Research Projects
Current Research Projects at Utah Valley University
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Investigating how environmental stress affects cooperation and aggression in Thatch ants
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Investigating the occurrence and transmission of novel foraging behaviors in wild dolphins in Charleston, South Carolina
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Investigating how the maternal environment shapes offspring development
Documenting artificial light at night (ALAN) across the Salt Lake Valley
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Investigating acceptance of scientific concepts and scientific communication
Common Themes in Reproductive Diversity Postdoctoral Fellow
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Indiana University
Greg Demas and Cara Wellman Labs
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As a postdoctoral fellow, I will examine how the maternal neuroendocrine-microbiome environment shapes offspring development and behavior in Siberian hamsters
Jessica Cusick measuring a brown-headed nuthatch egg at Tall Timbers Research Station as part of her dissertation research at Florida State University in the Emily DuVal Lab. Photo Credit: TTRS
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Florida State University
Emily H. DuVal Lab
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My dissertation research investigated the proximate mechanisms influencing individual variation in cooperative behavior in the cooperatively breeding brown-headed nuthatch (Sitta pusilla). I specifically investigated how variation in relatedness, physiology, and aggression influence individual differneces in cooperative behavior.
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Jessica Cusick films Atlantic spotted dolphin in the Bahamas as part of her master's research with the Wild Dolphin Project and Florida Atlantic University. Photo Credit: The Wild Dolphin Project
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Florida Atlantic University
Wild Dolphin Project, Denise Herzing
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My master's research investigated the role of cooperation during interspecific aggression between two wild species of dolphins, the Atlantic spotted dolphin (Stenella frontalis) and the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) in the Bahamas.
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Jessica Cusick catching Goliath Grouper as part of her collaboration with the Florida State University Coastal and Marine Laboratory. Photo Credit: Grouper Group
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Florida State University Coastal and Marine Laboratory
Dr. Chris Koenig and Dr. Felicia Coleman, Reef Fish Ecology Lab
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We investigated the natural history, life history, and population recovery of the Atlantic Goliath Grouper (Epinephelus itijara). We have investigated age and growth of this species, spawning behavior, diet, and overall health during the spawning and non-spawning seasons.
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