Who We Are
Amanda Robin
Doctoral Student
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
University of California, Los Angeles
Hi! I am an NSF GRFP Fellow and doctoral student in the lab of Dr. Peter Nonacs. I am broadly interested in animal decision making and how body condition, personality, social factors, and the environment influence the important daily choices individuals have to make in the wild. Currently, I am exploring how these factors impact a squirrel’s decision to eat or store a particular food item.
I am also interested in developing novel technologies to assist in the remote collection of cognitive and behavioral data of wild animals. For my current project I have engineered an automated feeder that runs using solar power and utilizes custom built hardware and software to scan individual RFID tags, record the date, time, and weight of individuals, take photos and videos of animals interacting the feeder, and dispense food rewards.
Doctoral Student
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
University of California, Los Angeles
Hi! I am an NSF GRFP Fellow and doctoral student in the lab of Dr. Peter Nonacs. I am broadly interested in animal decision making and how body condition, personality, social factors, and the environment influence the important daily choices individuals have to make in the wild. Currently, I am exploring how these factors impact a squirrel’s decision to eat or store a particular food item.
I am also interested in developing novel technologies to assist in the remote collection of cognitive and behavioral data of wild animals. For my current project I have engineered an automated feeder that runs using solar power and utilizes custom built hardware and software to scan individual RFID tags, record the date, time, and weight of individuals, take photos and videos of animals interacting the feeder, and dispense food rewards.
Cynthia Frausto
Undergraduate Researcher
Department of Anthropology
University of California, Los Angeles
Cynthia is fascinated by both human and non-human animal behavior and evolution. She is particularly interested in studying the development of social systems. Currently, Cynthia is my lead field assistant and is also collecting her own data exploring the distribution of ground squirrels here on the James Reserve. She will be graduating in 2020 with a B.A in Anthropology with a focus on biological anthropology and a minor in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. After graduation, she plans to continue to a doctoral program where she can study the evolution of social systems within the animal kingdom.
Undergraduate Researcher
Department of Anthropology
University of California, Los Angeles
Cynthia is fascinated by both human and non-human animal behavior and evolution. She is particularly interested in studying the development of social systems. Currently, Cynthia is my lead field assistant and is also collecting her own data exploring the distribution of ground squirrels here on the James Reserve. She will be graduating in 2020 with a B.A in Anthropology with a focus on biological anthropology and a minor in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. After graduation, she plans to continue to a doctoral program where she can study the evolution of social systems within the animal kingdom.
Katie Elliot
Undergraduate Researcher
Pierce Community College
Katie is currently studying earth science at Pierce Community College in Woodland Hills, CA. She has applied to transfer and hopes to study geology at the University of California, Berkeley in the fall. Katie is passionate about animals and joined the squirrel team in hopes of contributing knowledge to deepen our understanding of the cognition of animals in the wild.
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Katherine Arnaud Undergraduate Researcher Department of Psychology University of California, Los Angeles Katherine is studying psychology at UCLA with a minor in conservation biology. She is passionate about using the study of animal behavior to further ecological conservation and is particularly interested in the behavior and evolutionary history of canines. Katherine is an ardent lover of all dogs ands hopes to aid in the protection of wolves and foxes. Further, she also has a soft spot for shelter animals and volunteers with no-kill shelters whenever she can. Currently, Katherine is helping to train squirrels and collect data in the Nonacs' Lab and is excited to learn more about squirrels over the 2019 field season! |