The Rocky Mountain Biological Human Society held its third annual conference on Saturday, October 5, at the SpringHill Suites Denver Downtown on the Auraria Campus. RMBAA is one of many biological anthropology organizations across the country that focuses on creating a student-centered, low-pressure environment for undergraduate and graduate students to present their research.
“One of the things we wanted to create was a student-centered organization that could provide a low-pressure environment for students to present their work,” said RMBAA President and Metropolitan State University Associate Professor said Todd Yokeley. University of Denver. “And I think we’ve accomplished that so far.”
The conference featured two keynote speakers: Regis University professor Amy Schreier and Colorado State University assistant professor Dr. Andrew Do. Two poster sessions were also held for undergraduate and graduate students to share their research. Attendees also had the opportunity to participate in specialized workshops focused on cover letters, resumes, and personal statements.
The first half of the conference focused on primatology, the study of non-human primates. Schreier’s talk, titled “On the Edge of the Forest: Field Schools and the Fight for Primate Conservation,” was held at the La Suerte Biological Field Station and La Selva Research Station in northeastern Costa Rica. focused on behavioral ecology and conservation research projects. The main focus of the study was the effects of forest fragmentation on howler monkeys and these primates.
Schreier highlighted the challenges faced by primates living in human-altered forests. Primate groups within forests are estimated to reduce competition for food resources in less-than-ideal habitats. The best way to achieve this for primates is to change the amount of time they spend eating, sleeping, and moving.
“Behavioral flexibility will be important for animals to survive in changing environments,” Schreier said.
Schreier noted the importance of forests for conservation as well as the challenges these monkeys face in maintaining dense populations in forest fragments.
“Biological field stations play a vital role in addressing some of the most critical environmental challenges we face,” Schreier said.
Schreier then cited a study of 150 primatologists from 50 countries and the impact the field station has had on conservation.
“Field stations have improved habitat quality and reduced hunting rates at more than 80 percent of field stations,” Schreier said. “Fuel stations also had lower operating costs per square kilometer than other protected areas, and forest cover losses were lower near field stations, with forest cover losses reduced by about 10% compared to neighboring areas.”
The first student poster session featured student research in paleoanthropology and primatology. Regis University environmental science students Josephine Weiler and Hayden Pearson shared their experiences presenting as undergraduate researchers.
“This is a…small conference, mostly students, so I think it’s a really great place to learn how to do this kind of thing with an understanding, good, and safe crowd.” Weiler said.
Pearson echoed similar sentiments, particularly emphasizing the size of the crowd.
“It’s a very good learning process,” Pearson said. “I wanted to have this experience, but it wasn’t what I expected. I was expecting a smaller panel…but it was like all 60 (or) 70 people were here. So it was a little different (than I expected), but I’m still glad I did it.”
The second poster session focused on archaeology, molecular anthropology, and forensic anthropology, followed by a talk by Mr. Du titled “Paleoecology Agenda for Paleoanthropology.” Paleoecology is the study of ancient ecosystems and environments. Examine how prehistoric plants and animals interacted with their environment over time. Paleoanthropology primarily studies fossils of human ancestors and their evolution.
Mr. Yokeley gave the conference’s closing remarks and announced the student award winners. Both students received a $200 Visa gift card. The recipient is a Doctor of Biological Anthropology. Yuting Gao, a student at the University of Colorado Boulder, investigated variation in the Cercopidonidae oral microbiome, and John A. Nguyen, an undergraduate biology student at Regis University, investigated the behavior of cloaked howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata) in primary and secondary forests during Ramadan. I was in charge of research. Selva, Costa Rica.
Mr. Du expressed concern for students who want to pursue the field of anthropology.
“What worries me is that…our field has gotten so crowded that undergraduates now feel like they need to beef up their resumes to be competitive for graduate school. The competition is trickling down,” Do said. “But I think it’s a lot to have that much stress at the undergraduate level.”
Contact Chace Silvey at entertainment@collegian.com or on Twitter. @CSUCollegian.
