Meilssa Zarate of the Schmitt Lab was selected as the winner of the 2020 Denton Award for her master’s research thesis in biology titled “Predicting suitable habitat for the Critically Endangered yellow-tailed woolly monkey (Lagothrix flavicauda) in Perú.” This award is given for excellence in scholarship and research accomplishment during a master’s thesis in the Department of Biology.
Mel has a BS in biology and environmental studies from Denison University and has studied the influences of anthropogenic activities on a variety of taxa. Prior to joining BU, she interned for the Cleveland Museum of Natural History studying mudpuppies, volunteered for the Elephant Release Project at Global Vision International, and worked as an educator for the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. For her Master’s, she created a habitat suitability model for the endangered yellow-tailed woolly monkey in Peru using environmental variables and newly discovered localities of the species in order to determine where else in the country they may be found and what habitat conditions they prefer.
Congratulations, Melissa!