Dr. Joshua Lederberg

The Rockefeller University
1230 York Avenue

New York, New York 10021

 

Dear Dr. Lederberg:

My name is Catherine Craig and I ama first year graduate student at
Cornell Univeristy working with S.A.Levin. I am working towards a PhD in
ecology. When I finish graduate school I hope to find a full time research
position studying the ecology of tropical disease vectors. Because I will
be approaching this field from a theoretical ecology program, I am hoping to
find summer positions in disease ecology research as well as health care policy researdh
for developing countries. Dr. David Hamburg suggested I write to you about the
possibility of finding such a position at Rockefeller this summer. To give

you a picture of me I will briefly outline my educational and professional
experience.

I received an A.B. in the Program in Human Biology from Stanford University.
Through the Human Biology program I had the opportunity to study free-ranging
chimpanzees at the Gombe Stream Research Center, Tanzania.(As aniaside, I have
talked with you in the past; I took your Humanics course as an undergraduate: )

I entered graduate school in the Department of Zoology at Berkeley following
my senior year at Stanford and planned to specialize in animal behavior
and particularly that of non-human primates. While at Berkeley my interests
changed from behavior to evolution and ecology as well as some aspects of
applied biology. I earned a master's degree and left school to pursue my
interests independently and decide on a specific area for further research.

I spent 1976-1977 in Costa Rica doing work that included teaching,
applied and basic research. In the fall I taught a field biology course to
Costa Rican and American high school students. January-June 1977 1b worked as
a free-lance cartographer for the Tropical Science Center and made a base.
map of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. In addition to working for TSC
I initiated the research on orb-web weaving spiders that I am currently
pursuing.: I returned to the United States in September 1977 and began working
for Dr. H.W. Levi at the Museum of Comparative Zoology as a curatorial assistant
in the Department of Invertebrates.

spider

My research involves a study of the dynamics of,prey capture and how
differences in web structure "select" insects with different flight patterns.
Although this study may seem a far cry from studies on the ecology of disease
vectors, it is not. In particular, the skills I am developing, knowledge
of mathematical modelling, background in basic mathematics, field and lab
experience, are those I feel necessary for successin disease ecology research.
My interest in tropical diseases was probably stimulated by experiences
in Africa and Latin America. While at Harvard, I associated with Dick
Lewontin's lab and as a result began to think more seriously about the value of
ecological training to approach disease problems.

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Ak flios € ttt s ? Sel CA
T am planning to be in New York March 15-17. I would like to enw
my aquaintence with you as well as discuss the possibility of a summer
position at Rockefeller. Will you be available during those dates?
If not I look forward to heartng from you.

“Whe

Catherine L. A