Laura J May-Collado, Ph.D.
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Singing in silence! by Sawyer Miller-Bottoms

6/5/2021

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Picture
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!

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