One of the trickiest aspects of being a graduate student is obtaining funding to conduct new research. Just like an entrepreneur, acquiring funding through fellowships and grants involves convincing others of the importance of your particular research project. This is the case for nearly all funding sources, regardless of size.

Recently, I was able to accomplish this goal and receive funding from the University of Oklahoma’s Graduate Student Senate (GSS) Research Grant, which is a smaller grant that supports graduate student projects across disciplines. With the support of the grant, I plan to join on an upcoming expedition to the Philippines that members of our lab will be going on. While the main purpose of this trip is to focus on part of a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant awarded to Cameron and colleagues, I will focus on the microhabitat preferences and community structure of species of lizards in the genus Brachymeles. Both the grant and my thesis research focus on understanding the incredible diversity in Brachymeles.

I am thankful for the opportunity to join on this upcoming trip and will be sure to give updates both during and after!

Nick was also able to participate in Philippine field research in summer 2014.