Pembroke Undergraduates Selected for Smithsonian UK Research Internship in Kenya

This year the Smithsonian UK Charitable Trust is giving three Pembroke College students the opportunity to undertake internships at its Mpala Research Centre in Kenya. 

The Mpala Research Centre was established in 1991 on the 48,000-acre Mpala Wildlife Foundation property on the Laikipa plateau in north central Kenya. Today, it is recognized as a central hub for research in East Africa and is home to a variety of threatened and endangered plants and animals.

The Centre represents a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution, Princeton University, the Kenya Wildlife Service, and the National Museums of Kenya which creates a site for multidisciplinary research and training in Africa. Since its inception, Mpala has hosted hundreds of students, educators, and scientists annually from around the globe, conducting research on a wide range of topics.

We are pleased to announce the three successful applicants from Pembroke, and share some information about the work they will undertake.

Ingrid Easton (Biological Sciences, 2016) will work on the ‘Spatial Ecology of the Laikipia Plains Programme’, led by Dr Jared Stabach. She will work with a research scientist from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, mapping and quantifying land use/land cover dynamics and their consequences for biodiversity and wildlife at the Centre and its surrounding areas. 

Laura Hindley (Biological Sciences, 2015) will contribute to the ‘One Health Programme’, which is led by Dr Linsey Shields. She will work with the Smithsonian Global Health Programme veterinary fellows on collaborative projects that relate to human, wildlife, and domestic animal health in the Laikipia region. 

Hannah Puleston (Biological Sciences, 2016) will work on the ‘Communities and Conservation Programme’, led by Dr Dinos Martins. She will be involved in Mpala’s work on the intersection of wildlife-livestock-agriculture issues in the Laikipia region.