Internships

Grace Houlahan ’25

Major

Psychology

Project Title

Comparing Large Mammal Behavior Across Two African-protected Areas

I worked with the Pringle Lab in Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique, under the supervision of Joel Abraham. In Gorongosa, ecological disturbances such as fire, flooding and herbivory affect plant life and ecosystems. Our research goal was to determine and understand how these disturbances interact and affect the savanna. To do this, we quantified the abundances of herbivores and invertebrates to understand herbivory presence, implemented flood sensors to measure flood levels, and collected soil cores to analyze soil composition. These methods were sometimes tedious, but I found my field work extremely rewarding. Along with these various sampling methods, I learned about the unique history of Mozambique and how enjoyable field research can be in a team environment.