The Life Sciences Fellowship Program supports predoctoral trainees and is open to all life science-related departments and faculty researchers. An interdepartmental committee selects candidates for these training slots, which are highly competitive. The goal of the Life Sciences Fellowship program is that trainees will develop both a high level of expertise and knowledge in their own discipline and, at the same time, an appreciation for the experimental approaches and knowledge of other disciplines. Several mechanisms have been developed to encourage an interdisciplinary approach by both the Life Sciences Fellows and the trainees of this NIGMS-supported training grant, including a LS Seminar series, in which the LS Fellows and NIGMS trainees present their research to their peers and required participation in the annual Life Sciences Week, which brings together more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral researchers across campus in a two-day poster session.

Shannon Pittman
I am involved in the Land-use Effects on Amphibian Populations (LEAP) project, which seeks to understand how timber harvesting practices affect amphibians from the individual (behavior) level to the population level. Currently, my research focuses on how amphibians respond behaviorally to edge habitat and habitat stuctural complexity.