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About myself: |
I grew up in a rural area of Christchurch with my younger brother and attended Lincoln High School. After leaving home, I moved into the central city and worked full time in retail before deciding on a change and studying for a year at The National School of Aesthetics in Christchurch. I went on to work full time as an aesthetician which was mostly enjoyable but not much of a challenge.
In 2005 I decided I needed another change and applied for pre-vet at Massey University in Palmerston North. I moved to Manawatu but too many years out of school and lack of motivation gave me a mere pass mark for the first semester and I was not accepted into the vet program. I continued to study interesting papers that eventually made up a Bachelor of Science majoring in Zoology and Physiology. I became interested in post-graduate studies and in 2009 enrolled in a PGDipSci zoology. With good marks, I was offered a research project working in weta environmental physiology. I commenced my MSc thesis in 2010 and it will be completed in 2011. Whilst at Massey, I continue to work part time as an aesthetician and in 2009 and 2010 I also worked part time as a lab demonstrator for undergraduate zoology papers. Once I have completed my MSc, I hope to gain employment in the field of invertebrate zoology/entomology but have not ruled out the possibility of undertaking a PhD at some time in the future.
 
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My Research: |
I began my MSc thesis in 2010 supervised by Drs Steve Trewick and Mary Morgan-Richards of Massey University. It is based around the question of why two species of tree weta (Hemideina crassidens and H. thoracica) are parapatrically distributed on the slopes of Mt Taranaki, when they will live in a mosaic in other regions of the North Island. We hypothesised that because Hemideina crassidens on the upper slopes of the mountain were marooned there from a formerly widespread distribution and surrounded by H. thoracica at the base of the mountain that H. crassidens has adapted physiologically to the colder environment, preventing their spread. To test this, we measure growth rate and metabolic rate of populations from each species at both high altitude (Mt Taranaki) and low altitude (Palmerston North) under a range of temperature conditions.
Additionally, we are re-mapping the distribution of these two tree weta species in the North Island and comparing it to the distribution mapped in 1995 (Trewick & Morgan-Richards, 1995). We will also concentrate on the Mt Taranaki interaction and compare previous distributions (Jacobson, 2009). With this information and the assistance of LENZ in GIS, we will attempt to model the distributions of these tree weta in response to climate change. |
CLICK PICTURE (it's my hand)
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Resume:
2011 Massey University
- Master of Science by thesis-full time. Supervised by S. Trewick and M. Morgan-Richards, Ecology Group.
- Co-superviser for Biology of Animals (1st year undergraduate) laboratory classes
- Laboratory demonstrator for 2nd (Invertebrate Zoology) and 3rd (Entomology) year undergraduate papers
2010 Massey University
- Master of Science by thesis-full time. Supervised by S. Trewick and M. Morgan-Richards, Ecology Group.
- Co-superviser for Biology of Animals (1st year undergraduate) laboratory classes
- Laboratory demonstrator for 2nd (Invertebrate Zoology) and 3rd (Entomology) year undergraduate papers
- Notetaker for disabled student (Physiology of mammalian organ systems). Lecture and laboratory component
- Exam reader/writer for students requiring assistance (final exams, semester 2)
2010 Attended New Zealand Ecological Society conference in Dunedin and presented paper: “Physiological Ecology of Tree Weta on Mount Taranaki, New Zealand.”
2009 Massey University
- PGDipSci-full time. Papers taken:
- Entomology
- Animal Behaviour
- Biogeography and Systematics
- Conservation Endocrinology and Reproductive Biology
- Laboratory demonstrator for 2nd (Invertebrate Zoology) and 3rd (Entomology) year undergraduate papers
Bachelor of Science- Zoology and Physiology
Jacobson, M. J. (2009). Exploring interactions between two Species of Tree Weta in a Contact Zone in Mount Taranaki: and the Implications of Climate Change on Species Range. Ecology Group. Ecology Group. Massey University. Palmerston North.
Trewick, S. A., & Morgan-Richards, M. (1995). On the distribution of tree weta in the North Island, New Zealand. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 25(4), 485-493. |
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