I received a B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Family Studies from Berry College in Rome, Georgia in December, 2001.  As an undergraduate, my focus was on developmental psychology, gaining experience at both the Berry College Child Development Center and the Berry Elementary School during my time in Rome.  While working for my undergraduate advisor, Dr. Julie Johnson-Pynn, I had the opportunity to assist her in evaluating the efficacy of The Jane Goodall Institute’s environmental and humanitarian program, Roots & Shoots, as well as learn about her comparative research examining the cognitive abilities of children, capuchin monkeys, and chimpanzees.  This glimpse into both the plight of non-human primates in Africa, as well as the possibilities provided in comparing cognition across primate species piqued my interest in primatology and lead me to my current position.
   

Since joining Dr. Hopkins’ lab and beginning my work with chimpanzees in January, 2002 my interests have shifted towards two areas.  Primarily, I am intrigued by chimpanzee vocal and gestural communication as it relates to the evolution of human language and this is what research in the lab focuses on.  However, I quickly learned that to conduct behavioral and cognitive research with chimpanzees, it is imperative that you create a positive, motivating, and respectful testing environment for them.  This lead me to my secondary interest, learning theory as it applies to modifying chimpanzee behavior in a way that facilitates cooperation and mutual respect.  My duties in the lab include collecting and analyzing behavioral data, training the chimpanzees for voluntary cooperation in a study involving the use of positron emission tomography (PET), overseeing and training research assistants and undergraduates, and coordinating and directing data collection for three NIH-funded projects studying the behavior and cognition of chimpanzees.