Breanna Ondich
Opportunities
Thank you for your interest in my research and the programs in the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. I look forward to discussing how your interests interface with current and future lab activities.
Undergraduate Students
Undergraduates play a pivotal role in the success of the genetic tagging projects, with 6,000 to 16,000 blood, tissue, and eggshell samples processed annually. We typically hire new student workers at the beginning of each semester. Responsibilities include sample processing, metadata management and DNA extractions. We ask that students be available for two-hour minimum blocks. Students interested in working in the lab should email towards the end of the semester (April, July, December) to inquire about available hours in the upcoming semester.
Prospective Senior Thesis Students
Much of our research is large scale and integrative in nature, but there are opportunities to carve out narrowly focused questions from ongoing work that could lend themselves to senior thesis projects. I am open to serving as a senior thesis advisor when student interests and research needs align. Advisees will be expected to work in the lab for at least one semester prior to the initiation of their senior thesis project. Please email to inquire about opportunities.
Prospective Graduate Students
While I am not actively recruiting students for any specific research, I am open to discussing possible projects that could be gleaned from ongoing work in the lab. Masters students seeking fall matriculation should reach out a year in advance to take full advantage of possible research and teaching assistantships. Unfortunately, I cannot accept Ph.D. students at this time.
My Philosophy
My goal as a mentor is to facilitate four primary student objectives:
1) Students should develop a thorough understanding of the foundational theories and approaches in their respective subject area.
Proposed senior thesis or graduate student research should make a novel contribution to some aspect of wildlife ecology or conservation genetics. This type of contribution requires a deep understanding of the previous lines of inquiry and current state of knowledge. Students are expected to commit to the reading and research necessary to become the experts in their respective subject areas once their projects have been identified.
2) Students should sharpen critical thinking skills through regular problem solving.
Identifying problems and designing innovative solutions are critical across career paths. I expect students to embrace development of these skills during their time in the lab. I will provide the necessary resources for success, support professional development, and be available as sounding board, but students should be strongly self-motivated, confident, and comfortable with some autonomy.
3) Students should develop strong communication skills.
Effective written and verbal communication is a necessity in graduate school and across a broad spectrum of careers. The ability to succinctly convey ideas and defend a position will serve anyone well in all aspects of life. Good writing is not a destination. Developing strong writing skills requires extensive reading, drafting and editing. Incoming students are expected to have a strong command of written English and commit to continuing development of communication skills.
4) Students should become informed, responsible community members.
Science doesn't happen in a vacuum. Most of the research in the lab requires collaborations across disciplines and geography. I expect incoming students to embrace this collaborative approach in the lab and in the wider community.
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My commitment to students:
My goal as a mentor is to create a supportive, inclusive environment for students to reach these goals. I strive to clearly articulate expectations and foster open communication. I will invest significant time and energy into getting to know you and your goals so that I can foster your professional development throughout your graduate work. I pledge to provide funding during the duration of your program, through some combination of teaching and research assistantships.
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Collaborators
If you are interested in collaborating on a research project, please reach out via email at brianshm@warnell.uga.edu.