Columbia University

In the Fall 2000 semester, the Evolutionary Primatology program at Columbia University moved from the Anthropology Department to the newly created Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology (E3B). Faculty involved with the Evolutionary Primatology hold appointments in E3B and, in some cases, also in Anthropology. The three biological anthropology faculty members are Marina Cords, Ralph Holloway, and Don Melnick, all of whom hold dual appointments in both departments. Walter Bock (Biology Department) and Juan Carlos Morales (CERC/E3B) are members of the NYCEP resource faculty.

The focus of Columbia's faculty in evolutionary primatology is the evolutionary significance of biological diversity in humans and their closest relatives, the nonhuman primates. Three main areas of research are represented: behavioral ecology, with a special focus on social behavior, socioecology and breeding systems (Cords); the evolution of the human brain and comparative primate neuroanatomy (Holloway); and population, conservation, and evolutionary genetics (Melnick). Students are exposed to theoretical and empirical aspects of these areas of inquiry through both core and specialized courses, as well as directed research and internships in the laboratory and the field. Details of the programmatic structure can be found on the E3B Web Page (PhD programs/Evolutionary Primatology).

The Physical Anthropology Laboratory under Holloway's direction contains excellent teaching and research materials. The osteological collection consists of non-human primate skeletal material and some 75+ complete human crania, many of which show various pathological disease states, and its mixed racial and sexual composition permits instruction on (broadly conceived) racial and sex identification for forensic purposes. Of unique value is the extremely large latex rubber brain endocast collection which numbers over a hundred large hominoids. The fossil human sample includes all of the specimens that Holloway has worked upon over the past 30 years, numbering 50-60 endocasts. There is also a growing collection of formalin-fixed brains of Macaca and Pan.

The Genetic Analysis Laboratory under Melnick's direction includes facilities for all aspects of molecular genetic and population genetic analyses from extraction of genetic material through and including automated DNA sequencing. Attached student desk spaces and computer facilities provide dry lab space for data processing by NYCEP students.

Cords runs a field site in the Kakamega Forest, Kenya, where research on primates has occurred over the past 25 years. Cords can provide access to a primate vocalization analysis system, electronic data collection and analysis system, and (soon to be arranged) GIS work stations.

Through Columbia's Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology Department, students have access to additional organismal biology faculty, including a growing number of core members as well as faculty affiliates (from other Columbia Departments such as Earth and Environmental Sciences and Biology) and adjunct faculty at the American Museum of Natural History, the New York Botanical Garden, the Wildlife Conservation Society and Wildlife Trust. These institutions, along with Columbia, have formed a consortium dedicated to research, training and education in environmental biology and conservation, the Center for Environmental Research and Conservation (CERC). CERC itself is one unit within Columbia's Earth Institute, a larger body of faculty, educational and research units dedicated to studying and solving some of the world's pressing human and environmental problems by integrating biological sciences, earth sciences, engineering sciences, social sciences and health sciences.

The expertise of Columbia's E3B faculty is particularly strong in ecology, evolution and conservation biology. The E3B faculty teaches many courses of relevance to NYCEP students (even if they are not focused specifically on primates), and faculty members are available to serve on committees. Thus Evolutionary Primatology students at Columbia are likely to be taking courses alongside peers who study different animals as well as plants, and will benefit from the broader perspective that is necessary when fundamental ideas are applied to a diversity of life forms. In addition, students with primary interests in conservation can be exposed to the viewpoints, experience and expertise of many professionals who work on various organisms in various parts of the world.

While human resources in terms of a diverse faculty and a cadre of peers with related interests may be the biggest benefit of the new E3B department for NYCEP students, it also offers (1) genetics, morphology and behavioral research opportunities (e.g. internships) in faculty labs, (2) a weekly seminar series (the E3B/CERC seminar) to which all NYCEP students are invited, and (3) a growing set of opportunities and facilities as the department is in an active stage of recruitment and growth.

Links:

Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology
Center for Environmental Research and Conservation (CERC)
The E3B/CERC seminar
E3B Web Page/PhD programs/Evolutionary Primatology
Kakamega Forest
E3B Faculty
Earth Insitute