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蘑菇tv Biological Sciences PhD student Melanie Kimball is one of 110 doctoral students in the USA and Canada selected to receive a Scholar Award from the P.E.O. Sisterhood, a philanthropic educational organization dedicated to helping women pursue educational goals by providing scholarships, awards, and loans. 

Melanie is a PhD candidate in Dr. Christine Lattin鈥檚 lab, where she examines the neurobiology of neophobia (鈥渇ear of the new鈥�) in house sparrows, a successful invasive bird species. Some individual sparrows avoid new objects, foods, and environments (neophobic), whereas others appear indifferent towards new things and are willing to approach and explore (non-neophobic). Melanie鈥檚 dissertation research is focused on uncovering differences in the brain that cause an individual sparrow to be either neophobic or non-neophobic. 

鈥淣eophobia has critical ecological relevance, because wild animals are encountering an increasing amount of novelty as urbanization spreads across the globe,鈥� Melanie says about her work. 鈥淯nderstanding neophobia may also help us better understand what traits make a successful invasive species, and, more broadly, this research could help us understand human anxiety disorders.鈥�

Scholar Award recipients are a select group of women chosen for their high level of academic achievement and their potential for having a positive impact on society. The award will help Melanie pay for educational expenses, and travel for conferences and post-doctoral job interviews. Melanie was sponsored by Chapter BE of Covington, Louisiana.  

Melanie is honored to be a P.E.O. Scholar Award recipient. 鈥淩eceiving the P.E.O. Scholar Award is especially meaningful because I have gained a lot of valuable mentorship and support from women鈥檚 organizations like P.E.O,鈥� Melanie says. 鈥淚 am so grateful to the women of the local P.E.O. chapter [BE of Covington] who volunteer their time to advocate for women in higher education.鈥�