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Jane Goodall Personal Statement

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In the third grade, my life was altered when I read an abbreviated biography about Jane Goodall the primatologist. I have always had a passion for discovering the world around me, specifically the animals and environment, but Goodall elevated my own desire for exploration to a new level. I was struck by a young female scientist pursuing her dreams in the field of biology and the significant impact she had in the scientific world. Jane Goodall managed to bring passion and emotion to her observations of chimpanzees at a time when observational science was extremely concerned about remaining objective. She silently proved every critic of hers wrong by showing the world that she was not too young, too inexperienced, or too female to change the …show more content…

The evolution of egg laying mammals such as the platypus and the echidna has only occurred in Australia and thus can only be studied firsthand in Australia. I am hoping that this Study Abroad program in Perth, Australia will broaden my horizons of evolutionary study through a research opportunity as well as unique ecological experiences that would allow me to discover an enticing and new application for my interest. The networking opportunities will be extremely beneficial, both as possible connections and as a learning opportunity. The University of Western Australia has a Centre for Evolutionary Biology with several researchers whose research projects I would love to be a part of. For example, Associate Professor Cyril Grueter is pursuing the evolutionary basis of how different primate social groups interact with each other, and Dr. Stephania King behavioral biologist who is investigating the evolution of communication in bottlenose dolphins. It would be a life-changing opportunity to work with and learn from either of these researchers, as I plan on pursuing a research opportunity while I am abroad in Australia. The diversity of animals and habitats Australia offers provide a unique opportunity that I am excited to interact with in any capacity, including exploring its natural wonders in all of the national parks near

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