Ethan Kilroy International Scholars Program ePortfolio
Kenya, 2022
During my time in the UF in Kenya study abroad program, I stayed at Mpala Research Centre in Laikipia, Kenya. The coursework for this program involved learning about various aspects of ecology in eastern Africa from the professor, Dr. Todd Palmer, and researchers at the center. Some of the focuses of this learning were on mutualism between ants and acacia trees, bird biodiversity on the reserve, stream ecology, and conservation efforts in the region. In this course, I gained experience using camera traps and monitoring the behavior of individual animals and groups of animals. The final project of this course was to design an experiment and collect data based on what we had learned during our stay at the research center. My group focused on big-headed ants (Pheidole megacephala), an invasive species of ant present in the area that threatened the native ants (Crematogaster nicriceps, C. sjostedti, C. mimosae, and Tetraponera penzigi) which have a mutualistic relationship with whistling thorn acacia (Acacia drepanolobium). P. megacephala had been recorded in the black cotton ecosystem at Mpala in November of 2021, and our objectives were to determine if this range had since expanded and what effects this invasion had on A. drepanolobium. Baited transects were used to test the range expansion of P. megacephala, and surveys of trees in the invaded area and an uninvaded control area were performed to test the effects on A. drepanolobium. Our results indicated that the range of P. megacephala had expanded since November of 2021 and that adult A. drepanolobium experienced significantly more damage from browsers, herbivorous invertebrates, cerambycid beetles, and stem-galling insects in areas invaded by P. megacephala. As A. drepanolobium makes up most of the tree cover in the black cotton ecosystem, our results suggested that an increased spread of P. megacephala could have a serious negative impact on the ecosystem. This project gave me great experience in experimental design and data collection, and the program as a whole connected well to other biology and ecology courses that I have taken.
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Madagascar, 2023
During my time in the UF in Madagascar study abroad program, I traveled to various locations around Madagascar. I saw a variety of ecosystems including rainforest, dry deciduous forest, xeric spiny forest, coral reefs, and mountains, and by exploring these ecosystems I was able to witness and learn about Madagascar’s unique and diverse biota. I visited several national parks such as Andasibe-Mantadia, Isalo, and Ranomafana as well as many smaller parks/reserves, where I learned from many knowledgeable guides about the plants and animals at each park. I also learned from several conservation and research groups such as Association Mitsinjo, Blue Ventures, and Centre Val Bio. Some of the conservation projects that I learned about were Association Mitsinjo’s reforestation project which has the goal of creating a forest corridor to connect forest fragments and Blue Venture’s reef restoration project which works with local fishermen to promote more sustainable practices and create exclusion zones to allow for marine communities to recover from overfishing. I also learned about projects aimed at helping the people of Madagascar, such as Centre Val Bio’s mobile health outreach team and the Madagascar Mobile Library project, which seeks to provide reading material to rural communities to promote literacy as well as support sustainable agriculture through education. Before participating in this program, I had taken three classes at UF that either focused on Madagascar entirely or included information on it: “Madagascar: The 8th Continent,” “Thank You, Madagascar,” and “Global Biodiversity and Culture.” These courses gave me great background information on the biodiversity of Madagascar and the interactions that take place between people and the environment there, which I was able to build on during the trip. I also was able to connect my experiences in Madagascar with my previous experiences in Kenya, such as by looking at adaptations in the vegetation of the spiny forest that were similar to adaptations I saw in the vegetation in the Kenyan savannah. I plan on continuing to reflect on my experiences in Madagascar and make connections to ecosystems and conservation efforts I see in other parts of the world, and I hope to return to Madagascar in a few years to see the progress of the projects I learned from and reconnect with the amazing people I met.
Mexico, 2019
In 2019, I left the US for the first time on a mission trip with my old church. We traveled to an orphanage in Ensenada, Mexico that had a partnership with the church and stayed there for a week. During our time there we helped around the orphanage by resealing one of the staircases and installing posts to help begin the project of building a soccer field for the orphanage. We also led English lessons. Throughout the whole week, we connected with the kids at the orphanage by talking, playing different games, and creating activities to do together. We spent most of our free time playing soccer and volleyball, which I had a great time playing but was not exactly the best player on the field/court, and occasionally played some foosball – a bit more my speed. It was great to be able to connect with kids at the orphanage who were my age, discussing the goals we had in life and our plans on how to make them a reality. Playing with the younger kids was also a ton of fun; they loved the activities that we came up with together and a lot of them did incredibly during the English lessons. With this being my first time out of the country, many of the experiences I had were new to me. In the community I was in, I observed ways of living, cultural norms, and hardships that were not prevalent in my home community. Fortunately, the leaders of the trip provided excellent guidance throughout the experience. Much of the experience I gained in Ensenada I was able to take with me on my future international travels, and this made these trips, where I was an adult and did not have as much guidance in terms of dealing with potential cultural shock, much easier for me to take in stride. I feel that my time in Ensenada has allowed me to better understand and appreciate differences in the communities I have visited around the world, and, of course, it taught me that strong connections can be made in spite of these differences.
