Dwight Holloway ’23

Major: Environmental Science 
Project: “Food Fights: Feeding Competition between Male Howler Monkeys and Other Group Members Depending on Food Source” 
Advisor: Sarah McClelland, assistant professor of biological sciences

Although Dwight Holloway ’23 majors in environmental science, he decided to dive into the field of biology for his research. After some discussion with his faculty advisor for this project, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences Dr. Sarah McClelland, Holloway felt supported heading into his research in a field in which he has little background.

“My biggest takeaway from this experience is that I can do anything I set out to do; it just takes hard work and determination. Also, that I really am a scientist,” Holloway says.

That determination led Holloway—a first-generation college student—to the basis of his project: to find out whether food competition between individual males and others in the group was based on the quality of the food source. So, Holloway collected data and found that there were instances of aggression due to food, but not due to the quality of food, because the subjects—Howler monkeys—were in a low-quality food source feeding tree. Holloway’s research proved his prediction correct that if the distance from the nearest monkey was less than one body length, aggression was shown.

Holloway commends Dr. McClelland for her mentoring during this project, saying she was always patient and willing to help when he didn’t understand something.

“She has been a great role model and is always there to talk science and future moves after your undergraduate degree is complete,” he says.