Researchers studying at ocean's edge
Photo Credit
Duke University Graduate School

Ph.D. Students and Dolphins Benefit from Summer Research Funding

Austin Allen wants to find out exactly how hard dolphins have to work to avoid boats. By temporarily placing miniature sound and movement recording tags on the animals, Allen and colleagues track dolphins and measure their responses to different types of boats.

To establish baseline energy consumption, Allen spent two weeks in the summer of 2019 at Dolphin Quest, an accredited zoological facility in Hawaii. Together, these studies will enable the team to estimate the proportion of a dolphin’s daily energy that is used to avoid vessels, and ultimately, whether boat traffic may prevent dolphins from consuming enough food to provide adequate energy.

Summer is a crucial time for Ph.D. students to advance their academic and research pursuits. Whether collecting samples or exploring archives, learning another language or preparing for preliminary exams, uncovering potential research topics or putting the final touches on their dissertations. Each year, The Graduate School awards hundreds of Summer Research Fellowships — made possible by gifts from alumni and supporters — that provide funding to allow Ph.D. students to focus on making progress toward their degrees during the summer months.