Portrait of Rebekah Rowe. Rebekah Rowe is a biology major currently researching social bonding and loss in coyotes. Coyotes were selected because they mate for life, allowing for easy comparison between levels and locations of the hormone oxytocin in widowed and non-widowed coyotes. These findings can help us learn why grief and social loss affect people differently. “It’s been super cool to apply what I’ve been learning about the brain and actually seeing it while working with the brain — making connections between parts that I’ve learned in the classroom and seeing it in real life,” Rowe explained. Throughout her research experience, she has developed and strengthened countless skills. Patience and resilience were highlighted, especially when outcomes didn’t meet her initial expectations. Those challenges, she said, make the successes even more rewarding. Rowe has also experienced significant growth in self-confidence and has seen how insights from her research can translate to human behavior, and vice versa. This process has also become a way to connect and honor her grandfather, who was an active physics researcher. Some of her favorite moments have been exploring her curiosities and finding answers to questions whenever they appear.
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