Heather Lee Moulton, a senior from Barrington, Rhode Island, will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in wildlife ecology in May 2007. A
passionate researcher with a strong interest in amphibians, this is her second publication in Inquiry. (See Heather’s
research on rare frogs in New Zealand in Inquiry ’06.) “I enjoyed the
first experience so much that I did not hesitate to submit my current research when asked again,” she said. Learning about the
worldwide importance of amphibians from Dr. Kimberly Babbitt of the University of New Hampshire’s Department of Natural Resources
and from Dr. Matthew Baber of the EcoQuest Program in New Zealand, she was inspired “to pursue projects that would benefit the animals
and the scientific community as a whole.” Through her research, Heather “discovered the importance of scientific research and
how it benefits our physical and mental wellbeing, the earth around us, and hopefully our children.” She describes her research in
Maine as “a great bonding experience with other researchers and peers, from whom I learned an immense amount ... It taught me to ask
more specific questions before carrying out a research endeavor, such as how much will we disturb and/or interfere with the animal?”
In the future, Heather hopes to continue researching species in danger and traveling to exotic places. She would like to eventually teach
at the university level, “to give back to a community that I have benefited so much from.” She also has some very specific
goals: “I hope to have two dogs, two horses, a motorcycle, and a house with a mountain view. Every project I do, no matter how
seemingly trivial, gets me one step closer to these goals.”
Dr. Kimberly Babbitt is an associate professor of wildlife ecology in the natural resources department at the University of New Hampshire. She is the academic program coordinator of EcoQuest and has been a mentor for over twenty Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) projects, including several conducted in New Zealand. Dr. Babbitt specializes in amphibian and wetland ecology and is the co-editor of Amphibians and Reptiles: Status and Conservation in Florida. In May 2006 Dr. Babbitt received the Class of 1938 Professorship, an award that recognizes excellence in teaching. She has been at UNH for ten years.
Read Heather Lee Moulton’s research article, Warts and All: The Fate of the American Toad >>
