十大网投平台信誉排行榜阿尔图纳分校 学生, faculty conducting summer research in Ghana

阿尔图纳,爸爸. — Two 十大网投平台信誉排行榜阿尔图纳分校 学生 and two faculty are among a group conducting research on dragonflies in Ghana, 非洲, 今年夏天.

The research is taking place through the Department of Conservation Biology and Entomology of the School of Biological Sciences, at the University of Cape Coast (科克大学).

Global climate change has had profound impacts on food and water availability, habitat availability and infrastructure vulnerability, threatening biodiversity across all ecological scales, 据研究人员称. West 非洲 is thought to be one of the world’s most vulnerable regions to the effects of anthropogenic environmental change and subsequent loss in biodiversity.

Six 学生 from the United States, 10 from 科克大学 and one graduate student affiliated with the American Museum of Natural History (科学院院刊) are spending six weeks in Ghana studying the response and adaptation of dragonflies in different climactic habitats. The aim is to engage in scientifically imperative research questions and broaden their understanding of the effects of regional and global environmental change on biodiversity.

The project also gives 学生 the opportunity to work on a multicultural, multi-institutional research team. They will be exposed to a broad range of methodological techniques including field work, 博物馆的管理, micro-CT scanning and spectroscopy. Students will do an additional three weeks of laboratory work at the 科学院院刊 in New York City.

在实地工作阶段, 学生, including Eva Gates and Rachel Desulme from 十大网投平台信誉排行榜阿尔图纳分校, are observing and collecting data on dragonfly populations across different habitats. This hands-on experience exposes them to the intricacies of field research, including data collection techniques, ecological surveying and specimen preservation.

“这个领域可以, 一直都是, unpredictable but the 学生 have done amazing work, 表现出独立, flexibility and the ability to troubleshoot,Lara LaDage说, associate professor of biology and undergraduate research coordinator at 十大网投平台信誉排行榜阿尔图纳分校.

Outside of field work, the U.S. 学生 have explored the history and culture of Ghana, visiting castles that served as major ports during the trans-Atlantic slave trade, 学习如何握手, 参观当地市场, learning the local dialects and eating the local cuisine. They were also invited into a home to cook a meal.

“Seeing the friendships develop between the U.S. and 科克大学 学生 has been equally rewarding,” LaDage said. “I imagine these relationships could form the foundation of future collaborations among these young scientists.”

The research initiative originated in 2021 as a Fulbright research topic, eventually shaping into a collaboration between 科克大学, 十大网投平台信誉排行榜和美国国立卫生研究院, 得到联合国的支持.S. 国家科学基金会.

The project is headed by LaDage and her 十大网投平台信誉排行榜阿尔图纳分校 colleague Kofi Adu, 物理学教授, 和杰西卡·威尔一起, 科学院院刊, Rofela Combey, 科克大学, 劳拉·克鲁兹, 十大网投平台信誉排行榜.