Undergraduate Research Opportunities
BAA Undergraduate Research Opportunities:
Independent Studies
Primatology Certificate Internship
Graduation with Distinction
The first step in conducting mentored research is contacting and interviewing a faculty member with whom you would like to work. Prepare for this meeting by researching the previous scientific work of your potential mentor and by outlining either areas of research you would like to work on or, outlining a specific project that you would like to conduct. Keep in mind that some faculty members prefer that you carve out a sub-project within a larger project that they are working on, while others prefer you create your own project. Be sure to review the “Guidelines for Independent Studies” (these guidelines are also useful for the Primatology Internship and Graduation with Distinction programs).
(Organized, roughly, by area of research)
Dr. Steve Churchill (churchy@duke.edu)
Area: Paleoanthropology
Number of Students: 1- 2
Submit research proposal
Adam Hartstone-Rose (ah7@duke.edu; Graduate Student of Dr. Churchill)
Area: Paleoanthropology
Number of Students: 1
Project: Sexual Dimorphism in Big Cats
Comments: ideal for year-long project (distinction/primatology?)
Nancy Barrickman (nancy.barrickman@duke.edu; Grad student of Dr. Churchil/Dr. Cartmill)
Area: Osteology/Human and Primate Evolution
Research Projects: My dissertation involves brain and body growth, and life history in primates. I am always visiting museum collections with primate skeletons (including humans), and I am willing to develop a spin-off project related to these collections. I would prefer projects that relate to growth and development, but I am open to other ideas. Also, I am developing a GIS database/interactive map of Plovers Lake, a Middle Stone Age site in S. Africa, and I could always use help with that project.
Comments: No particular background or prerequistes are necessary – motivation and innovation are more important.
Dr. Rich Kay (rich_kay@baa.mc.duke.edu) -- on leave for 06/07
Area: Primate Evolution/Anatomy
Number of students: 1
Proposal: submit proposal to Dr. Kay
Comment: Dr. Kay is in the field for several weeks each Spring semester.
Jonathan Perry (jmp2@duke.edu; Dr. Kay’s graduate student)
Area: Paleoanthro/Anatomy
Number of students: 1
Projects: Bite size in lemurs. For this project, I will examine the relationship between the size of a lemur and the size of the food it ingests. I plan to cut lemur foods into different sizes and feed them to lemurs at the Duke University Primate Center to see which sizes of food are bitten into smaller pieces before ingestion. This will give me an idea of 'ideal' bite size. I predict it will have a relationship to the size of the lemur itself.
Terry Mitchell (trm3@duke.edu; graduate student of Dr. Richard Kay)
Area: visual guidance of primate behavior
Number of students: 1
Possible projects: currently studying the evolution and ecology of binocular vision in mammals using performance testing and kinematic analyses
Dr. Matt Cartmill (matt_cartmill@baa.duhs.duke.edu)
Area: Primate biology and evolution
Number of Students: 1
Projects: Locomotor behavior and anatomy of primates and other terrestrial vertebrates.
Dr. Dan Schmitt (daniel_schmitt@baa.mc.duke.edu)
Area: Biomechanics of locomotion
Number of Students: 1-2
Submit research proposal
Comment: Dr. Schmitt will be on sabbatical next Spring, so projects will need to be well defined such that they can be completed in a single semester.
Dr. Christine (Chris) Wall (christine_wall@baa.mc.duke.edu)
Area: Functional Morphology/Anatomy
Number of students:
Possible projects: morphometric analysis of the skulls of mammals, analysis of electromyographic data, and measurement of various parameters of muscle fibers from sectioned and stained material.
Dr. Nancy Major (nancy.major@duke.edu)
Area: Radiology,Anatomy
Number of students: up to 3
Projects: submit proposal to Dr. Major
Dr. Andrea Taylor (andrea.taylor@duke.edu)
Area: Anatomy/Primate Ecology/Evolution
Number of students: 1-2
Possible projects: collecting data on jaw-muscle architecture and physiology in primates; stereologic analysis of trigeminal motor and sensory complexes
Comments: Preference given to students wishing to carry out a research project for their honors thesis and willing to commit for at least one year background in anatomy, evolutionary theory and/or primate ecology helpful.
Dr. Christine Drea (cdrea@duke.edu)
Area: Primate Behavior/Reproduction
Number of Students: 1 (tentative)
Project: collecting behavioral data at the Duke Univ. Primate Center
Comments: Dr. Drea already has several ind. study students, but one position may open up in the Fall. Contact her now for possible openings or to get information about opportunities in the future.
Dr. Leslie Digby (ldigby@duke.edu)
Area: Primate Behavior/Ecology
Number of Students 1-2
Project: 1) Modeling of Primate Home Ranges ; 2) The influence of habituation on lemur behavior; students would collect behavioral data and/or conduct record searches at the Duke University Primate Center
Comments: Students need to have taken BAA 144L or equivalent; other courses in behavior/ecology very helpful. Ideally, you’ll have taken a class from me!
Dr. Ken Glander (glander@duke.edu)
Area: Primate Behavior/Ecology
Number of Students:
Projects: see Dr. Glander
Dr. Joanna Lambert
(see Dr. Lambert for possible projects)
Catherine Workman (ccw9@duke.edu; graduate student of Ken Glander)
Area: Primate Behavior/Ecology
Number of students: 1
Pot. Projects: life history, census/demography as related to gross ecological parameters and feeding ecology especially, plant/primate interactions and limestone habitat ecology.