rory telemeco
Fulbright Postgraduate Scholar
Media Profile
"Do animals adapt to changes in temperature? In examining the Australian three-lined skink I will look at how they respond to two important variables related to climate change: temperature and food availability and the affect on natural populations of an egg-laying vertebrate."
Rory Telemeco is one of fifteen Americans to be granted a Fulbright Postgraduate Scholarship in 2007. Rory will undertake research at the University of Sydney on the effects of natural seasonal temperature variation on wild populations of Australian three-lined skinks (Bassiana duperreyi). Rory is currently a Research Assistant at the University of Central Oklahoma, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science of Biology in 2006
The Australian three-lined skink is a strongly striped, egg-laying lizard most commonly found amongst coastal heaths and in warm, sunny areas. Rory’s project, Do animals adapt to changes in temperature?, will document the potential impact global temperature changes have on natural populations of an egg-laying vertebrate.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me to perform my proposed research under the guidance of one of the world’s foremost experts in herpetology and evolutionary biology, Dr Richard Shine, in his laboratory at the University of Sydney.”
“Because my research will contribute both to the understanding of natural selection and to the influence of global climate/temperature change on vertebrate animals, it will interest researchers around the world. I will be collaborating not only with Dr Shine, but also with other students from numerous nations who have travelled to Sydney to work in Dr Shine’s laboratory.
Rory’s project will be the first to investigate the effects of natural seasonal temperature variation on life-historical traits in populations of wild lizards and he intends to begin writing his Master’s thesis using the data he collects in Australia.
“Bassiana duperreyi is native only to South East Australia and may possibly be the best model organism in the world with which to conduct this study. Importantly, because the Shine laboratory is the leading centre for studies on the interaction between temperature and reproduction in lizards and snakes, it is an ideal location for my study:
Rory is aiming to become both a researcher and an educator and believes a Fulbright Scholarship will significantly help in the realisation of this goal, while at the same time provide him unique preparation to play a meaningful role in the global scientific community.
Rory academic performance has been recgonised through many awards, including the UCO Biology Department and the Vivian Sadler Field Scholarships in 2006, National Dean’s List in 2004, 2005 and 2006, and the Environmental Education Award/Scholarship in 2003 and 2004.