In addition to conducting lemur science, the DLC is committed to providing research training and opportunity for students here and in Madagascar. We also strive to make sure that our science is understandable to diverse audiences through various avenues of science communication.
Training American students and interns
We welcome students to join our research projects or to develop projects of their own overseen by our research staff. Most often, we mentor undergraduate students from Duke, UNC, and NC State working towards independent study credit or graduation with distinction during the academic year or summer sessions. Many of our students pursue projects in which they can collect data on lemurs at the DLC, but projects based in laboratory or computational analyses are also welcome. In some cases, students may also be able to join us on field missions to Madagascar. In addition to college students, we welcome promising high-school students interested in wildlife biology and conservation research.
If you are interested in working with our DLC staff or developing an independent project at the DLC, here’s how to get involved.
The DLC Research Intern program is also a great opportunity to work with our research staff, especially for students who haven’t had prior research experience. Depending on the year, we offer semester or summer internships. You can find more information about all of the DLC’s intern programs on our internships homepage.
Training Malagasy students and interns
We especially enjoy working with Malagasy students pursuing Masters or PhD degrees in the Life Sciences. Most often, we co-mentor students with Professors from the MZBA at the University of Antananarivo, and we cover associated expenses (departmental & research fees, and stipend). We strive to offer Malagasy students opportunity to participate in the full research process in Madagascar, including field work, laboratory and computational analysis, grant and manuscript preparation.
For exceptional Malagasy students and early career researchers, we offer a two-month research internship based at the DLC. This internship can be co-hosted by the DLC’s veterinarian department, providing training in both lemur vet medicine and research methodology. This internship is fully funded and participants receive salary compensation. We are currently not accepting applications for this internship but will post the position when it becomes available again.
Workshops and teaching
In collaboration with the MZBA at the University of Antananarivo, Association Vahatra, and Anne Yoder’s lab at Duke University, we offer multi-day workshops centered around scientific techniques and endemic species in Madagascar. These workshops are typically offered to students in the Life Sciences at Malagasy Universities pursuing Advanced, Master’s, or Ph.D. degrees. In our workshops, we strive to offer hands-on experiences for students to gain laboratory skills, and exposure to genetic sequencing and bioinformatic analysis using mobile technology.
For more information, check out our scientific publication:
Blanco MB, Greene LK, Rasambainarivo F, Toomey E, Williams RC, Andrianandrasana, L, Larsen PA, & Yoder AD. in press. Next-generation technologies applied to age-old challenges in Madagascar. Conservation Genetics.
and relevant blog postings:
New mobile genetics laboratory: Sample analysis and student training in Madagascar
Science communication
We are committed to sharing our science with the general public through various mediums and platforms, including through blogs, talks, and social media content.
Recent talks and radio spots:
Lemur Science 201: How do lemurs survive on leaves?
There and back again: In search of Madagascar’s sifakas from peak to coast
Embodied: The science and art of your gut
How lemurs may hold the key to healthy aging and even more space travel
Scientists discover new lemur species
Recent blog posts:
New IUCN Conservation Assessments: Coquerel’s sifakas now critically endangered
Why ruffed lemurs (and their gut microbes) need to eat greens
200 words: Dwarf lemur hibernation season ends
200 words: Sifaka diet and digestive system
Check out our frequent research-oriented posts on the DLC’s social media accounts, too!
