Hendrick Hudson High School Science May 2016 Research Sponsored by the Hendrick Hudson Community Educational Foundation (HHCEF) “ You are limited only by your imagination” 1 2 Dr, Christine Rogers received a 2015 Hendrick Hudson INTEL STS Badge and a Teacher of Merit High School Award. Jane Milcetic entered the INTEL STS compe- tition. Science May 2016 Jane Milcetic received the Research Report Research Badge for well-written, college-level, journal- style research report This year we had great success with our students, who both competed at the Westchester Science and Engineering Fair (WESEF), the largest regional fair with over 500 projects from Westchester schools and at the Tri-County competition. Jane Milcetic, a senior, placed Third in the animal science category for her project. She also competed at the Westchester-Rockland Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS), where she placed 5th as a speaker in the Biology category. Her project, “The Preference of Female Zebra Finches for Zebra Finch Males Based on Song and Proximity”, was conducted un- der the mentorship of Erich Jarvis, at Duke University in his world-renowned laboratory studying bird song. In zebra finches, bird song is extensively studied as it reflects some very specific mechanisms of learning and can be associated with regions of the brain. Males are the only ones singing and their song is part of the mating behavior of the birds. Jane chose to study the behavior of the female, a significantly different approach, to see if only the song was critical to her response, or if the physical proximity was also an important factor. She found that females are very individualized in their choice of males based on various individual factors such as song and physical proximity. Her project opens the door to another aspect of the zebra finches mating preferences: the receptivity of the female. Jane entered the INTEL-Science Talent Search competition, where she received a Badge for a very well written college-level journal-style scientific paper. Isabella Brizzi, a junior, won two awards at WESEF for her work on chemical dis- persants: the American Meteorological Society Award and the Stockholm Junior Wa- ter Prize Regional Award. The American Meteorological Society Awards recognizes projects, showing a “creative and scientific endeavor in atmospheric and related oce- anic and hydrologic sciences”. The Stockholm Junior Water Prize Regional Award, recognizing top water projects, allows Isabella to proceed forward and enter the state competition with her research paper. Additionally Isabella placed Second at the Tri- County Science fair in the Environmental category. Isabella studied the best condi- tions to remove oil from oil spills in oceanic water, using a chemical dispersant. Her work is very important in optimizing the use of dispersants with minimal impact on the oceanic environment. She worked under the direction of Dr. Zhong Pan at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. She will continue her research this summer, expand- ing it and testing more conditions leading to the best use of chemical dispersants. Her work is extremely important and practical for environmental clean-up of oil spills. WESEF is sponsored by Regeneron and Acorda pharmaceuticals. 3 The Preference of Female Zebra Finches (Taeniopygia gut- tata) for Zebra Finch Males Based on Song and Proximity Jane A. Milcetic (INTEL STS Paper -excerpt-) tent strong to the sexual dimorphism m e n t s c h o i c e s within the species (Hara et have measured the attraction b e t w e e n al., 2009; Whitney et al., of the female through behav- males, and 2014; Simonyan et al., 2012; ioral and spatial responses, that physi- Tchernichovski & Marcus, but did so while preventing cal interac- 2014; Tchernichovski et physical contact between tion had a al., 2001). Yet, some stud- male and female zebra finch- variable ef- ies in the last twenty years es in setups similar to the fect. Song have begun to investigate two-way mate choice cham- a n a l y s i s how female zebra finches ber (Campbell et al., 2008; focuses on influence song by exhibit- Neubauer, 2000; Campbell & the appeal- ing receptive behavior and Hauber, 2009; Hauber et al., ing charac- thus reinforcing the male 2010; Rutstein et al., 2007; teristics be- behavior and song frequen- Forstmeier & Birkhead, hind certain cy (Tchernichovski et al., 2004). The two-way mate males, and 1998; Campbell et al., 2008; choice chamber prevents the the motiva- Campbell & Hauber, 2009; female from physically inter- tion behind Forstmeier, 2004; Forst- acting with the male, but still the females’ meier & Birkhead, 2004; allows her to hear and see preference. Neubauer, 2000; Woolley & him, and ultimately lets her Consistent Doupe, 2008; Lauay, 2003). make a choice by remain- with previ- These recent studies have ing on one side or the other. ous stud- found that, generally, zebra Rutstein, Brazill-Boast and ies, the data finch females share a set of Griffith (2007) perceive hints that fe- preferences across the spe- cages - such as the two-way male zebra cies (Campbell, 2008; Neu- mate choice chamber – un- finches pre- bauer, 2000; Lauay, 2003; natural, as mate choice be- fer familiar Hauber, 2010; Forstmeier haviors supposedly require Abstract males over novel males. This & Birkhead, 2004). They a physical connection before Male zebra finches have study aims to encourage the prefer songs of their own copulation (Rutstein et al., been the primary subject of exploration of the female ze- species (conspecific songs), 2007). Yet, Rutstein, Brazill- songbird study because of bra finch’s neurological pro- stereotyped songs with little Boast and Griffith (2007) their individually distinct cesses when confronted with variability and faster tempo, only compared the two-way songs, leaving the females various mating scenarios and songs they have heard mate choice chamber to dis- of the species largely disre- that deal with varying de- before (familiar) (Campbell similar structures. In one garded. This study focuses grees of male familiarity and et al., 2008; Neubauer, 2000; experiment (“no-choice tri- on the role of females in contact. Lauay et al., 2003; Hauber als”), they placed a male mate preference based on the et al., 2010; Forstmeier & and a female zebra finch in male’s song and familiarity. Birkhead, 2004; Kao & Brai- Introduction/Review of a cage for 5 minutes and The hypothesis predicts that nard, 2006; Sossinka & Boh- Literature measured the birds’ interac- females would consistently ner, 1980). Females must be tions; in another (“aviary pick one male due to his fa- Though love at first sight as raised around a male tutor mate choice trials”), a group miliarity and song frequen- yet to be proven, sound has until they are at least 35 days consisting of 4 females and 4 cy, no matter the amount of a heavy impact on mate se- old in order to solidify her males were placed inside an physical interaction. Females lection, as songbirds can at- recognition of her species’ aviary for approximately 24 were tested using the two- test to. The zebra finch (Tae- song (Hauber et al., 2010). hours, and observed for 140 niopygia guttata) has already way choice chamber and a Many studies have devel- minutes per group (Rutstein been studied extensively new experimental setup that oped different experimental et al., 2007). Though the no- for its song, which differs allows physical contact with designs in order to assess the choice trials are most similar in each male (Woolley & one male and prevents con- response of females to male to the two-way mate choice Doupe, 2008). The majority tact with the other. Results song (Rutstein et al., 2007; chamber out of all their ex- of songbird experimentation showed that the majority of Forstmeier & Birkhead, perimental setups, Rutstein, has focused on the males due females did not show consis- 2004). Some of these experi- Brazill-Boast and Griffith 4 (2007) measured the effect animals and that results ex- of physical contact with hibit natural inconsistencies three birds, while the two- that nevertheless provide an way mate choice chamber indication of preference. Figure 1: Experiment 1 utilizes only two birds. So, Considering that investi- in using an unequal num- gation of the female zebra will allow insight into which placed to gauge the female’s ber of subjects, their com- finch’s perspective has only factors influence a female’s position. A white curtain vi- parisons have more than become popular within the decision more. sually isolated all cages from one important variable that last twenty years, the results the surrounding environ- differs, and thus the vari- Since previous experiments of all these experiments pro- have shown that female ze- ment, but the test subjects ous aspects like dynamics vide great insight into the could still hear some calls between males (dominance bra finches can choose be- bird’s mind. Yet, the studies tween males based on their from other zebra finches. An and fighting) and female re- that seek to investigate re- Apple iPhone 6S on HDR ceptivity are lost within the songs, the following hypoth- action to song alone forget esis was formulated: females settings was used to record experimental design (Rut- about a vital part of mating: all trials. stein et al., 2007). will consistently choose physical contact (Campbell one male regardless of the Procedure Despite the number of stud- et al., 2008; Neubauer, 2000; amount of physical contact Starting around 11 AM, 2 ies that have tried to under- Campbell & Hauber, 2009; (Lauay et al., 2003; Camp- males were transported from stand the attractive qualities Lauay et al., 2003; Forst- bell & Hauber, 2009; Hauber their housing cage to the of zebra finch song, most of meier & Birkhead, 2004).