Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. 2004-2005

I studied population genetics of Flightless Cormorants (Phalacrocorax harrisi) for my Master’s work in the laboratory of Dr. Patricia Parker at the University of Missouri - St. Louis. Flightless cormorant colonies are clustered along the rocky shorelines of Isabela and Fernandina Islands in the western part of the archipelago. To access these colonies I worked mostly from a boat! The opportunity to live and work in Galápagos was an incredible experience. The archipelago is stunningly beautiful and utterly unique. My study informs conservation and management of this endemic species and is published in Molecular Ecology.