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The New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology
Director: Eric Delson
Mission: NYCEP is a graduate training program in all aspects of the behavioral and evolutionary biology of primates, funded by National Science Foundation grants since 1992, most recently by the Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) initiative. It consists of four degree-granting institutions: City University of New York (CUNY), Columbia University (CU), New York University (NYU), and the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), in collaboration with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). Evolutionary primatology is a discipline that draws its theory, methods, and empirical data from many areas within the biological sciences, anthropology, and geology. Our focus is on human as well as nonhuman primates from the perspectives of comparative morphology, paleontology and systematics, molecular and population genetics, behavior and ecology, and conservation biology. Principal Research Programs: Behavioral biology, conservation and ecology: faculty includes Bennett, Cords, Delgado, Di Fiore, McCann, Munshi-South, Robinson, Rockwell, Rothman, Sanderson, Sterling, Stinson, Swedell, Tattersall and Terrace; Paleoanthropology, paleontology and comparative morphology: faculty includes Anton, Bailey, Bock, Bromage, Delson, DeMenocal, Flynn, Gannon, Harcourt-Smith, Harrison, Harvati, Hof, Holloway, Jolly, Laitman, MacPhee, Meng, Novacek, Pechenkina, Plummer, Reidenberg, Rohlf, Rosenberger, Schaffler, St. John, Stefan, Tattersall, Tryon, Van Couvering, Wahlert and White; Population genetics and molecular evolution: faculty includes de Salle, Di Fiore, Disotell, Jolly, Melnick, Raaum, Rockwell, Steiper, Tosi and Wheeler. Training Opportunities: CUNY and NYU offer the Ph. D. in Anthropology with a specialty in the physical (=biological) subdiscipline; CU offers a Ph. D. in Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, with a specialization in evolutionary primatology. AMNH offers a Ph. D. in Comparative Biology. NYU requires an M.A. qualification en route to the Ph. D., while M.A. and M. Phil. degrees are available at CUNY and CU. Students formally enroll in one of the three universities (or AMNH) but participate in an integrated and overarching training program which unites students and faculty of all five institutions. Students in this program take courses in all the above-listed areas at the three universities and AMNH, attend seminars that draw upon the staff of all five cooperating institutions, and have the opportunity to engage in original research in laboratories, museums, and in the field. Financial Aid: NYCEP provides funds for research and travel support and coordinates course programs and seminars. The graduate programs of the three collaborating universities and AMNH offer full financial aid programs with regular fellowships (up to $30,000 per year for 4 years from the IGERT award, available only to US citizens, nationals and permanent residents) as well as special opportunities for minority students. Members of groups underrepresented in science are especially encouraged to apply. Appropriate undergraduate majors for NYCEP applicants include biological anthropology and other life sciences. Students apply to one or more cooperating universities and send a one-page NYCEP tracking form to Dr. Delson; this is available from the web site (see above). Applications can be obtained from NYCEP or university web sites or admissions offices. Annual application deadline is early January. Number of Staff: 52 Associated Field Sites: Kakamega Forest, Kenya; Marina Cords; social behavior and ecology of Cercopithecidae and other primates. Last Updated: 2009-07-04 [Edit Entry] [Delete Entry] [Search IDP] |