Cassie Shriver selected for ARCS Scholar Award

Congratulations to QBioS student, Cassie Shriver, who received an ARCS Scholar Award for 2022.  The ARCS Scholar Awards recognize outstanding doctoral students who have a record of past achievement and who show exceptional promise of making a significant contribution to the worldwide advancement of science and technology.  Georgia Tech selected eight awardees across the Colleges of Sciences, Engineering, and Computing.  Awards range from $7000-10,000, renewable for up to three years.

Cassie’s proposed doctoral research is entitled, “Mammalian Climbing: how Scaling affects Kinematics, and the Applications for Conservation.”  In order to obtain an initial understanding of mammalian climbing, she plans to focus on scaling relationships for plantigrades: flat-footed mammals often regarded as locomotor generalists. Her proposed species of study include tree kangaroos, red pandas, fossas, American badgers, and sun bears, all of which are endangered or vulnerable species.  Understanding how these species locomote in arboreal environments will better inform land management policies, how to find and access these animals in their natural habitats, and how to enhance zoological enclosures and enrichment.