The work of a
primatologist is not
monkey business.

“Unless you are very committed to being a primatologist, fieldwork is often a horrible experience,” says Lisa Corewyn, an assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology. “You have to be away from home for long periods of time, and the work is extremely difficult (early mornings and long hours in the forest) and physical—hiking all day chasing monkeys who move easily through the forest canopy.

Corewyn has spent her career studying howler monkeys, devoting 12-hour days tracking them, tagging them, and collecting their feces. Her work is a combination of behavioral observation and genetic study. The genetics component comes from fecal DNA analysis, which can help answer questions that aren’t easily observable, like which male howlers are fathering most of the babies.

When working in the field, Corewyn says, a scientist might be alone in the forest for long periods of time with predators, spiders, snakes, scorpions, and lots and lots of mosquitoes and other biting insects.

Working in remote areas also makes communicating with the outside world difficult, and not being able to email, phone, or text for long periods of time can be challenging—both personally and professionally.

Other issues for those conducting field work include having to adjust to another culture, a different language, and a lot of people they don’t know.

“All of this said, I still love what I do,” Corewyn says. “Watching monkeys in the wild, sitting in a beautiful forest [while] listening to the sounds of wildlife, and making some wonderful friends in another country makes all of the challenges worthwhile for me. It’s a rare, rare privilege that most people never have the chance to do.”

But soon IC students may get an opportunity for fieldwork: Corewyn is working to open a field school for the summer of 2016.