Katie Vyhnal '25 was awarded a Fulbright Research Award to conduct field and lab work on the relationship between tropical ant species and parasitic fungi species in the rainforests of Malaysia.
Why did you choose to apply for this award?
I chose to apply for this award because I saw it as an avenue to further my interests and passion for research, tropical ecology, and international travel. I was hopeful that being granted the fellowship would present me with lots of opportunity and would overall contribute to the trajectory of my post-graduate life.
Briefly describe the work you will be doing on your fellowship.
I will be living in Malaysia and working with a professor at Monash University to conduct both field and laboratory work on the relationship between tropical ant species and parasitic fungi species of Ophiocordyceps: the Zombie Fungus. Excursions into the rainforest will allow me to collect specimens for analysis in the lab, and the lab work will hopefully yield results that will specify which ants are the most vulnerable to attacks by the fungi and which strains of the fungi are the most prevalent among the ant species. This will be done through DNA extractions and genetic sequencing- methods that I was fortunate enough to become familiar with through my undergraduate research at Oxy.
What are you most looking forward to during your time as a fellow?
I am most looking forward to the relationships that I'm going to develop while abroad. The professional relationships that I will build with my research mentor and other researchers at Monash as well as the personal relationships I'll build with peers and students will definitely be at the forefront of my heart going into this fellowship.
How have your experiences at Oxy prepared you to apply for this award?
My research experience in the Microbial Symbiosis lab of Dr. Goffredi prepared me for this kind of research- looking at the relationship between host and parasite- since I used many similar molecular techniques to explore other symbiotic relationships in her lab. I also participated in field research with Oxy and the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS) in Costa Rica as well as IES during my study abroad semester in Ecuador, both of which enabled me to get experience living and working abroad in tropical conditions whilst conducting research.
What advice would you give future applicants about the application process?
This is pretty standard, but my advice would be to try to get rough drafts done as soon as you can, because you'll then have much more time for editing, re-writing, and refining your materials. For me, it was immensely helpful to have lots of different people read my drafts and give me feedback; the more feedback you can get, the better. So the sooner you have even just *something* for people to proofread, the better off you'll be when the deadlines start approaching.