I am conducting research, in Dr. Nancy Burley’s lab, on parental care in Zebra Finches. Avian parents sometimes show preferential treatment toward offspring of one sex. They may, for example, feed offspring of one sex more, or even selectively evict certain young from their nest. The basis of recognition of offspring sex is not well understood and I am examining whether there is a difference between male and female chick begging calls in Zebra Finches. A follow-up experiment is underway to further investigate parental feeding behavior in relation to offspring begging behavior when food quality varies.

I approached my first adviser (Dr. George Hunt, Jr.) in my freshmen year and started research at Santa Barbara Island, working on the diet differences between chick and adult Western Gulls. I looked through the faculty profiles and read the research articles by professors with research projects that I found interesting. I then emailed two professors with whom I wanted to work and interviewed with both of them. I decided to work with Dr. Hunt, even though he was retiring, because he was the only faculty working on marine birds. Dr. Hunt recommended that I work with Dr. Burley after he left for the University of Washington.

I cannot stress how important research has been to me. Everything I learn about in class is reinforced through research. Learning how to do a PCR or extract DNA is much more helpful than reading about it from lecture notes. Discussing articles in journal clubs helps me to be up to date on current literature, and provides insight into my own project. Because of the many abstracts, proposals, and papers that I have written, I feel that my writing skills have improved dramatically. Most of all, participating in research has given me opportunities to communicate, on a one-on-one basis, with faculty members. Dr. Burley is more than just a research adviser, she is a mentor and a friend. Without her help, I would not be where I am now.

Before my talk for Excellence in Research, I was speaking in a very soft voice. Dr. Hunt led me into the lab to hear my talk and after commenting on some technical issues, he had me stand there and yell at him. So for fifteen minutes, we yelled back and forth greetings and silly comments. My talk went really well, and after this experience, I have never had any more problems projecting my voice during talks.

I am going to attend Princeton University for a Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology, and hope to become a research professor in animal behavior. Without a doubt, research is an integral part of what I want to do in the future. Without the research experience that I have had as an undergraduate, I would not have developed specific interests to pursue in graduate school.

Do not be afraid to approach faculty. It may seem very intimidating at first, but they are very friendly and always want to talk with interested and motivated students. Do your homework and read some of their work before you approach them. Most of all, during the research process, do not get discouraged. Although there have been many times when my projects did not go as I had planned, things will always turn out fine if you just keep at it.