RESEARCH EXPERIENCES FOR UNDERGRADUATES
AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
June 2 August 8, 2008
Application Form
Application Deadline is February 15, 2008
Apply Early… Review Of Applications Begins February 23, 2008
INSTRUCTIONS: A completed, signed form and any supporting material must be
submitted in triplicate (an original and 2 copies) to Office of Grants and Fellowships,
REU Program, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street,
New York, NY 10024-5192. Please type or print legibly, completing all information on
this form (or on a reasonable facsimile).
The stipend is $3600, in addition to which there is $520 available for relocation, $2075
available for accommodations, $300 available for local travel, a $1500 living allowance
plus $875 available for research materials and supplies per student
Illegible applications and those lacking information will NOT be reviewed.
Name:
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Mailing Address:
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Permanent Address:
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University or College and Address:
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Daytime telephone__________________ Home telephone__________________
Email____________________
NOTE: Graduating seniors are not eligible.
This program is restricted to US citizens and Permanent Residents.
PLEASE NOTE: you have 2 pages to describe your first choice, or your first and
second choices for projects listed below. You may not specify more than 2 choices.
You may not use more than 2 pages at 12 pt font.
Class (Fr/So/Jr)______________________
Social Security Number ______-_____-_____ (You must be a US Citizen or Resident Alien)
Major program of study:
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Previous Universities/Colleges attended:
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Please list Science Courses Taken
Course Grade Course Grade
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Pertinent research experience, employment history and other special qualifications: (you may
provide a one-page cv/resume)
Names, daytime telephone numbers +/- email addresses of up to three individuals who can be
contacted for recommendations:
_______________________________________ Ph: ____________________________
email: ____________________________
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email: ____________________________
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email: ____________________________
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Your Signature and Date
1) Using informatics approaches to type bacteria.
with Dr. Robert Desalle
The intern will learn basic skills in manipulating the database to obtain a "registry" of
sequences for bacterial species. This registry will then be used to explore the efficacy of
several identification programs used in environmental microbiology.
2) Molecular phylogeny of Pimpliformes (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae): A new
insight into the Diptera parasitoids diversification.
with Dr. Jacques Dubois
The Pimpliformes, a group of ichneumonid subfamilies, exhibit highly diversified
parasitism patterns. Three of those subfamilies are specialized on Diptera. Current studies
on the Pimpliformes only rely on morphological or on limited molecular data, leading to
poorly understood evolutionary relationships. We aim to test with original multi-gene
phylogenies the previous hypotheses, and to investigate the parasitoids diversification.
3) Notoungulate postcranial anatomy: New data for studies of phylogeny, form, and
function in an extinct order of mammals
with John J. Flynn and Bruce J. Shockey
REU involvement will focus on the anatomical description, photography, taxonomy and
systematics, and functional morphology of skeletons of Notoungulata, an extinct clade of
hoofed South American herbivorous mammals. Initial targets for analysis include taxa
from the Deseadan South American Land Mammal “Age” (Oligocene, ~26-29 million
years old), such as Rynchippus pumilus and Propachyrucos) as well as a couple of other
partial skeletons in the AMNH collections. The research will include detailed
descriptions of postcranial bones, qualitative character coding (later to be integrated into
a larger NSF-funded systematics project on the higher-level phylogeny of the extinct
radiation of endemic “ungulates” of South America), and preliminary phylogenetic
analyses of these and related taxa by the REU intern. This REU project also may include
a component involving fieldwork in Bolivia. Participation in fieldwork in Bolivia will
depend on scheduling with international collaborators, will be at the discretion of the
project supervisors, and would require interns to use a portion of their AMNH REU
funding for transportation to and basic living expenses in Bolivia. Applicants should
indicate their availability and interest in this potential component on the REU application.
For fieldwork, knowledge of Spanish is helpful, and an ability and willingness to work in
the high Andes is necessary. If fieldwork is involved, it will be for one to two weeks in
May, prior to the start date of the regular AMNH REU
4) Understanding reef resilience: characterizing fine-scale ecological succession
related to coral recruitment
with Katherine Holmes and Dr. Dan Brumbaugh
Although the recruitment of juvenile corals is a key component of reef resilience (i.e., the
ability of reefs to recover from disturbance), relatively little is known about how
recruitment interacts with other ecological processes that also contribute to ecosystemlevel resilience. In particular, the types and intensities of interactions between fish
communities and coral recruitment remain particularly unclear, largely because of the
limited research on reefs with intact fish communities. To help fill this gap, we have
initiated studies of recruitment and related processes on Palmyra Atoll in the northern
Line Islands of the central Pacific. Due to its isolation and history free from substantial
human populations (with the exception of occupation during World War II), Palmyra
Atoll supports fish communities that are considered to be relatively intact and pristine,
with large numbers of apex predators such as shark, snappers, and jacks. Preliminary
analysis of terracotta settlement plates, situated at three locations and three depth zones
across back and forereefs around Palmyra show significant variability in background
levels of coral recruitment. A four-month experiment, in which additional tiles were
placed inside cages that excluded large fish, showed a transient increase in recruitment on
caged tiles, followed by low survivorship across all treatments. In order to complement
and extend these results, this REU internship will focus on computer-based image
analysis of the assemblages of macroalgae and marine invertebrates growing on these
plates. Specific issues to be investigated include the role of site and depth in assemblage
structure over time, how assemblage structure influences coral recruitment and growth,
and the influence of large fishes on colonization dynamics. In addition to introductory
coursework in ecology and statistics, interest in and experience with marine biodiversity
(especially algae and invertebrates), graphics software, and image analysis will be useful,
though not required.
5) Connectivity of Endangered Atlantic Green Sea Turtles
with Eugenia Naro-Maciel
Understanding the linkages among populations of highly migratory sea turtles is
important for their protection, and genetic data provide otherwise unobtainable insights
into these relationships. In this research, the connectivity and population genetic structure
of key green sea turtle populations throughout the Atlantic will be analyzed at 10-15
highly variable microsatellite loci. Students working on this project will carry out all
phases of laboratory research, from DNA extraction through genotyping, and data
editing, analysis, and presentation.
6) Molecular Evolutionary Genetics of Malaria Parasites
with Dr. Susan Perkins
Malaria parasites (genus Plasmodium) cause over 2 million human deaths
a year, but other, related species use rodents, birds, and lizards as
their hosts. This project will explore the molecular evolution of
several genes across the wide diversity of these important singlecelled creatures, including their incredibly bizarre ribosomal RNA
genes - genes that are unlike any other rRNA genes known in eukaryotes.
7) Documenting fish biodiversity in the Lower Congo River; species discovery and
the geography of speciation.
with Dr. Melanie Stiassny
The spectacular and poorly known location of the Lower Congo River and the biological
richness it harbors, combined with the growing threats to the region make this a
compelling focus for scientific exploration and inventory in Africa. In the study region
the Lower Congo River is punctuated by some of the most spectacular rapids on Earth
and the extraordinary hydrology of the river represents a model system for exploring
underlying patterns of aquatic species richness and endemism. An ongoing biotic survey
and inventory in the region has yielded large collections of specimens and tissues, which
combined with the latest developments in remote sensing technology, will allow us to
investigate some of the pressing questions concerning the evolutionary history and
ecological interactions of aquatic organisms in the Lower Congo rapids as well as
providing critical biodiversity data for conservation planning and global freshwater
biodiversity assessments. An REU student will craft a research project within the
framework of this broader program. Work will involve morphological and/or molecular
analysis at the population and species level of selected taxa collected from localities
along the main channel of the Lower Congo. GIS mapping and tools will augment the
study and provide a geographic context for understanding the role of rapids in structuring
populations.
NOTE!!!!
Here you must specify the project(s) you wish to be considered for.
My fist choice is: _________________________________________________
My second choice is: ______________________________________________
Please describe in 2 pages or less, following here, why you have chosen the project(s)
above and what your vision and expectations are from the 10 wk program.
You must 12 point font and at least 1 inch margins.