![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() We are not sure if this is because we are not able to fully replicate the diet and environment rhinos would have in the wild, or if there are other factors at play. We’ve noticed some unusual disease syndromes in ex-situ rhino populations that we don’t typically see in the wild, with many different phenotypes (clinical presentations). While conservation work is being done to protect wild black rhino populations, my work is focused on management of the ex-situ population in the United States so that it can be more self-sustaining as a genetic resource against impending extinction threats. Some people believe the horns have medicinal properties (they don’t) or see them as status symbols. In the wild, black rhinos are heavily poached for their horns, which are made of keratin, just like our fingernails. Since we began, the project has grown and includes additional research, which is very exciting! The Smithsonian’s Black Rhino Health Project focuses on the black rhinoceros, a critically endangered species native to eastern and southern Africa. My dissertation work has served as the basis of this project. My mentor Pukazhenthi and I initiated the Smithsonian’s Black Rhino Health Project. at the George Mason University’s School of Systems Biology at the Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine. Pukazhenthi is one of my advisors, along with Emanuel Petricoin, Ph.D. through the Environmental Science and Public Policy Program of George Mason University. of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute’s Center for Species Survival. Through SEZARC, I eventually met Budhan Pukazhenthi, Ph.D. I did my master’s research on endangered species reproduction with SEZARC, and fell completely in love with endangered species reproductive physiology. They are reproductive physiologists who work on endangered animals throughout the United States. At CSU, my advisor introduced me to an organization called the Southeast Zoo Alliance for Reproduction and Conservation ( SEZARC). Later, I went to Colorado State University to get my Professional Science Master’s degree in Zoo, Aquarium and Animal Shelter Management. There I fell in love with clinical research. After college, I worked at an equine hospital as an emergency operating room veterinary technician and regenerative medicine laboratory technician. At that time, I thought I wanted to be a veterinarian. I went to Kent State University in Ohio for my undergraduate degree, where I studied molecular/cellular biology. Their enthusiasm for conservation was infectious. Many of these women were conservationists who were also doing fieldwork. The zookeepers I worked with there were some of the first role models I had as women in STEM. I learned about the conservation and care of endangered species and went on to intern and eventually work at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium. That was how I got my start in conservation. When I was in early high school, I had the opportunity to do an apprenticeship with the National Aviary. I didn’t know many scientists either, except for my granddad. Growing up, I did not have many female mentors in STEM. Fortunately for me, Pittsburgh is also home to the National Aviary and the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium. I am originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Learn about our undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral fellows and the conservation research they are supporting through first-hand accounts and stories.Įndangered species are why I get out of bed in the morning. Focus on the Future is a series that seeks to highlight the early career scientists who conduct research at the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. ![]()
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