Katy Schramm and Ryan Bares spend their working hours with moths and rats, respectively.
They work in laboratories on campus looking after the animals: cleaning their cages, feeding them and preparing their experiments.
Moth matchmaker
Schramm, a sophomore in biology, works with U researcher Neil Vickers in his comparative physiology lab. Together they research how the moths’ brains process smells. The experiments are done in a wind tunnel with the lights off to simulate the moths’ natural environment. Schramm also runs some of the experiments on her own.
Male moths are attracted to the smell of the females and Schramm can use various pheromone scents to cause the moths to act differently, Vickers said. By adjusting the pheromone levels in the air, Schramm can act as a sort of moth matchmaker8212;stimulating them to fall in and out of love at her every whim.
Schramm created a science experiment for her high school science fair and ended up at the International Science Fair, which is where she was recruited by the U. She started working in the lab a year ago and now is paid $10 per hour and works 15 hours a week. The money helps with tuition and other expenses, but more importantly, Schramm is working on getting her experimental research published. She said she will work throughout her undergraduate time at the U in this lab.
Moths only live for about five weeks. The testing on a moth can begin once it has been an adult for three days. The moths are then “flown” in the wind tunnel for eight days before they are too old.
Rat experiments
Bares, a senior in environmental studies, works in the Dearing laboratory with wood rats. He makes $8.50 per hour at his job and works 12 to 15 hours a week. During Finals Week, he doesn’t work at all and during the summer he is able to work full-time.
“It’s nice working on campus. I can work in between classes,” Bares said.
The lab’s experiments research the rats’ different liver enzyme levels. The rats are given a toxic plant that grows in their natural habitat. Once the rats are fed, other researchers can test to see at what level the toxin becomes problematic in the rat’s body.
Bares said his friends have never implied that they think his job feeding rats poisonous plants is weird.
“Working in a lab which is similar to what you’ll be doing professionally, you learn tremendous amounts,” Bares said.
Bares said the rats are able to handle the different experiments because they involve a plant they eat in their natural habitats. If a rat loses 10 percent body fat or more, it is immediately removed from the experiment, he said.
Mike MangumKaty Schramm works with moths in a comparative physiology lab on campus. Schramm is studying how moths process odor information.