Off to Kenya!

I'm leaving today for Kenya to begin my year long adventure. I'm going to be working for Steffen who is a doctorate student at Columbia University. He has designed a multi-variate study on Sykes monkeys, where he is primarily studying the stress levels of these monkeys due to increased human presence in the area they live in. He is also researching the behavioral repertoire of these monkeys as very little research has actually been completed on this sub species. Sykes monkeys typically live in very dense forests that make it difficult for people to study them because visibility is so poor. The monkeys Steffen is studying have settled in an area of ancient Arab ruins, where there are fewer trees compared to their normal habitats, making the various groups ideal candidates for behavioral research.Sykes monkeys are found all over Africa, and thankfully are not endangered. Steffen is hoping to build a model from his research with these monkeys that can be applied to species that are endangered.While in Kenya I will also have the opportunity to design my own study. I am still in the process of refining my work and will post an update once I have a clearer idea of details of my study. In addition to researching the behavior of these monkeys I also hope to learn more about the Kenyan culture and landscape. Hopefully I will have many fun and exciting stories to report throughout my stay in Africa. And hopefully I will have the opportunity to visit and see many places outside of Kenya.Now I must be off! I will write soon and let you all know I have arrived safe and provide an update on my trip over. See everyone in a year or so!!