PROGRAM: M.S.
Research: I am a master’s student in the Environment & Resources program of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at UW-Madison. I’m interested in improving human-wildlife coexistence near protected areas in East Africa through community-oriented conservation and mitigation strategies. My master’s research at UW-Madison focuses on measuring the effectiveness of barriers in deterring elephants from crop-foraging in human communities bordering Kibale National Park, Uganda. The project aims to use our results to inform implementation and management of trenches and beehive fences as deterrence strategies at Kibale as well as other protected areas experiencing human-elephant conflict. I am excited to apply my experience in wildlife behavior and ecology towards human-wildlife interactions and conservation-oriented research questions.
About me:
Prior to joining the BIG lab, I spent over two years managing a primate research project in Tanzania and assisting blue monkey and baboon behavioral research projects in western Kenya and South Africa, respectively. In 2016 I earned a Bachelor of Science in Evolutionary Anthropology and Biology from Duke University where I first caught the primate bug through a research assistant position with the Jane Goodall Institute. I also studied abroad learning field ecology methods in Kruger National Park with OTS South Africa and interned with the Duke Lemur Center in Madagascar for a summer preparing environmental outreach materials. These international experiences inspired a shift in focus toward conservation and cemented my love for nitty gritty field work. Additionally, for the academic year of 2019 – 2020, I am the grateful recipient of a Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship in Swahili.
Link to personal website: allisonrrogers.wordpress.com