Independent Projects: The Home Stretch

By Christopher Simmons

Upon returning to La Selva for the last time we began preparing for our independent projects. Once we finished our final exams we were set to begin. My group’s project was to collect sandflies, vectors of the tropical disease Leishmaniasis, using CDC light traps. We were trying to see if there was a greater abundance in either primary forest or secondary forest, both found at La Selva. From there we would separate males and females and test the females for the parasites that cause leishmaniasis. Only females were tested because males do not eat blood and thus, cannot be infected nor transmit the parasite. We collected for eight days. I can honestly say I was not expecting the project to be so demanding. We would get up at 5:30 to go collect the traps from the night before. The rest of the day consisted of identifying specimens, doing our molecular testing, and then setting up traps again before dinner. I have learned how hard it can be to be a field researcher. Our results showed that there was not a significant difference in sandfly abundance between habitats; we do think it could be significant had we sampled for a longer period. Unfortunately, our molecular tests (PCR) came back inconclusive. The positive control for the tests did not show, so we cannot be sure the process worked. Even though our results were not what we hoped I certainly enjoyed the experience. One of the main reasons I chose this program was due to its research opportunity, and it was a great learning experience. I learned more about how to work with other group members and why it is important to communicate with each other. These skills, among many others learned throughout the program, will be put to use in my future studies and later in my career.