March 2022 ABI Student of the Month: Daniella Guizarnotegui Gomez
My name is Daniella Guizarnotegui Gomez and I am currently a fourth-year ABI major with an interest in pursuing predator to prey interactions in Entomology. I am the first in my family to go to a university and their support allows me to pursue my career goal to become a wildlife veterinarian. I am a Referral Officer in the veterinary side of Knights Landing One Health Clinic, which offers Knight Landing community members an opportunity to spay/neuter their pets at a low cost through Gourley Community Surgery Service in UC Davis Veterinary Hospital.
The veterinary side of KLOHC gave me the opportunity and experience to learn more about the veterinary field and the importance of pet care. I highly recommend those that are interested in veterinary medicine to apply since you are able to gain or strengthen your skills and passion for the field. I am also Treasurer of the Entomology club in UCD that allows students to express their admiration and passion for insects. The Entomology Club provides many events such as cockroach races, insect collecting, and many more! After I graduate, I hope to apply to vet school during my gap year but I am also interested in becoming a graduate student in insect behavior.
I am currently conducting my research practicum in Dr. Stacey Combes’ lab that studies insect behavior such as flight control, aerial interactions, the mechanics of behavioral interactions, and the ecological effects on these behaviors. Furthermore, my project will explore the prey-predator interaction of dragonfly nymphs (genus Libellula). We will study their success of prey capture based on the relative angle location of the dragonfly nymph to find if dragonfly nymphs readjust themselves after striking. We will further test this interaction based on the strike distance between the dragonfly nymph and their prey using high-speed cameras.
As an undergraduate student majoring in Animal Biology, I was offered an opportunity to learn about research, which as a student without a science background, is exciting. I was able to understand the difficulties and rewards when it comes to finding answers within the science field. I look forward to sharing that knowledge with everyone. Animal Biology has shown me that perseverance and passion for what you do is important; that persistence is key. The spark of curiosity does not go unnoticed and that spark grows as you pursue your passion within the scientific community. At first, it may seem intimidating, but the experiences and knowledge you have gained give you the tools necessary to proceed.