Now and Then

Hello from the MSU Lab!

One of the large projects I was charged with as the new Lab Manager was organizing our server, the shared space for storing all digital data, work, and projects over the past 26 years. With all the undergrads and graduate students home on break, I finally got to leap in, sift through, and re-structure our server.

Many curiosities appeared and countless treasures; one of the best parts was looking back through the decades of the life and research this project has conducted. It was really interesting to see what has changed but even more fascinating to see how it hasn’t changed.

Poop is still diligently collected, described, and pushed into 2ml tubes for storage in the liquid nitrogen until Kay transports it all back to MSU.

Alumnus Sofia Wahaj (2001)

Hadley Couraud (2013)

Daily notes and data are recorded and entered….though the means through which to achieve that task has evolved.

Alumnus Jaime Tanner (2006)

Benson Pion, Hadley Couraud, and Phoebe Parker-Shames (2014) Photo credit: Julie Turner

The Mara still reminds us that despite our best driving and the seemingly indestructability of our Cruisers, she can still get the best of us.

2002

2013

Julie Turner, Hadley Couraud...yes, we slept the night in our trusty KAS

Research projects are still conducted alongside daily observations – some quite similar, others very possibly a one-time thing.

Tyson Harty recording (2003)

PhD student, Kenna Lehmann, recording vocalizations in a play-back experiment (2014)

Ultrasounds of pregnant hyenas, (2003)....This one is pretty unique

Free time in camp is still used let loose some of the energy that gets pent up from sitting in cars for hours a day.

Camp bocce ball (2002)

Volleyball, with Fisi Camp and local kids (2014) Photo: Hadley Couraud

And we still have this….

2002

2014

(That being said, Kay will remind us all that when she started the project, this was not at all a sight you could expect to see)

When I first started as an RA last year, I was just excited to have been hired to conduct wildlife research in the field. Quickly however, and still growing today, is my excitement and pride to be part of this project and it's legacy. (Not to mention my fascination and enthusiasm for hyenas...but that's a given : )