Dr. Jerry Johnson, Department of Biology
This mentoring environment grant was awarded in 2008. The purpose of the project was twofold: (1) to help support BYU undergraduate students to participate in our Patagonia PIRE international field study program in Argentina and Chile; and (2) to support undergraduate participation in research on evolution of fishes in Mexico. Here I report on the outcomes of this project, specifically addressing the five points requested by the ORCA for MEG final reports.
Evaluation of how well the academic objectives of this proposal were met
Funding from this MEG helped establish the Patagonia Field Study Program at BYU. This is a partnership between the U.S. National Science Foundation PIRE Program (funded through a 2.1 million dollar grant to BYU; Jerry Johnson is PI on this grant), the BYU Kennedy Center, and the BYU Department of Biology. In essence, the MEG money allowed us to stretch the NSF funding for student exchanges in a way that we were able to recruit and send three additional students to Argentina or Chile to conduct a semester-long research abroad program in a foreign host lab. Funding from the MEG also supported student participation in field research in Mexico and student wage support on the Mexican research back at BYU. We also had sufficient funding to include additional undergraduates working on projects closely related to the Mexico research. My evaluation is that we were able to meet each of the objectives outlined in the proposal, and then some.
Evaluation of mentoring environment
My lab provides an excellent mentoring environment. All students in my laboratory met regularly with me. Undergraduate students recruited into the lab were first given an extensive interview with me to determine if the lab would be a good fit for them. Upon being accepted into the lab, undergraduates spent their first semester working directly with me in the lab and rotating through small research modules with my graduate students and my advanced undergraduates. During this time I helped students begin shaping their own research questions; we met weekly during lab meeting and at least once a week to go over their progress. During this time undergraduates were also assigned to meet several times a week with graduate students and/or postdocs in the lab with particular expertise in the areas that they are studying. By the end of one semester, students had identified a research problem and have developed an appropriate set of methods to answer that problem. Students then worked on data collection and further reading related to the research. Typically, students presented their research progress in lab meetings during this time, and on occasion presented their preliminary work out our department brown bag, Ecolunch. Finally, once students had completed their data collection, I spent several weeks meeting with students one on one to help them complete their data analyses and to generate figures and tables of their findings and working their results up toward publication. Students at this point were also invited and prepared to begin helping new recruits to the lab, this giving these students an opportunity to help mentor others.
In the case of the Patagonia Field Study Program, these students were given some additional specialized training. During the Fall Semester they were enrolled in a Patagonia Preparation Course, taught by me and by a student facilitator from the Kennedy Center. Here they learned about Latin American culture, received training regarding the broader research objectives of the PIRE program, and developed their own research plans for the time that they would spend in a host lab in Argentina or Chile.
List of students who participated and what academic deliverables they have produced or it is anticipated that they will produce
Table 1. Students mentored with 2008 MEG support.
Central America / Mexico Research
| Student | Deliverables |
|---|---|
| Cory Heizenrader | Cory developed an artificial insemination technique in the laboratory that is currently being used in several research projects. He presented his results in a laboratory meeting and at a lab meeting in his host lab in Argentina. Cory parlayed this experience into his current employment with a medical device manufacturer. |
| Ian Dawson | Ian examined the evolution of female mate preference in Brachyrhaphis fish. His preliminary data were used to help shape a project currently under investigation by BYU PhD student Spencer Ingley. Spencer has been able secure a fellowship from NSF for this work. Ian is currently in medical school. |
| Pat Scarborough | Patrick is currently in medical school. The paper resulting from his work has been accepted for publication. Larson, A. D.*, P. L. Scarborough*, C. L. Sayre*, and J. B. Johnson. 2012. What can phylogeographic breaks in the livebearer Poeciliopsis turrubarensis tell us about fish community boundaries in western Costa Rica? Journal of Fish Biology. In press. * denotes BYU student co-authors. |
| Emily White | Emily collected data on the phylogeography of Galaxiella. A manuscript has been prepared from this research with my former postdoc Peter Unmack. My understanding is that this paper is currently being revised for submission. |
| William Alexander | William collected data on life history evolution in Xenophallus. He presented his work with graduate student Carissa Jones at the ASIH Annual Meeting in St. Louis, MO |
| Greg Kiene | Greg worked on a geometric morphometrics problem in the fish Poecilia gillii. We had to go back and refine some of his analyses recently, but we do have a paper in preparation on which Greg will be a co-author. Greg is currently in dental school. |
Patagonia Field Study Research
| Student | Deliverables |
|---|---|
| Jenna Trubschenck | Jenna worked on morphometrics of pencil catfish for four months in the laboratory of Dr. Evelyn Habit at the University of Concepcion in Chile. She presented her research findings at a meeting in Chile, where she spent four months doing research. She is currently in dental school. |
| Cory Heizenrader | Cory completed a project titled: Evidence for parallel evolution between lake and stream morphs of the pencil catfish Hatcheria macrei. He did this work over a four month period in the lab of Dr. Victor Cussac at the University Nacional del Comahue in Bariloche, Argentina. |
| Monte Hawkins | Monte completed a project on the evolution of behavioral aggression in lizards in the lab of Dr. Mariana Morando in Argentina. Monte is currently in medical school. |
Description of results/findings of the project
The major outcomes of the project were that it provided opportunities for three students to conduct research abroad in host labs in Argentina and Chile. Jenna’s work showed that pencil catfish from across different habitat types in Chile express variable body shapes; however, it remains unclear what factors drive this variation. Monte’s work demonstrated territoriality in lizards that occupy rocky outcrop habitat types. Cory’s work showed that pencil catfish from lake habitats are distinctly different shapes than those found in rivers. Of the six students working on Central American and Mexico research, there was a range of research findings. For example, Patrick’s project showed that some earth history events can have a marked effect on population structuring in freshwater fishes. Greg’s work shows that predators drive the evolution of prey body shape. Emily’s project demonstrated patterns of genetic structuring in an Australian desert fish. Ian’s project showed that Brachyrhaphis from different habitat types show different levels of aggressive behavior. Finally, Cory’s project on artificial insemination provided a key tool that has been useful for other research in the lab.
Description of how the budget was spent
The total budget was $20,000. Funds were spent roughly as follows. $12,000 was used to support students conducting research in Argentina and Chile. These funds were used to cover airfare, housing, and research expenses in the host lab. About $5,000 was spent on student wages throughout the year. We try to hire students to spend time conducting their research so that they won’t need to get additional employment. Finally, about $3,000 was spent on research supplies for the various projects.