The DLC strives to impact research, conservation, and education in the United States, and internationally, particularly in Madagascar.  Over the past grant period, the Research Department has been expanded and has fundamentally advanced research capacity at the Center.  Though the number of animals used in research projects had already reached almost 85% in the 2010 calendar year, it has now plateaued at nearly 100%.  The number of biological disciplines impacted has also increased and now includes areas as diverse as genomics, virology, cognition, biomechanics, physiology, behavior and ecology --- and this list is by no means exhaustive.  With increased sophistication in non-invasive methods of data collection, the DLC serves as a model institution for the collection of maximum data with minimal disturbance of vertebrate subjects.  Moreover, the non-invasive research methods employed by the DLC contribute to the DLC's system for maintaining animals that are in optimum health, thereby assuring that investigators are retrieving data of the highest possible quality.

The DLC also serves multiple education communities, including the general public, K-12, undergraduate, graduate, and post graduate.  In the past five years, the Center has hosted an average of more than 13,000 visitors per year, with K-12 comprising more than 4,000 of these and college students tours comprising up to 2,400 visitors.  With recent enhancements to our web site (http://lemur.duke.edu), the DLC strives to become the world's leader in long-distance learning relating to strepsirrhine biology and conservation.  Student programs have experienced a remarkable increase in interest and participation with hundreds of undergraduate students experiencing a variety of training and/or research opportunities.  The same applies to graduate students at both the masters and doctoral levels.  The veterinary department supports considerable educational activities via the hiring of undergraduate work-study students and the training of veterinary students, primarily for the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine.  The latter training takes the form of clinical rotations and externships in fields as diverse as primate medicine, pathology, pharmacology, epidemiology, and animal behavior,  For several years over the the funding cycle, we have brought to Duke and trained several Malagasy scholars in research areas such as molecular evolution, conservation genetics, genomics, and veterinary medicine.  The DLC sponsored extended visits for three Malagasy scientists for research and training in 2013-2015.  The three scholars worked in the DLC Director's lab for two months, where they perfected genetic research methods and completed further work on their own data sets focusing on Malagasy reptiles and mammals.  The DLC also hosted three Malagasy veterinary students and young veterinary professionals who have a strong interest in wildlife medicine.  The internships consisted of working with DLC veterinary staff and animal management personnel, special sessions at NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine, and training with colleagues at the St. Louis Zoo.  The veterinary interships have been particularly successful in that each of the three trainees has already acquired a professional position in Madagascar that is directly attributable to his or her training at the DLC.

Last Modified: 09/28/2016
Modified by: Anne D Yoder