Conservation & Science Staff Bios

Education

• B.S. – Zoology, Michigan State University

Areas of Expertise

• Ape behavior

About Marisa Shender:

Marisa received her B.S. from Michigan State University in June 2008; she majored in zoology with a concentration in animal behavior as well as fulfilling pre-veterinary medicine requirements. As an undergraduate she worked with Steven Arnoczky, D.V.M., in his Laboratory for Comparative Orthopaedic Research within Michigan State’s veterinary school. Her main duties were assisting with histology as well as other cellular analysis. This work in a laboratory environment ignited her interest in the use of animals in research and the repercussions that occur within the animal.

Marisa began working at the Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes in fall 2008 as a data collector on the behavioral-monitoring project. Later she began to assist in the data entry for Gombe Mother-Infant Research as part of her internship.

In summer 2010 Marisa was hired as the ethosearch coordinator to assist entry, collection and organization of multi-species ethograms offered on the project website. In June 2012, she was hired as research assistant, where she performs administrative duties pertaining to the Fisher Center and assists with ongoing research projects. Her research focuses on the social-spacing project, which investigates group spacing in chimpanzees and gorillas at Regenstein Center for African Apes.