International research isn杏吧专区檛 foreign to Dr. Loren Cassin-Sackett.
The at the 杏吧专区 examines genetic material to explore the influence of wildlife diseases on animal evolution and ecology.
As a graduate student, she did fieldwork in Antarctica, Costa Rica and the Galapagos Islands. She also conducted postdoctoral coursework in Germany.
Today, she杏吧专区檚 a research affiliate at the Smithsonian Institution; though based in Washington, D.C., its collections attract scientists from around the globe. 杏吧专区淚t杏吧专区檚 a very international place,杏吧专区 she said.
Cassin-Sackett received yet another stamp on her research passport this spring semester. Her destination: Colombia.
There, as a Fulbright scholar, she杏吧专区檚 collaborating with scientists at the Universidad de Los Andes in Bogot谩 to examine if pathogens, bacteria and microbes found in an animal杏吧专区檚 gut 杏吧专区 in this case, the gut of the capybara, the world杏吧专区檚 largest rodent 杏吧专区 heighten its risk of acquiring infectious diseases.
The study also holds implications for humans, Cassin-Sackett said. 杏吧专区淭he pathogens we are looking for in capybaras are also pathogens that infect humans. In some regions, capybaras can come into close contact with humans.杏吧专区
She continued: 杏吧专区淗umans are at risk of contracting pathogens from animals, particularly rodents and primates because those are our closest evolutionary relatives. Understanding what increases the risk of that pathogen in the capybara can help us understand the risk of it spilling over into humans.杏吧专区
The Fulbright Program was founded in 1946. It is one of the world杏吧专区檚 most prestigious cultural exchange and scholarship programs.
Cassin-Sackett杏吧专区檚 stay in Colombia began in January and concludes in June. She discussed her expectations for her time there before her departure.
Question: What杏吧专区檚 the appeal of Colombia?
Answer: Colombia has the second-highest number of species of any country, which is really astounding. It杏吧专区檚 right next to Brazil, which has the most species. It has this amazing elevation gradient, so you have all kinds of species at low and high elevations. The diversity of habitats there is incredible. That杏吧专区檚 part of why it杏吧专区檚 appealing to me. I杏吧专区檓 a biologist, so what better place to go than one that has tons of biodiversity.
Q: You杏吧专区檝e used genomics 杏吧专区 DNA mapping 杏吧专区 here at UL Lafayette in your research. Universidad de Los Andes is a pioneer in using genomics to understand how pathogens interact with animals, marine mammals, crops and humans. What杏吧专区檚 the benefit of genomic methods to the work you杏吧专区檝e done here and to what you杏吧专区檒l be doing there?
A: Genomic methods enable scientists to sequence huge amounts of DNA, sometimes whole genomes. It杏吧专区檚 a fast and efficient way of getting at a ton of data. Being able to look at more of the genome gives us a more accurate understanding of evolution.
But that杏吧专区檚 only part of it. You can also identify what you are looking at using genomes. One of the things I am going to be doing is looking for pathogens. You often can identify those pathogens better with a DNA sequence than you can with your eyeball. Partly that杏吧专区檚 because they are microscopic, or they have a low prevalence in the animal, so it would take you forever to look through slides under a microscope. So, sequencing is an efficient way to do this.
Q: You杏吧专区檙e going to be looking for microbes found in the capybara杏吧专区檚 gut. How do you get your data?
A: Through poop. It杏吧专区檚 very glamorous.
Q: Why study capybaras?
Scientists are drawn to exceptional species because we can learn a lot from them. Capybaras are unusual; most rodents are small. Capybaras can weigh up to 150 pounds.
Capybaras are also interesting because they杏吧专区檙e very social and form large aggregations which is unusual for a rodent. I study another social rodent, prairie dogs of the American West.
Q: What is the benefit of international collaborations such as those fostered by Fulbright?
A: I was thinking how the scientific enterprise has changed over the last century. It used to be individuals working on their own and coming up with ideas. Now, we have innumerable methods to test hypotheses, and so as a result of these new methods and technologies, science has become incredibly collaborative. These collaborations propel science forward.
It杏吧专区檚 really about perspective. We all have our own way of looking at the world. You get new ideas when you get new perspectives. You learn to think about things in a different way, and I think that杏吧专区檚 where scientific discoveries happen, when you are looking at things from a new perspective you didn杏吧专区檛 have before.