ECR Spotlight is a series of interviews with early-career authors from a selection of papers published in Journal of Experimental Biology and aims to promote not only the diversity of early-career researchers (ECRs) working in experimental biology but also the huge variety of animals and physiological systems that are essential for the ‘comparative’ approach. Laura Mendez is an author on ‘ Wind gradient exploitation during foraging flights by black skimmers (Rynchops niger)’, published in JEB. Laura is a PhD student in the lab of Tyson Hedrick at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA, investigating how animals use their bodies to move through, and interact with, their environment, modifying their behavior according to available resources.
Laura Mendez
How did you become interested in biology?
My curiosity about animal function is the product of my years as a swimmer and my brother's battle with cancer. As a swimmer, I felt intrigued by the mechanisms behind the movements and the strategies used to perform efficiently in water. At the same time, watching how the different surgeries impose locomotor limitations on my brother made me wonder about the different systems in the body and their control. These questions led me to study biology at Universidad de los Andes (Bogotá, Colombia). Here, I was introduced to the concept of biomechanics during the vertebrate evolution course, which laid the foundations of my scientific journey.
Describe your scientific journey and your current research focus
I had the opportunity to join an arachnid student research group during my undergraduate studies. With this group, we developed a project looking at the relationship between leg form and function in harvestmen (Opiliones) living in different habitats. This experience opened my mind to invertebrate form–function studies. Following this, I did a comparative study of the flight musculature of social wasps for my undergraduate research thesis under Dr Carlos Sarmiento from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Then, following my eagerness to study biomechanics, I moved to the USA to do a master's in kinesiology at Penn State University with Dr John Challis, where I explored the architecture dynamics of human pennated muscles in vivo under isometric and isotonic contractions. After graduation, I had the opportunity to work with a research group investigating the effects of locomotor training in the rehabilitation of a spinal cord injury pediatric population at the University of Louisville, USA. Although this work was engaging, it placed me far from the animal movement mechanisms that intrigue me the most. Currently, I am finishing my PhD where I have been working on bird flight biomechanics focusing on different bird behaviors happening on or over water, and looking at how birds move in, and interact with, this environment.
How would you explain the main findings of your paper to a member of the public?
Many bird species take advantage of wind conditions in their environment to lower the amount of energy needed to fly. In this study, we wanted to see whether black skimmers, a group of coastal birds that hunt fish with their beaks immersed in water as they fly, take advantage of the wind conditions close to the water to reduce the energy invested on this feeding behavior. We found that black skimmers gain a positive benefit (energy) from the wind when they fly up (ascend) facing the wind. This gained energy could be used to return to the feeding area at a lower cost. Although the benefit they gain from flying this way is small and does not completely supply all the energy needed for this behavior, in flight any energy cost reduction is valuable. This study demonstrated that black skimmers can use the wind environment to support their feeding flights at a lower cost; however, there are factors such as the coastline landscape and the areas where fish aggregate that could be limiting how much energy these birds can harvest from the wind.
What do you enjoy most about research, and why?
My favorite part about research is that interesting questions can come up just by slowing down and taking the time to observe the world around us. Most of my projects have come from my time camping, hiking and traveling, where I have seen animals moving in their natural environment, displaying what I think of as unique behaviors. I enjoy being able to take those observations and formulate research questions, to then collect the data and see how the results come together to build a story. There is always something that surprises me with each project, and I love to be able to contribute this to the field I enjoy so much.
What is the most important lesson that you have learned from your career so far?
Things do not always turn out the way we plan them, so it is important to be open and welcome the change in our ideas, career, course and path; nothing is set in stone. In those situations when we feel lost, insecure and as if everything is crumbling around us, the most important thing is to be kind to ourselves. Even though the path we have set out for ourselves might shift, this does not mean that we have to give up on our goals; this just means that our goals can transform as we grow intellectually.
What do you like to do in your free time?
In my free time, I enjoy being active: running, hiking, swimming, rock climbing or dancing. I especially enjoy activities where I can catch up with friends and talk about life. In these settings I can learn something new from someone's perspective which opens my view of the world, and I love that. When I am not out enjoying my friend's company and physical activity, I am at home with my cat, Milo. I am amazed at how much my attitude towards life has changed since I adopted him; he has grounded me and shown me that life is so much more than work.
Laura Mendez's contact details: Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
E-mail: [email protected]