Hersson Ramírez Molina

Hello! My name is Hersson Ramírez and I am a tropical biologist. I earned my B.Sc. degree in Tropical Biology at the Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica. My formation was focused in the study of tropical species and ecosystems. Also, the career has a strong emphasis on fieldwork. So, I was specially trained in sampling techniques and data collection methods. It was at this point that I took my first steps in genetics. Currently, I am pursuing a M.Sc. degree in wildlife management and conservation at the International Institute on Wildlife Conservation and Management. In this program, I enhanced my fieldwork experience by focusing on wildlife conservation and management and sharpened my capacities for biological, ecological and genetic data analysis. This is my thesis project that I hope to finance with your help.

Since I was a biology student, I have always been very interested in animal behavior and genetics. Especially, how these aspects can affect the conservation and management of a species. Because the birds have always been a personal passion, and specially parrots, I wanted to make a contribution to their conservation. And so, I decided to take on this project by getting involved with the Conservation Genetics Laboratory of the School of Biology at the Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR). There, researchers work on various conservation genetics and conservation medicine projects targeting different vertebrate taxa (including parrots!). I was welcomed to develop my thesis project there with the support and advice of experts in the field. Although the laboratory owns equipment for genetic analysis, there are some materials and reactives that I have to afford. I hope, with your kind help, to be able to carry out my project successfully!

July 2016