Typically, there are more applicants for entry into my lab than I can accept, so the competition is stiff. Those not chosen are informed of my decision so they can withdraw their applications and avoid the application fee required by the Graduate School. Once I sign my support of an applicant, the file is sent to the Graduate Admissions Committee of the Department of Biological Sciences for evaluation. TA assignments are guaranteed for two years for masters students and five years for doctoral students. If you are selected for a TA assignment, then this completes the admissions process for getting into my lab.
Most students teach for a year, while taking courses and establishing their research program.
Then we work towards finding support for the research project. This may be in the form of a graduate research assistantship on one of my funded research projects or a grant that the student garners. This project was initiated in the Spring of 2001 and includes mark-recapture, measuring growth rates, and documenting reproductive patterns. The roots of the project date back to 1988 and has expanded to include mulitple field sites located in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi.