I started working with Dr. van der Ham
with a research project he was conducting in the fall of 2015. This project
focused on how adult insect communities could be used to determine rate of
decomposition of cadavers. Through assisting with this for two semesters, I
began to make connections between the forensic entomology focus and my own
major of environmental science. Out of these connections came the idea to
conduct a similar study that would focus on ecology. My research project looks at the community
dynamics of carrion-specific insects. Additionally, I am trying to determine if
the composition of insects in one sample site is representative of multiple
sites.
In order to collect data for my
project, Dr. van der Ham, an undergraduate student, and myself set up fifteen
emergent tents in a wooded area. After placing a rat carcass under each tent,
we collected the insects that flew into the tent’s collection apparatus
everyday for two weeks. Once fieldwork was completed, I worked in a lab where I
identified the insects down to the lowest possible taxa and kept records of the
number of each taxon found. After all samples were recorded, Dr. van der Ham
and I ran statistical tests to measure the species richness of each sample, the
variation in community composition of each sample, and the variation in
succession of each sample.
Gaining research experience as an
undergraduate is something that has been truly invaluable. Though I don’t plan
to pursue a career involving entomology, this opportunity has taught me
everything from how to conduct fieldwork to how to analyze statistical data. I
will also be presenting my data at a poster seminar, which will help improve my
oral communications skills in a professional setting.
