This semester I took CURE after hearing about it through the instructor, Dr. May-Collado. I had previously attended her summer field course in Panama, which was also a great opportunity! Therefore, I knew a little of what to expect, in terms of the paper writing process and forming a testable question and procedure. However, I was not necessarily prepared with the ups and downs and difficulties of writing, developing and pursuing my own research project. Despite the difficulties, and with Dr. Collado’s help, I was able to come out of the course with a completed manuscript. In addition, I had a better understanding of the work it takes to do your own project and go through all that data!
For my project, I was given the opportunity to use drone footage, obtained by one of Dr. May-Collado’s PhD students, Eric Ramos, another great scientist. This footage was of Antillean manatees in Saint Georges Cayes, Belize. I then proceeded to develop a data collection protocol, so that I could create a relative behavioral budget for this understudied and endangered population. This was an extremely challenging process, as I had little to no experience in behavioral data collection, and no experience with manatee behavior. However, the experience was very regarding, I gained so many new skills. In addition, I have decided to continue on with this project, and analyze more footage to hopefully obtain more conclusive results. This project will eventually become my honors college thesis project. If you have the chance to take this course, I highly recommend it, as it is invaluable. It provided me with experiences in data collection, processing, project development, and manuscript writing. These are all very important skills for future biologists. I cannot thank Laura May-Collado and Eric Ramos enough for this opportunity.
For my project, I was given the opportunity to use drone footage, obtained by one of Dr. May-Collado’s PhD students, Eric Ramos, another great scientist. This footage was of Antillean manatees in Saint Georges Cayes, Belize. I then proceeded to develop a data collection protocol, so that I could create a relative behavioral budget for this understudied and endangered population. This was an extremely challenging process, as I had little to no experience in behavioral data collection, and no experience with manatee behavior. However, the experience was very regarding, I gained so many new skills. In addition, I have decided to continue on with this project, and analyze more footage to hopefully obtain more conclusive results. This project will eventually become my honors college thesis project. If you have the chance to take this course, I highly recommend it, as it is invaluable. It provided me with experiences in data collection, processing, project development, and manuscript writing. These are all very important skills for future biologists. I cannot thank Laura May-Collado and Eric Ramos enough for this opportunity.
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