BioScience Alliance: Graduate Students

I perform my research at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo under my advisor, Dr. Noah Dunham. I have broad research interests but am primarily focused in understanding the factors that determine the gut microbiome composition and its effects on host health. My research investigates how diet, host phylogeny and environment impact gut bacterial diversity and relative abundance in colobus monkeys and langurs.  

Prior to starting my graduate work, I was a high school science teacher and research volunteer at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. There, I learned about the BioScience Alliance. This unique partnership affords me the opportunity to obtain a degree from the renowned Case Western Reserve University while conducting research and gaining invaluable experience at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. It also creates a space for networking and collaborations between multiple Cleveland based research facilities which creates a warm and safe environment to expand perspectives, obtain knowledge, and develop professional skills. My experience in the BioScience Alliance has been exceptionally rewarding and impactful as I develop my skills and prepare for a future career as a zoo professional.

Kaylin Tennant, PhD Candidate

Dennis Lab, hosted jointly by Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

I perform my research at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo under my advisor, Dr. Pam Dennis. I am primarily interested in the physiological and neural drivers of behavior and how they relate to animal management and welfare in zoo settings. My dissertation research focuses on the investigation of physiological mechanisms of regurgitation and reingestion in zoo-housed gorillas. As this behavior has never been observed in wild populations, one of the objectives of my work is to determine why it is prevalent in zoo gorillas. Specifically, the applied work examines whether insulin resistance plays a role in the development and maintenance of this behavior.

Throughout my academic career, I have been fortunate enough to conduct research at multiple zoological institutions through various academic and zoo collaborations. However, none of those collaborations compare to the partnership between Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo which is made possible through the BioScience Alliance. Not only does the BioScience Alliance allow me to obtain my PhD while gaining research and work experience at the zoo, it also offers vast opportunities for scientific guidance and collaborations with the partnering institutions. The program’s unparalleled training has and will continue to encourage my professional development and further prepare me for a future in the zoo scientific community.