People

My interest in primatology began in 2004 during volunteer work at the Center for Great Apes in Wauchula, FL. While at the center, I began an observational study of “Knuckles”, a juvenile chimpanzee with cerebral palsy. The rarity of this physical disorder among chimpanzees presented a unique opportunity to study how it affected his individual behavior, as well as his social interactions with conspecifics. My observations suggested that interactions with other chimpanzees and Knuckles were influenced more by his atypical behaviors than his physical appearance. Outwardly, he was the size and stature of a typical juvenile male. Although he matured physically, other chimpanzees continued to exhibit excessive tolerance towards him, perhaps revealing an awareness of his unusual condition.

In 2005, I joined the Living Links Center in Atlanta, GA as a research assistant to Dr. Frans de Waal. My duties include the observation and coding of chimpanzee social interactions as well as conducting digital video tasks designed to evaluate problem solving abilities of the Yerkes Field Station chimpanzees. I plan on analyzing this information to assess various aspects of chimpanzee behavior and cognition. I have a B.A. in anthropology from Rollins College/Hamilton Holt School and an M.A. in anthropology from Georgia State University.