Anna Reid, a Junior majoring in Integrative Studies with a concentration in Applied Global Conservation, just won the top prize at the College of Humanities & Social Science Research Symposium for her work on the analysis of coyote activity around waste disposal sites and management implications.
Each spring, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences hosts an Undergraduate Research Symposium, open to all undergraduates with a major in the College who want to showcase their research and creative activity. Students working on research projects (course research or independent research) under the supervision of a Mason faculty member are eligible to participate.
Students may apply to present their work in the form of a poster or oral presentation. Faculty judges select award winners, and winners receive monetary awards in addition to formal recognition at a reception following the event.
Anna knew from a young age that she wanted to study conservation and make it her life’s work. She remembers her youth as being filled with watching Steve Irwin, rescuing frogs and salamanders from the pool, and going on nature hikes with her dad.
“My time at the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation was incredibly valuable to me, not only did I get the opportunity to get hands on experience with conservation but I was also able to do this project, in which my group members and I analyzed coyote behavior using camera traps to determine whether they were being drawn to a composting pit on campus and therefore increasing the risk of human-wildlife conflict” said Anna Reid.
This summer Anna will be interning at Yellowstone National Park and hopes to continue on that career path after graduation. She plans to return to graduate school to earn a Master’s degree that would aid in her desire to become a biologist for the National Park Service.
Kelly Dunne, Executive Director of the School of Integrative Studies (SIS), praises Anna for her work and expresses how much SIS values undergraduate research and applauds her scholarship.
May 08, 2017
