International research isn小蝌蚪APP檛 foreign to Dr. Loren Cassin-Sackett.
The at the 小蝌蚪APP examines genetic material to explore the influence of wildlife diseases on animal evolution and ecology.
As a graduate student, she did fieldwork in Antarctica, Costa Rica and the Galapagos Islands. She also conducted postdoctoral coursework in Germany.
Today, she小蝌蚪APP檚 a research affiliate at the Smithsonian Institution; though based in Washington, D.C., its collections attract scientists from around the globe. 小蝌蚪APP淚t小蝌蚪APP檚 a very international place,小蝌蚪APP she said.
Cassin-Sackett received yet another stamp on her research passport this spring semester. Her destination: Colombia.
There, as a Fulbright scholar, she小蝌蚪APP檚 collaborating with scientists at the Universidad de Los Andes in Bogot谩 to examine if pathogens, bacteria and microbes found in an animal小蝌蚪APP檚 gut 小蝌蚪APP in this case, the gut of the capybara, the world小蝌蚪APP檚 largest rodent 小蝌蚪APP heighten its risk of acquiring infectious diseases.
The study also holds implications for humans, Cassin-Sackett said. 小蝌蚪APP淭he pathogens we are looking for in capybaras are also pathogens that infect humans. In some regions, capybaras can come into close contact with humans.小蝌蚪APP
She continued: 小蝌蚪APP淗umans are at risk of contracting pathogens from animals, particularly rodents and primates because those are our closest evolutionary relatives. Understanding what increases the risk of that pathogen in the capybara can help us understand the risk of it spilling over into humans.小蝌蚪APP
The Fulbright Program was founded in 1946. It is one of the world小蝌蚪APP檚 most prestigious cultural exchange and scholarship programs.
Cassin-Sackett小蝌蚪APP檚 stay in Colombia began in January and concludes in June. She discussed her expectations for her time there before her departure.
Question: What小蝌蚪APP檚 the appeal of Colombia?
Answer: Colombia has the second-highest number of species of any country, which is really astounding. It小蝌蚪APP檚 right next to Brazil, which has the most species. It has this amazing elevation gradient, so you have all kinds of species at low and high elevations. The diversity of habitats there is incredible. That小蝌蚪APP檚 part of why it小蝌蚪APP檚 appealing to me. I小蝌蚪APP檓 a biologist, so what better place to go than one that has tons of biodiversity.
Q: You小蝌蚪APP檝e used genomics 小蝌蚪APP DNA mapping 小蝌蚪APP here at UL Lafayette in your research. Universidad de Los Andes is a pioneer in using genomics to understand how pathogens interact with animals, marine mammals, crops and humans. What小蝌蚪APP檚 the benefit of genomic methods to the work you小蝌蚪APP檝e done here and to what you小蝌蚪APP檒l be doing there?
A: Genomic methods enable scientists to sequence huge amounts of DNA, sometimes whole genomes. It小蝌蚪APP檚 a fast and efficient way of getting at a ton of data. Being able to look at more of the genome gives us a more accurate understanding of evolution.
But that小蝌蚪APP檚 only part of it. You can also identify what you are looking at using genomes. One of the things I am going to be doing is looking for pathogens. You often can identify those pathogens better with a DNA sequence than you can with your eyeball. Partly that小蝌蚪APP檚 because they are microscopic, or they have a low prevalence in the animal, so it would take you forever to look through slides under a microscope. So, sequencing is an efficient way to do this.
Q: You小蝌蚪APP檙e going to be looking for microbes found in the capybara小蝌蚪APP檚 gut. How do you get your data?
A: Through poop. It小蝌蚪APP檚 very glamorous.
Q: Why study capybaras?
Scientists are drawn to exceptional species because we can learn a lot from them. Capybaras are unusual; most rodents are small. Capybaras can weigh up to 150 pounds.
Capybaras are also interesting because they小蝌蚪APP檙e very social and form large aggregations which is unusual for a rodent. I study another social rodent, prairie dogs of the American West.
Q: What is the benefit of international collaborations such as those fostered by Fulbright?
A: I was thinking how the scientific enterprise has changed over the last century. It used to be individuals working on their own and coming up with ideas. Now, we have innumerable methods to test hypotheses, and so as a result of these new methods and technologies, science has become incredibly collaborative. These collaborations propel science forward.
It小蝌蚪APP檚 really about perspective. We all have our own way of looking at the world. You get new ideas when you get new perspectives. You learn to think about things in a different way, and I think that小蝌蚪APP檚 where scientific discoveries happen, when you are looking at things from a new perspective you didn小蝌蚪APP檛 have before.