Trang Ngo ’25
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Broad-tailed Hummingbird Foraging Patterns and Climate Change
Working at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL) in Gothic, Colorado I contributed to a long-term field dataset that the Stoddard Lab began collecting in 2018. Named the HummerFlowerWatch project, the data looks at broad-tailed hummingbirds’ foraging patterns. I collaborated with two other interns, and our daily routine including upkeep and monitoring of cameras at our sites and collecting flower abundance data. Our group also participated in RMBL’s undergraduate research program, which entails designing a research project and presenting it to the scientific community there. Our research question examined whether daily temperature changes affect hummingbirds’ foraging activities. This internship taught me the importance of collaboration and gave me a glimpse into the world of field biology and how to conduct a professional scientific project. It has inspired me to pursue this as a potential future career and prompted ideas for my senior thesis.
* This internship is connected to the HMEI Climate and Energy Grand Challenges project, “Investigating the Effects of Climate Change on Hummingbird Sensory Landscapes.
2023
Biodiversity and Conservation
Stoddard Lab, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University - Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Gothic, Colorado
Mary C. Stoddard, Associate Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Benedict Hogan, Associate Research Scholar, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Audrey Miller, Ph.D. candidate, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology