Ecology Personal Statement

My interest in ecology started at an early age, when my father used to take me canoeing through the swamps of Louisiana, teaching me the names of the plants and animals as we went. When I was older, my father grew interested in the fire ecology that maintained the longleaf pine savannas that used to stretch across the South. He began doing experimental controlled burns on plots of forest on our property, and I would always help him out (the experiments were successful, by the way; native species returned and invasive species were reduced). Eventually, we both became certified Prescribed Burn Land Managers, and we continued to restore our forests until I left for college. My father passed his love of nature and sciences on to me, and I feel

Though the course further sharpened my interest in applied conservation research, it also peaked my interest in pure ecological research, as I was able to see how the professor of the course informed his applied research with his pure research. That course helped me better appreciate how contributions to pure research have cascading effects on future discoveries, which is why I began working in research labs once I returned to

Karubian's behavioral ecology lab, assisting in laboratory work, such as DNA extraction and PCR protocol for a PhD student's study on how gene flow and local adaptation affect the distribution of genetic diversity in palm trees. I also assisted in the collection of behavioral data for a study on social aggression in Caribbean flamingos at the Audubon Zoo. Lastly, I participated in the collection of data from camera traps for an analysis of Ecuadorian biodiversity. Also under Dr. Karubian, I have completed an independent study on the spatial-phenological patterns of Oenocarpus bataua, a South American palm tree, using R to conduct the