Figure. Mean ambient noise levels before and during Covid-19 at Cano Island, Costa Rica
I was looking to get involved in undergraduate research and stumbled across this course when looking through all the biology department offerings. I didn’t have any experience with marine biology research prior to this course, but I had taken another class with Dr. May-Collado and so decided to give it a try. I am so glad I did! This past semester was an amazing experience and helped me to develop and sharpen my research skills, improve my scientific writing, and become a more comfortable scientific presenter.
CURE is really an incredible opportunity for any undergraduate student looking to develop and work independently on a research project. Dr. May-Collado was always there to help and answer any questions that came up along the way. From developing a hypothesis and writing a research proposal, to collecting and analyzing data in new and exciting statistical programs, and finally to interpreting and presenting our findings, Dr. May-Collado was there to guide us all along and nudge us in the right direction whenever we needed it.
This semester I had the unique opportunity of looking at the impact of Covid-19 lockdowns and regulations on the noise levels of a marine community. I focused my research on the Caño Island, Costa Rica, a protected area and an important breeding ground for migratory populations of pacific humpback whales. Using sound recordings from 2019 and 2020, I was able to analyze the noise levels pre- and during lockdowns using the program dBWAV. We found that while overall noise levels decreased during lockdowns due to a lower human and boat presence, humpback whale communicative space and singing contribution to the soundscape increased!
I will be continuing to work with Dr. May-Collado and a couple other CURE students as we hope to publish our findings on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on humpback whale behavior and singing activity. We also plan to present our results at the Marine Mammal Conference in December of 2021. I would have never thought I would have the opportunity to be part of publishable biology research as an undergraduate student, or present at such a major research conference, and I am so thankful for the opportunities CURE has provided me!
If you have the opportunity to take CURE or get involved in Dr. May-Collado’s lab, I strongly encourage you to do so. Laura is an awesome mentor and her passion for marine biology research is contagious. Highly recommend!
CURE is really an incredible opportunity for any undergraduate student looking to develop and work independently on a research project. Dr. May-Collado was always there to help and answer any questions that came up along the way. From developing a hypothesis and writing a research proposal, to collecting and analyzing data in new and exciting statistical programs, and finally to interpreting and presenting our findings, Dr. May-Collado was there to guide us all along and nudge us in the right direction whenever we needed it.
This semester I had the unique opportunity of looking at the impact of Covid-19 lockdowns and regulations on the noise levels of a marine community. I focused my research on the Caño Island, Costa Rica, a protected area and an important breeding ground for migratory populations of pacific humpback whales. Using sound recordings from 2019 and 2020, I was able to analyze the noise levels pre- and during lockdowns using the program dBWAV. We found that while overall noise levels decreased during lockdowns due to a lower human and boat presence, humpback whale communicative space and singing contribution to the soundscape increased!
I will be continuing to work with Dr. May-Collado and a couple other CURE students as we hope to publish our findings on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on humpback whale behavior and singing activity. We also plan to present our results at the Marine Mammal Conference in December of 2021. I would have never thought I would have the opportunity to be part of publishable biology research as an undergraduate student, or present at such a major research conference, and I am so thankful for the opportunities CURE has provided me!
If you have the opportunity to take CURE or get involved in Dr. May-Collado’s lab, I strongly encourage you to do so. Laura is an awesome mentor and her passion for marine biology research is contagious. Highly recommend!
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