Environmental Internship Program - 2023 Booklet

Cole Strupp ’26
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
Certificates: Global Health and Health Policy,
Quantitative and Computational Biology
FOOD SYSTEMS
AND HEALTH
PROJECT TITLE
Health and Conservation
at the Human-Domestic
Animal-Wildlife Interface
in Madagascar
ORGANIZATION(S)
Metcalf Lab,
Department of Ecology
and Evolutionary Biology,
Princeton University
LOCATION(S)
Antananarivo,
Madagascar; Betampona
Natural Reserve,
Madagascar
MENTOR(S)
C. Jessica E. Metcalf,
Associate Professor of
Ecology and Evolutionary
Biology and Public Affairs;
Fidisoa Rasambainarivo,
Postdoctoral Research
Associate, High Meadows
Environmental Institute;
Benjamin Rice, Associate
Research Fellow, High
Meadows Environmental
Institute
I researched the prevalence of the zoonotic
parasite Toxoplasma gondii among native
carnivores in Madagascar’s rainforests. T. gondii
is an invasive pathogen in Madagascar. The
parasite only reproduces sexually in cats, which
were introduced to the island relatively recently
with the arrival of humans. As deforestation and
settlement pushes humans (and their pet cats)
closer to the island’s endemic carnivores, the
threat posed by toxoplasmosis could intensify.
To assess the current prevalence of the disease, I
spent nearly a month in the Malagasy rainforest
trapping and tracking native carnivores in order
to perform physical examinations and collect
blood samples. I also helped trap and examine
lemurs, poultry and rodents to assist other
researchers at the reserve. In the lab, I tested
heart tissue for T. gondii infection by performing
DNA extraction, polymerase chain reaction
amplification and gel electrophoresis. The project
concluded with data analysis in the program R.
This internship exposed me to the excitement
and challenges of fieldwork and scientific
inquiry as a whole. I gained appreciation for the
interconnectedness of environmental, animal
and human health. I plan to continue studying
disease ecology in future.
* This internship is connected to the HMEI
Biodiversity Grand Challenges project, “Biodiversity
Conservation and Health at the Human-Domestic
Animal-Wildlife Interface in Madagascar.”
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