January 29, 2025

Grant: $1,000 in Fall 2022

Education level at the time of the grant: PhD student

Project Description: 

Mountain gorillas are experiencing substantial anthropogenic pressure from adjacent communities and intense intraspecific competition as their population grows within a confined habitat. My research sought to understand the responses of gorillas to multifactorial social and anthropogenic stressors in their environment and provide insight into their capacity to adapt to increasingly challenging conditions. Specifically, I investigated their flexible behavioral (activity budgets and ranging patterns) and physiological (physiological stress and energy balance) responses to stressors, including encounters with other social groups and illegal human activities such as snares. Additionally, I explored social strategies that gorillas may employ to mitigate costs associated with these stressors. 

Thanks to the GIAR funding, I was able to travel to the research site in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda, to begin collecting data for my project. 

How did the grant process or the project itself influence you as a scientist/researcher?

Applying for the GIAR funding enabled me to practice constructing an effective, cohesive research proposal, which is an integral part of academia. As part of this process, I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with different organizations and scholars from around the globe and train my own research assistants. Receiving the GIAR funding has allowed me to further develop skills in field, laboratory, and professional settings that will have long-term benefits for both my academic journey and personal growth. These skills will ultimately help me to achieve my career aspirations of exploring primate adaptations in a changing world and actively contributing to the conservation of endangered species.

Where are you now?

During the past academic year, as a fourth year PhD candidate at Washington University in St. Louis, I conducted fieldwork in Rwanda and collaborated with the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund to collect data for my dissertation. 

Students may apply for Sigma Xi research grants by March 15 and October 1 annually at www.sigmaxi.org/giar.