Olivia Parrott has spent much of her summer in the woods, on street meridians and even on top of roofs.
The mission: ants.
“Sometimes the characteristics are hard to spot; genus, species,” said Parrott, a sophomore at Lake Forest College.
“They could be very hairy or mostly hairy,” said Associate Professor of Biology Sean Menke, who is overseeing her work. “You need to have a body of knowledge to decipher what that means.”
Parrott is a part of the Richter Scholar Summer Research Program at Lake Forest College, now in its 26th year. The 45 sophomores in the program engage in projects or research 40 hours a week. Those enrolled get a $2,000 stipend, course credit and free accommodations on campus during the 10-week program.
Under Menke’s guidance, Parrott and two students not in the Richter program are comparing ants in the wild to ants in more urban environments.
“We see how humans affect the wildlife around us,” Parrott said. “We use ants because they reproduce quickly and have multiple generations.”
The summer research has Parrott going to a forest preserve in Lake County, grassy meridians along Peterson Avenue in Chicago and city parks near busy roads. They set traps for ants, identify species, count numbers and look at their behavior.
Menke and his students are coordinating with the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.
“They wanted to bring us in so they could look at a different scale (of creature),” Menke said. “Most people focus on the big things and don’t realize how many little things out there are driven by ants. Most plants in the forest depend on ants for all sorts of things.”
On July 28, Parrott spoke at Hotchkiss Hall about her research during the Richter Scholar Symposium.
Meanwhile, in Young Hall in the center of campus, students Zaria Sydnor and Sandra Khouri researched business start-ups and entrepreneurial activity among refugees. Specifically, young female refugees.
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“Many women come from cultures where the woman is expected to stay home and take care of the children and household jobs,” Sydnor said. “When they come here, they have to have some source of income. Sometimes they come home (from work) and (relatives say) you’re not doing what you’re supposed to. For younger girls, it’s more difficult. They have to decide between education and what they learned in their home country.”
Sydnor and Khouri interviewed a refugee from Rwanda who sells coffee shipped from his home country, worked with organizations that assist refugees and attended a conference in March on refugee entrepreneurship.
They are studying with Les Dlabay, professor of economics and business. The two Richter Scholars were set to present a video of their research findings at the Richter symposium. That will include a five-phase framework for young female refugees to develop a business.
“We will also share (the video) with various organizations and perhaps use it as part of the entrepreneurship program on campus,” Dlabay said.
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