Two grad students receive university fellowships

Julie Jarvey and Olivia Spagnuolo, doctoral students in Kay Holekamp's lab and EEB members, won College of Natural Science scholarships created to support students whose research focuses on zoology.

Jarvey received the Dr. Marvin Hensley Award Endowed Scholarship in Zoology, which was established to further the disciplines of zoological and biological science. Its goal is to provide financial support for undergraduate and graduate students pursuing an education in vertebrate zoology with an emphasis on field study. One undergraduate and one graduate scholarship are awarded each year.

Jarvey is interested in how human-induced ecological changes influence animal behavior. Her dissertation work will focus on how livestock grazing regimes influence spotted hyena foraging strategies.

Spagnuolo received the John Shaver Fellowship in Zoology. Shaver, who served on the faculty of our department from 1956 to 1981, created this endowment to express his support for a strong graduate program in Zoology. These funds can be used for (but are not limited to) supplementary or summer stipends, research-related travel, and research supplies.

Spagnuolo studies how different livestock grazing strategies affect carnivore space use and livestock depredation.