Examples of Past Projects |  | | Casey O'Connor | | My summer was spent researching and writing about global conservation priority setting. Specifically, I wrote a little paper that incorporates social, political, and economic factors into the typically biological exercise of conservation priority setting. Besides learning a ton about current issues in conservation, statistics, and the publication process, I also got to know some real good folks. Amid the chaos of our lab and the relative calm of our trips to conservation projects in action, we formed a pretty tight knit group that continues to work together and even hang out on occasion. Even more surprising, I got paid for all of this. Seriously. I continue to work with TNC and can't really imagine a better job at this point in my life. | | Chris Farrell | | I spent this past summer researching land transactions known as conservation easements. More specifically I was looking to see if easements are strategically distributed in areas of high biodiversity or anthropogenic threat throughout California. Another component of the study consisted of a comparison between the smaller locally operated land trusts and the one statewide land trust operating in California, The Nature Conservancy. I am grateful for being allowed the opportunity to perform meaningful research in a subject I am passionate about. But perhaps the most rewarding aspect of the research was being able to work personally with my mentors Dr. Michelle Marvier and Dr. Peter Kareiva. They understood our pains of sitting in front of a computer screen all day hammering out databases and statistics. They instinctively knew we would be yearning for a departure from the less than natural fluorescent bulbs and the computer screens. They took care to reward our sufferings with endless encouragement and constructive criticism (and the occasional trip away from the lab, purely for research purposes of course). So while I dreaded the sight and sound of the Dell desktop waking from its slumber as I rolled into lab deathly early in the morning, I was also inspired by the research I was performing and adopted a love hate relationship with the silicon screen in front of me. This research experience has undoubtedly been a major contribution to my undergraduate education. | | Christine Dindia | | How does what we do on land affect the health of the ocean along the California coast? That was the research question at hand. In the other hand was a database filled with information about fish trawls taken every three years from 1977- 2001. The rest was up to us. I spent the summer searching for online data- from this I learned how to distinguish useful sites from not-so-useful ones; perfecting my Access and Excel skills as I transferred data from various databases and spreadsheets to a program that I could work in; and learning more about stats and how they are applied more than any class could have taught. The biggest lesson I learned, however, is that real research is not easy, I am still attempting to get to the bottom of my research question. It is very fun though, because even when you make the slightest progress or see the tiniest insight to something, it will keep you going until the next light bulb goes on. | | Joy Hornisher | | My main research this summer focused on the distribution of conservation easements throughout the nation. We collected data and ran statistical analyses to determine what factors can significantly predict the density of conservation easement across the United States. This was a rewarding experience because I got to work one-on-one with my professors. By working with these professors I learned about their specific area of study, while I gained valuable experience doing research. We began with collecting and analyzing data and finished by writing a research paper and presenting our research at a symposium. I would recommend this program to any student who is an inquisitive thinker and wants valuable research experience in this field. | | Katherine Cambier | | During the summer of 2002 I was one component of a team of six students whose goal was - taking a direct quote from one of our advisors Dr. Kareiva - "to save the world." So what exactly did this lofty goal of ours entail? A lot of  computer skills, research, deep thinking,group bonding, and rewarding efforts! More specifically, my research was geared towards setting conservation priorities on a global scale. Such analyses are crucial if conservation organizations want to strategically target their efforts. Previous work of this sort has weighted each endangered species equally. However, some groups of species are at higher risk of extinction than others. We attempted to quantify endangerment at a higher taxonomic level - the family level - by weighting each species by how endangered all of the species in its family are. In the end we proposed that a different assessment of species - one that takes into account endangerment status at a higher taxonomic level - might paint a clearer picture of how conservation priorities should be set. I am very thankful for the experience of partaking in this research project. Although the task was a bit overwhelming at times, the end product was definitely worth the stress. I learned that acquiring data sets from other sources takes patience and time, that Microsoft Access can be your friend, and that if one wishes to keep their sanity and eyesight they should limit their computer screen staring time to 8 hours a day! I am extremely thankful for my fellow research buddies and for two great advisors who were able to patiently guide us through all of our conservation woes. | | Sabrina West | | This summer, I was one of six interns working for Dr. Marvier and Dr. Kareiva. I worked on two projects. The first was gathering data for an article on publication speed for various journals. In addition, I worked with a partner to analyze NOAA data for patterns in fish populations off the California coast. In this project, we investigated how actions of humans on land (urbanization, road-building, pesticide use in agriculture, etc.) might be affecting the dynamics of marine populations. I really learned a lot about what it is actually like to work in the field of Conservation Biology - from the frustration of trying to find any helpful information on the Internet to the satisfaction of getting a significant result. The understanding of statistical analysis that I gained will be quite valuable in my future ecological career. I think the best aspect of this program was really the interaction with my bosses and my lab mates. I really got a feeling of what it was like to work in such a large team, and how all the members can support each other. I would recommend this research program to anyone who is interested in finding out what it is really like to work in a lab, or for anyone who is looking for a meaningful way to spend their summer. | |
