野生野心
From the time she was a first-grader, Karlee威尔 has wanted to be a veterinarian. She remembers distinctly dressing up as a vet and creating a poster about her dream job for her elementary school’s 新葡京博彩 day.
Since then, 来自琼斯维尔的印第安纳理工大学大四学生, Michigan, has answered that calling by working with animals—primarily her family’s horses (as a barrel racer and with her mom, 他是一个蹄铁匠). She grew up in 4-H, showing livestock, and was a member of Future Farmers of America. 在过去的两年里, she has worked in the Fort Wayne area for a veterinary hospital and an equine clinic.
Barnhill’s love for animals is so strong she “celebrated” her 21st birthday helping deliver
around-the-clock intensive care to a Belgian foal that was born in distress just hours earlier. 小马驹活了下来，很大程度上要感谢她坚定不移的奉献.
Ultimately, Barnhill’s passion led her to 新葡京博彩 to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Biology and prepare for veterinary school (more about that, later).
“从我还不会走路的时候开始, 我以前帮我妈给马钉马掌, I’ve been immersed in caring for animals and understanding the special bond we share with them,巴恩希尔说. “根据我的经验, I’ve come to understand the profound impact that they have on our lives and the responsibility we hold to ensure their well-being. 这就是我对动物福利和倡导的热情所在, 以及为什么我对成为一名兽医从未动摇过.”
So, when Barnhill got the opportunity to spearhead a project at the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo that could affect the comfort, 动物的健康和福利, 她欣然接受了这个机会.
Barnhill’s project—her senior project—deals with bioacoustics: the study of the production, 动物声音的传递和接收, which is used to provide scientists and researchers with insight into species diversity, 栖息地健康和野生动物行为.
在这种情况下, Barnhill has been studying the calls of the zoo’s two pair-bonded scarlet-faced liocichlas (Jeruk is the male, Kirmizi是女性). These birds (along with 53 others totaling 17 different species) call the zoo’s 8,000平方英尺, 受热带雨林启发的亚洲之旅圆顶栖息地他们的家. 她的声音数据被动物园的专业
生境内安装的生物声学录音设备.
这只红脸的狮子是一种惊人的美丽, 中等大小的鸟，自然栖息地约为9,在1000英里外茂密的山林中, 泰国和缅甸的丛林和沼泽. 根据birdsoftheworld的说法，它被描述为“鬼鬼祟祟、害羞”. org, 通常是“single”, 成对或四到五个人组成的小组,“红脸的狮子鱼在它的家乡很常见. Its calls are distinct, which is one reason it was chosen for this study.
Last fall, Barnhill began poring over sound data to identify how the birds’ vocalizations differ in response to the various stimuli they encounter within the habitat. 这些刺激包括食物供应等, 与其他物种的相互作用, 穹顶栖息地外的噪音, 动物园开放和交配季节时人类的存在. Her work culminated with a presentation of her findings and recommendations to Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo leadership in April.
“I identified distinct patterns that indicated different emotional states, particularly distinguishing between what appeared to be anger and happiness in the birds. When the scarlet-faced liocichlas exhibited what I interpreted as angry calls, 圆顶内的骚动和侵略经常增加. 另一方面, 当它们发出与快乐有关的叫声时, I observed more relaxed behaviors and positive social interactions within the dome,巴恩希尔说.
She concluded that implementing enriched soundscapes that promote positive emotional states will improve the overall welfare of these and, perhaps, 栖息地的其他鸟类. She also recommended that the zoo continue to collect and assess data throughout the 2024 season to gain a more comprehensive understanding of how the presence of zoo visitors affects the emotional states of its scarlet-faced liocichlas.
“Ongoing observation and analysis will provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of any interventions that are implemented. It will also enable the zoo to make informed decisions regarding future management strategies for these birds,巴恩希尔说.
因为她的成长经历, Barnhill is privy to the cues of a horse or other species of hoofstock in discomfort or experiencing discontent. 从鸟身上识别这些线索? 这更像是一种挑战，它教会了我们宝贵的经验.
“This project has reminded me that just because you think everything is going fine for an animal, 你可能大错特错. 你不能仅仅依靠表象和假设，”巴恩希尔说. “动物不能和我们说话, so we need to make use of the tools that are available to us to dig deeper and make sure they are happy and that their needs are being met.”
Barnhill’s senior project is part of an 18-credit hour final semester in the homestretch of her college 新葡京博彩. 而且，正如之前提到的，她一直在努力进入兽医
school. 不用说，她没有时间玩了. 但是，决心是巴恩希尔从来不缺少的东西.
“从小到大，我几乎不可能想到自己能做到这一点. 我是第一代大学生，有六个兄弟姐妹, 我上大学的动力并不大,巴恩希尔说. “我的父母不知道如何支持我成为一名兽医的愿望, 所以我不得不自己解决很多事情.
“我对父母没有负面情绪，但与此同时, 我想成为我们家第一个能把Dr. 在他们的名字前面，”她补充道. “That has been a big encouragement to me—changing up some of those generational patterns in my family.”
3月25日，对巴恩希尔来说，成为一名医生离现实又近了一步. On that day, she received an acceptance letter from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, 总部设在圣. 基茨和尼维斯，西印度群岛.
“说实话, 我仍然不知道对这个消息该作何反应,巴恩希尔在谈到她被罗斯接纳时说. “全国只有32所兽医学校，每所学校有100个席位, 人们对动物医学的兴趣也在增长. Just getting an interview in such a competitive environment was amazing to me. 被接受? 嗯，我欣喜若狂!”
Barnhill is still awaiting decisions from two other schools; those should come in April. At that time, she will decide where to pursue her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.
卡利在印第安纳理工大学的导师，生物学教授. Julie Good, knows Karlee is ready for the next step in her educational journey.
“Karlee has approached her academic experience here at Tech with a disciplined focus, tackling challenging coursework head-on to become best prepared for the rigor of veterinary education,” Dr. Good said. “She has a love and respect for animals that was instilled in her early in her life and has an exceptional determination. 我毫不怀疑卡莉会成为一名出色的兽医.”
“It’s important for everyone to know that even if you don’t come from a certain background, you can still become what you want to be if you put your mind to it and work for it,巴恩希尔说. “我一生中大部分时间都在想，‘我不能成为一名医生. 我家里没有人是医生.’ And now I’m more than halfway there and getting a step closer every day. It’s amazing.”
她的毕业设计, Barnhill analyzed the acoustic data from these birds to assess the welfare of these and other birds living inside the zoo’s rainforest-inspired Asian Trek domed habitat.
想看些甜蜜的东西? 看Karlee 分享她兽医学校的录取通知书 和她的未婚夫兰登.