The Summer Science Institute 2013 will focus on ecology and geology at three exceptional sites in south central Utah. We will travel in July 2013 to the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument to conduct research on biodiversity in plant and insect communities. Deatailed map views of some of our study sites can be found here. While working in the GSENM, we will also take advantage of the remarkable geology of the region, learning about the history of the Colorado Plateau and the many outcrops and formations that are visible there. The monument includes several dinosaur sites and preserved dinosaur footprints along with spectacular slot canyons and pinnacles. It is also an important repository of botanical diversity, providing habitat for many unique endemic plant species within its borders. A primary focus of our research program will be practicing the art of taking field notes as a way of studying the ecology and habitats that surround us.
We will again be collaborating with the Entomology Department at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia to obtain a wide range of insect specimens across all orders from diverse habitats for scientific study. Additionally, we will have a central research question related to several species of emerald moths in the genus Nemoria that we will hope to observe and collect during night blacklighting sessions. Finally, we will also be hoping to provide valuable immature stages as part of an ongoing project to publish a new field guide to caterpillars of Western North America by contributing data and material to Dave Wagner of the University of Connecticut.
