxide), Mio-Pliocene.
The purpose of this project is to develop an understanding of the degree of microstructural change that occurs as a biological organism is fossilized. By improving our understanding of the chemical changes that affect well-understood organisms (e.g. woody plants), we will improve our chances of recognizing fossilized microbes, a major goal for the emerging field of astrobiology.
Materials, Methods, Staff and Research Facilities:
The specimens were selected from the National Paleobotanical Collection and have been prepared as polished thin sections.
The equipment to be used in this project includes:
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Career Goals: Achieve a career at a university teaching entomology and conducting systematic research on an insect taxa in the neotropics. Sponsor: Participation in the 2003 summer session of the Research Training Program was provided by a grant from the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates program - Award #DBI-0243512. |
Stephanie
Johnson
smj24@cornell.edu
Ms. Johnson is from Stone Mountain, Georgia. She is currently a Junior at Cornell University in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in Ithaca, New York where she is majoring in Entomology and Biology.
During the fall of 2002 Ms. Johnson participated in the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS) Undergraduate Semester Abroad Program in Costa Rica where she conducted a survey of the macro invertebrates found in arboreal bromeliads in Santa Rosa National Park and a study of the anti-predator responses of multi-species aggregation of opilionids. She is especially interested in insect ecology, behavior, and diversity and would like to conduct research on Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, or Coleoptera in the neotropics.
On the personal side: "I am a senior at Cornell University, majoring in Entomology. I enjoy collecting and studying insects. I also like to hike, play tennis, and watch cartoons. I am a prolific reader and I like science fiction books best."
Research Advisor:
Ted R. Schultz
(202) 357-1311
schultz@onyx.si.eduCurator of Hymenoptera. B.A. (1988) University of California, Berkeley; Ph.D. (1995) Cornell University. Research specialties: Evolution and systematics of ants, especially the fungus-growing ants (tribe Attini, subfamily Myrmicinae), utilizing both morphological and molecular characters; historical ecology and evolution of the fungus-growing behavior; theory and method of phylogenetic analysis. Science Unit: Department of Systematic Biology, Entomology Section.
Additional research contacts: Faridah Dahlan
Title: Investigating the evolutionary relationships
between Attine fungus-growing ant species in the Cyphomyrmex longiscapus
group.
Project description: A minimum of four Cyphomyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae, Attini) ant species in the Cyphomyrmex longiscapus complex will be examined. A representative sample of individuals from each species will be examined using the following three methods. Discrete morphological characters will be identified for each of the species. Each individual ant will be measured for a minimum of three standard morphological indices including head width, head length, and Weber's length. Individuals will be photographed in order to document the images of each species in a very precise manner. Moreover, DNA will probably be extracted from multiple individuals, if possible, to sequence mitochondrial genes and gain a better understanding of the evolutionary relationships between the species. All available castes from each species will be examined including workers, males, and queens. This work is expected to result in the description of two new species. This research project is being done in context of a larger research program that is seeking to understand the evolution of the Attine ant fungus symbiosis. In addition, as part of a general orientation to Attine ants, a collecting trip looking for the local Attine ant species will be conducted in order to see actual fungus growing ant biology in a field setting.
Materials and Methods: Auto montage, a digital 3-D photo imaging system, will be used to take precise digital photo images of ant specimens for use in measurements, web pages, etc. DNA will be extracted and sequenced and the resulting mitochondrial DNA sequences will be analyzed using molecular systematics. Dissections will be done using minuten pins and iris scissors. Slide mounts will be made. The discrete morphological characters and the molecular characters derived from DNA sequences will be coded for cladistic analysis.
Staff and Research Facilities:
The research
advisor will probably be in Panama for 2 weeks during June.
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Career Goals: Achieve a Ph.D. and career researching geological formations in search of natural resources. Sponsor: Participation in the 2003 summer session of the Research Training Program was provided by a grant from the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates program - Award #DBI-0243512. |
Jennifer
Maloney
jmaloney@mix.wvu.edu
Ms. Maloney is from Wellsburg, West Virginia. She is currently a Sophomore at West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia where she is majoring in Geology.
Ms. Maloney received the Alan Donaldson Scholarship for excellence in Geology and the John H. Strohl Chemistry 10 Scholarship. She says her interest in geology started when she was on an eighth grade field trip to a state park where they examined the rock formations and determined the geological processes that formed them millions of years before.
On the
personal side: "I am a member of Sigma Alpha, the professional agricultural
sorority, Gamma Beta Phi, Alpha Lamda Delta, and the student chapter of the
AAPG. I enjoy being involved in school. I have many hobbies, a couple of them
being piano and sports. I have been playing piano since I was in grade school
and used to play for the school choirs and in church. I like to play all sports,
softball being my absolute favorite. I played in a softball summer league for
many many years, right up until the time that I got too old to participate.
I was also on the volleyball team in high school. I have recently taken up swimming
and raquetball as a couple new sports. Basically, I just love being outside
and being active."
Research Advisor:
Mike Wise
(202) 786-2609
wise.michael@nmnh.si.eduGeologist. 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. Science Unit: Department of Mineral Sciences.
Additional research contacts:
Title: Mountain Pegmatite
Project Summary: Some minerals respond to a high-energy electron beam by emitting visible light, a property known as cathodoluminescence (CL). This property can be used to identify details within a mineral such as chemical zoning, replacement, and alteration. In this project, pegmatite minerals from the Black Mountain pegmatite will be examined using the CL method in order to understand and explain replacement and alteration processes that occurred in the pegmatite during the late stages of consolidation.
Project Description: The Black Mountain pegmatite is located in Oxford County Maine, near the city of Rumford. It is in the northern portion of the larger Oxford pegmatite field. A pegmatite is an igneous body with an extremely coarse grain size. This particular pegmatite is a granitic pegmatite, meaning that it has the relative same bulk composition of a granite, but the grain size is much larger. It consists of minerals that contain elements that are not commonly present in rock-forming minerals; for example: quartz, feldspars, and micas. Some of these minerals are lepidolite, elbaite, amblygonite-montebrasite, spodumene, beryl, cassiterite and columbite.
The Black Mountain pegmatite also exhibits zoning, which is defined by distinct differences in the mineralogy and/or textures in different parts of the pegmatite. The Black Mountain pegmatite has five different zones, which have undergone varying degrees of replacement. Replacement can play a very important role in understanding the late stage evolution of a pegmatite. Replacement occurs when one mineral is replaced by another in a systematic manner due to reactions with fluids. The bulk of the replacement in the Black Mountain pegmatite is shown by the presence of a mineral called cleavelandite. The replacement is believed to be due to the reaction of residual fluids in the chamber with the existing minerals. The exact behavior of the fluids within the pegmatite during the replacement process is uncertain and worth further investigation. A cathodoluminescence study can show the pathway of fluid through the pegmatite and aid in the identification of late stage secondary processes and primary chemical zoning in minerals, all of which can be used to evaluate the chemical evolution of the pegmatite.
The purpose of this project is to identify and explain the processes of replacement and alteration caused by the presence of fluid during the final stages of pegmatite consolidation through examining feldspars and micas in thin sections prepared from the primary and replacement zones of the pegmatite. Apatite, zircon, spodumene, and quartz will also be examined for evidence of primary features that have been modified by late stage processes. The textures in the CL images, accompanied by chemical data, will allow a conclusion to be drawn about the relationship between fluid migration and alteration/replacement processes in the pegmatite.
Materials and Methods:
Research Facilities:
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Career Goals: Earn a Ph.D. and achieve a career as a geology research professor at a university. Sponsor: Participation in the 2003 summer session of the Research Training Program was provided by a grant from the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates program - Award #DBI-0243512. |
Brittany
Meagher
bmeag001@student.ucr.edu
Ms. Meagher is from Fresno, California but spent part of her childhood in Golden, Colorado. She is currently a Sophomore at University of California, Riverside in Riverside, California where she is majoring in Geology.
Ms. Meagher's interest in geology was sparked by her grandfather, a geologist, who often pointed out the variations in the Colorado landscape. She enrolled in the University of California at Riverside (UCR) as an undeclared Humanities major but her interest in rocks returned when taking a geology course focused on earthquakes.
On the personal side: "I am a member of the Iota Xi chapter of Alpha Chi Omega at UC Riverside. My parents are David and Anita Meagher, and they currently live in Fresno, CA. I have an older sister Ashley, who is graduating this May from the University of Kansas. I also have a younger brother Andrew, who is a junior in high school. I really enjoy sports, especially swimming and tennis. I swam competitively since I was little up till I graduated from high school. In the past year I have begun to play tennis and enjoy playing with my mom. Other activities that I really enjoy are making jewelry and cooking."
Research Advisor:
James F. Luhr
(202) 357-4809
jluhr@volcano.si.eduGeologist; 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. Science Unit: Department of Mineral Sciences.
Additional research contacts: Bill Melson, Tim O'Hearn, and post-doctoral fellow Tony Maria
Title: Volatiles in Sea-Floor Volcanic
Glasses South of Iceland
Project Summary: This project involves measurements of the abundances of volatile species in submarine volcanic glasses from along the Reykjanes Ridge, the portion of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge that extends south from Iceland. Systematic changes in elemental abundances and isotopic ratios, as Iceland is approached from the south, has been documented but few data are available for volatile species. Water and carbon dioxide content will be measured using a Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer in transmission mode coupled to an FTIR microscope. Sulfur and chlorine will be measured by electron microprobe. These measurements will then be used to try and document changes in volatile species as Iceland is approached from the south.
Project Description: First I will obtain books from Bill Melson about hot spots and the Mid-Atlantic ridge, and from this information write a basic two-page report on hot spots. Then I will obtain the three glass mounts from Tim O'Hearn, along with maps. These maps will be photocopied by me, and the originals returned to Tim. On completion I will set a time to meet with Bill Melson to observe the samples in the National Collection, from which these glasses have been sampled. I will record in my notebook observations about vesicularity (size and abundance), presence of crystals, and other features. After doing this, I will make an Excel spreadsheet of all of the samples being used, including sample number, latitude and longitude of collection, water depth, etc. Information can be obtained from the DMS website. Once all the information on the samples is collected, I will observe each sample under the binocular microscope and petrographic microscope, and record observations about vesicularity, presence of crystals, and other features. I will also use the digital micrometer to make thickness measurements for several points on each glass, making sure to record these data and create spreadsheet. I will make Fourier Transform Infrared spectrometer (FTIR) measurements for H2Omolecular, OH, CO32-, and CO2. During this work I will accompany Tim O'Hearn when he analyzes the glasses for Ni, Cl, S, and S6+/S2-. After all this work is complete I am going to prepare a poster and a written report about the findings of the project.
Materials and Methods:
Research Staff and Facilities:
Staff:
- James Luhr
- Bill Melson
- Tim O'Hearn
- Tony Maria.
Facilities:
- Electron microprobe lab
- Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer lab
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Career Goals: Achieve a Ph.D.and career in plant systematics, focused on some aspect of the systematics of the Asteraceae. Sponsor: Participation in the 2003 summer session of the Research Training Program was provided by a grant from the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates program - Award #DBI-0243512. |
Ms. Moore is from Park City, Utah. She is currently a non-graduating Senior at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah where she is majoring in Biology. She plans to attend graduate school with focused study in plant systematics and especially the Asteraceae.
Ms. Moore received the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and was named first place in 2002 for her ecology/evolution presentation at University of Utah Bioscience Symposium for Undergraduate Research. She also received third place for her poster presented at the 2001 University of Utah Bioscience Symposium for Undergraduate Research. She has received the First Year Chemistry Achievement Award and the Lloyd E. Malm Award.
Ms. Moore first became interested in plants while hiking with her parents as a child. She used field guides of local wildflowers to identify what she found and developed a particular interest in the Asteraceae. Since entering college she has been doing research on two genera in the Asteraceae, Balsamorhiza and Wyethia, with Drs. Lynn Bohs and Michael Windham, both at the University of Utah. Their research uses sequence data from the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships and the results are being submitted to the American Journal of Botany for publication. Ms. Moore is the curatorial assistant in the University of Utah herbarium and has spent the past two summers serving as a teaching assistant for the Fie
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