Caterpillar colony production and maintenance
Project scope
Categories
Scientific researchSkills
biology research experimentationThe student will produce and maintain a colony of forest tent caterpillars in the insect growth chambers in the MacEwan Department of Biological Sciences research laboratory. These colonies will be used for field and lab research, which the student may assist with.
- Collect aspen foliage
- Sterilize foliage with sodium hypochlorite and UV and prepare in bouquets to feed to forest tent caterpillars
- Clean rearing containers at least once weekly, or more as needed.
- Monitor proper working order of insect growth chambers
- Assist with ongoing forest tent caterpillar research, e.g., lab behavioural experiments, and field experiment survival monitoring.
- The student will work in the MacEwan Department of Biological Sciences research laboratory.
- I will meet with them on a weekly basis.
- They will work independently and collaboratively with other research students.
About the company
The Biological Sciences major includes two streams of study—molecular/cellular biology and ecology/environmental biology. Our dedicated faculty members, program of study and facilities provide opportunities for students to study life from its smallest to its grandest forms, both inside and outside the classroom. Newly constructed facilities include a microscopy suite, a tissue culture facility, a histology centre and a small aquatics room with freshwater and marine tanks. During spring and summer terms, the five undergraduate teaching laboratories are used by faculty and students for research activities. Experiential learning opportunities include a 300-level Tropical Rainforest Ecology course, which includes an 18-day field trip to Ecuador where students can experience a variety of ecosystems including the Amazonian lowland rainforest, the Andean cloud forest and the Galapagos Islands.