In this episode, Dr. Michelle Rodrigues (Beckman Institute, University of Illinois) speaks to us about her work in primatology and anthropology. Michelle has worked in numerous countries studying non-human primates. A lot of her papers focus on friendship and social strategies in female spider monkeys, which involved multiple months in the field collecting behavioral data and poop samples from animals in the wild. We talk about the high points, the low moments, and how her work will help in conservation and welfare efforts.

We also talk about her more recent work looking at how female social relationships can help women, and more specifically scientists, cope with stressors in the workplace and day-to-day life. We finish by talking about what Michelle believes listeners can do to aid in primate welfare and conservation efforts worldwide.

Listen to Michelle’s episode below. You can also subscribe to our RSS feed, or find us on Spotify, Stitcher, iTunes or anywhere else you typically find podcasts!

Show notes

If you have feedback or questions for Michelle, you can find her on Twitter and check out her blog. Michelle also suggests the Monkey Bridge Project, Inc., Neighbor Ape, Chimp Haven and Project Chimps as some of her favorite organizations and charities to support.

You can find Michael on Twitter and Instagram.

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