Prospective graduate students interested in working on projects related to evolutionary and population ecology, including disease ecology in natural host-parasite systems, are encouraged to visit the University of Georgia's Institute of Ecology webpage for more information on graduate programs, deadlines and the application process.
I am interested in working with highly motivated graduate students interested in studying the ecology and evolution of host-enemy interactions. I expect that students will develop their own lines of research that may be loosely connected to ongoing lab projects. Students should consider taking multiple approaches to addressing research questions, including field work, experimental studies, and mathematical modeling. Graduate students are expected to be independent and productive, to work cooperatively with others in the lab, to pursue collaboration with other UGA faculty and researchers as needed, to mentor undergraduate students periodically, and to engage in laboratory and Institute-wide activities such as lab meetings and the departmental seminar series.
Outstanding applicants may be considered for university-wide and presidential fellowships through the Univesity of Georgia graduate school. The Institute of Ecology also awards teaching assistantships on a competitive basis to support students during years 3-5 of their graduate program. Students are encouraged to apply for independent fellowship support from agencies such as the National Science Foundation or Environmental Protection Agency.
NEW for 2007: I am seeking one PhD student starting in August 2008 to work on a 5-year NSF funded research project titled “Animal migrations and infectious disease dynamics: monarch butterflies as a global case study.” There are many opportunities for independent graduate research within the context of this project.
Students interested in applying to work in my lab should send a brief statement of interests, a curriculum vitae, GPA and GRE scores, and summary of previous research experience and degrees awarded.
Prospective Undergraduate Students
If you are considering completing research credits, an honors thesis, or senior thesis in the laboratory of Dr. Sonia Altizer, please read the following guidelines:
We accept 1-3 undergraduate students each semester or summer who are interested in research projects related to insect ecology and evolution, avian ecology, or the ecology and evolution of infectious diseases in natural populations. If you are interested in developing or completing a semester- or year-long project, you must contact and meet with Dr. Altizer several weeks before you plan to begin your project. At the initial meeting, you can discuss potential project ideas and learn more about the research conducted in the Altizer lab. You will also meet with Mr. Andrew Davis, who manages the laboratory and field research and supervises projects on a daily basis.
As you consider completing a research project, ask yourself the following questions:
1) Am I self-motivated and enthusiastic about biology and ecological research?
2) Can I complete work with minimal supervision after learning a new technique?
3) Can I commit 8-15 hours a week to my research project on a regular basis?
4) Am I inquisitive and do I ask questions without being prompted?
5) Do I value research experience and opportunities?
6) How are my writing skills?
Time commitment
One factor to consider is that you must budget enough time to complete your project. For research projects for semester-long credit, hours and data collection depend on the project and number of research credits. For a 4-credit research project, I expect that you will work an average of 10-12 hours per week during the regular academic semester.
The following is a partial list of projects completed by undergraduates working in the Altizer lab:
Natalie Kolleda - Tracking continent-wide parasite spread in monarch butterflies: Launching a new citizen science project,MonarchHealth (2006)
Jean Chi - Strength in numbers: association between replication rate and transmission of Ophryocystis elektroscirrha in monarch butterflies. (2006)
Rachel Rarick - The toxic tonic: effects of cardenolides on parasites infecting the monarch butterfly. (2006)
Margaret Horne - Collaborating with citizen scientists to track the prevalence of a protozoan parasite in wild monarch butterflies. (2006)
Byron Ledbetter - Building and refining the Global Mammal Parasite Database on the WWW. (2006)
Debbie Ladner* - Oviposition behavior and host plant preference of monarch butterflies on different milkweed species (2001-2002)
David Toplon - Host susceptibility, immune defense, and Mycoplasma gallisepticum infection in House Finches (2001)
Molly Cobbs - Large-scale patterns of avian biodiversity and land use in eastern North America (2001)
Jessica Milligan - Errors associated with using colored leg bands to identify wild birds (2001-2002)
William Wenke - Parasites as threats to conservation: parasite diversity and prevalence in threatened and non-threatened mammals (2002)
Julia Bowen - Phenotypic Variation and Sex Differences in Monarch Butterfly Forewing Pigmentation (2002-2003)
Emily Markesteyn - Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Nesting Behavior by Three Sea Turtle Species in Juno Beach, Florida (2003)
Bethany Farrey - Monarch butterfly larval development on different milkweed species (2002)
Joshua Wilcox - Effects of Chinese Privet (Ligustrum sinense) on bird species in a southeastern piedmont forest (2003)
Erin Hotchkiss - Mycoplasmal conjunctivitis and the behavior of House Finches at bird feeders (2003)
Bethany Farrey* - Thermal stress responses among monarch butterfly populations from different geographic regions (2004)
Hugo Valin (exhange student) - Influence of temperature on the susceptibility of the monarch butterfly to a protozoan parasite (2004)
Alexis Morris - Flight performance of monarch butterflies in relation to wing morphology (2004)
Varun Dhulipala and Mudresh Mehta - Crowding and disease: Investigating density-dependent parasite resistance in monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) (2005)
* = Completed an honors project